Is there anyone on DU-3 who lived through Vietnam War Era..whose life was changed by the DraftWar?

[southernyankeebelle]

8. I worked on a military base that soldiers came through for courses they took. I even dated a

guy who went. Within my own family we had pro and against the fight. It was so hard to hear at home. My dad was a 22 yr lifer who had been to VN right before the build up and he got out because he said he was getting to old to go to war. He did support the troops. On the other hand my mother didn't. She came from europe and had bombs dropped on her community and was so against the war. I had a brother who was eligible at the time but he was in college. When they put the draft in his number was very high so they never called him. My father-in-law was a trainer in VN. He was there at the beginning and said that the people weren't going to win the war because they didn't have the fire in the belly. They had the French there before and they left. He said people were poor and all they wanted was to live in peace. It was ashamed our leaders never listened to the grunts that were there. They could have told them that. But really the higher ups lie to the president and I don't think they give him the right story. My mother-in-law told he it was time to retire or she would leave him. She was afraid they were going to send him again. So he finally retired and right after he put the papers in orders came down to go back. Lucky he didn't have to. He said it was a terrible ordeal. Even worse than WWII and Korea. Then the one real thing for me was my best friend's boyfriend was wound and lost his leg and he cut off the relationship. She never got over that. War is hell. I never agreed with the war but I always had respect for the troops. I never spit in a soldiers face.