With Vietnam veterans, they called contact with other veterans, "ghosts at the door." They didn't want to be reminded of what they were still living with. They didn't want to find out which of the soldiers they knew died, which ones ended up with their legs blown off, which ones got yet another divorce. They wanted to put it all behind them.
Years later, more and more were reaching out to find their buddies. Lost and Found from a Vietnam Veterans site (http://grunt.space.swri.edu/vetorgs.htm) began as a way to help them find each other.
There are a lot of other links from this site and they should be used for the wealth of information they provide.
http://grunt.space.swri.edu/vetorgs.htm
If you go to Lost and Found, read some of their stories as they search for people who were there when a family member was killed in action; when they need help to prove a claim with the VA; when they just want to find someone who they knew, your heart breaks. After all these years, they still reach out at the same time they still try to push it all to the back of their minds.
If you want to know what a Vietnam veteran can do, just look at which ones reached the Senate and the House
Vietnam Veterans in the Senate
"#" in front of the name indicates a combat veteran
#Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI)
U.S. Army 1943-47Robert Bennett (R-UT)
National Guard 1957-61Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Army Reserves 1968-74#Thomas Carper (D-DEL)
U.S. Navy 1968-1973
Navy Reserve 1973-1991Thad Cochran (R-MS)
U.S. Navy 1959-61Larry Craig (R-ID)
National Guard 1970-72Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT)
Army Reserve 1969-75Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Air National Guard 1967-73Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
· U.S. Air Force 1983-1989
National Guard 1989-1994#Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
U.S. Army 1967-68Tom Harkins (D-IA)
U.S. Navy 1962-67
Navy Reserve 1968-74James M. Inhofe (R-OK)
U.S. Army 1954-56#Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Medal Of Honor
U.S. Army 1943-47Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
National Guard 1966-1972Tim Johnson (D-SD)
U.S. Army 1969-Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
U.S. Army 1951-53#John Robert Kerry (D-MA)
U.S. Navy 1966-1970Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Army Reserve 1958-64
#Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Army 1942-1946
Richard Lugar (R-IN)
U.S. Navy 1957-60#John R. McCain (R-AZ)
U.S. Navy 1958-81
*POW Vietnam 1967-73Bill Nelson (D-FL)
U.S. Army 1968-1970Jack Reed (D-RI)
U.S. Army 1967-1969Pat Roberts (R-KS)
U.S. Marine Corps (1958-62)Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Army Reserves 1973-86Arlen Specter (R-PA)
U.S. Air Force 1951-53#Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Army Air Corps 1943-46#John R. Warner (R-VA)
U.S. Navy 1945-46
Marine Corps 1950-52
Marine Corps Reserves 1952-1964
#Jim Webb (D-VA)
U.S. Marine Corps 1964-1972
Ass't Sec. of Defense 1984-1987
Secretary of the Navy 1987-1988
Vietnam Veterans in the House
"#" in front of the name indicates a combat veteran.
Todd Akin (R-02 Missouri)
U.S. Army
#Joe Baca (D-43 CA)
U.S. Army 1966-1968
Spencer Bachus (R-06 AL)
National Guard 1969-1971
James Barrett (R-03 S.C.)
Army 1983-1987
Michael Bilirakis ( )
Air Force 1951-1955
Sanford D. Bishop (D-02 GA)
U.S. Army 1971
John Boehner (R-08 OH)
U.S. Navy 1968
#Leonard L. Boswell (D-03 IA)
U.S. Army 1956-1976
#Allen Boyd, Jr. (D-02 FL)
U.S. Army 1969-1971
Henry Brown (R-1 SC)
National Guard 1953-1962
Vern Buchanan (R-13 FL)
Air National Guard 1970-1976
Dan Burton (R-05 IN)
U.S. Army 1956-1957
Army Reserves 1957-1962G.K. Butterfield (D-1 NC)
Army Reserves 1957-1962
Army 1968-1970
Stephen E. Buyer (R-04 IN)
U.S. Army 1984-1987, 1990
Army Reserve 1980-1984, 1987-Present
Christopher Carney (D-10PA)
Naval Reserves 1995 - Present
Howard Coble (R-06 NC)
Coast Guard 1952-1956, 1977-1978
Coast Guard Reserve 1960-1981
Mike Conway (R-11 TX)
U.S. Army 1970-1972
John Conyers (D-14 MI)
National Guard 1948-1950
U.S. Army 1950-1954
Army Reserve 1954-1957
Robert E. Cramer, Jr. (D-05 AL)
U.S. Army 1972
Army Reserves 1976-1978
Geoff Davis (R-04 KY)
U.S. Army 1980 -1987
Thomas M. Davis (R-11 VA)
U.S. Army 1971-1972
Army Reserves 1972-1979
Nathan Deal (R-09 GA)
U.S. Army 1966-1968
Peter A. DeFazio (D-04 OR)
U.S. Air Force 1967-1971
William D. Delahunt (D-10 MA)
Coast Guard Reserve 1963-1971
John D. Dingell (D-16 MI)
U.S. Army 1945-1946
John F. Duncan, Jr. (R-02 TN)
Army Reserve 1970-1987
Bob Etheridge (D-02 NC)
U.S. Army 1965-1967
Terry Everett (R-02 AL)
U.S. Air Force 1955-1959
#Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-11 NJ)
U.S. Army 1969-1971
#Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-01 MD)
U.S. Marines 1964-1968
Louie Gohmert (R-01 TX)
U.S. Army 1977-1982
Charles A. Gonzales (D-20 TX)
National Guard 1969-1975
Virgil H. Goode, Jr. (R-05 VA)
National Guard 1969-1975
Bart Gordon (D-6 TN)
US Army Reserve 1971-72
Phil Hare (D-17IL)
Army Reserves 1969-1975
Ralph M. Hall (R-04 TX)
U.S. Navy 1942-1945
Doc Hastings (R-04 WA)
Army Reserves 1964-1969
Maurice Hinchey (D-22 NY)
U.S. Navy 1956-59
David L. Hobson (R-07 OH)
National Guard 1958-1963
#Duncan Hunter (R-52 CA)
U.S. Army 1969-1971
Darrell Issa (R-49 CA)
Army 1970-1972, 1976-1980
William J. Jefferson (D-02 LA)
U.S. Army 1969-1978
#Sam Johnson (R-03 TX)
U.S. Air Force 1951-1979 (POW)
Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R-03 NC)
National Guard 1967-1971
Paul E. Kanjorski (D-11 PA)
U.S. Army 1960-1961
Peter King (R-03 NY)
National Guard 1968-1973
# Mark Kirk (R-10 IL)
Navy Reserve 1989-present
#John Kline (R-02 MN)
USMC 1969-1994
Joseph Knollenberg (R-09 MI)
Army 1955-1957
Ron Lewis (R-02 KY)
U.S. Navy 1973
John Linder (R-7 GA)
US Air Force 1967-69
Edward J. Markey (D-07 MA)
Army Reserves 1968-1973
#James Marshall (D-3 GA)
U.S. Army 1968-1970
Jim McDermott (D-07 WA)
U.S. Navy 1968-1970
Gary Miller (R-42 CA)
Army 1967-1968
Alan Mollohan (D-01 WV)
U.S. Army 1970
Army Reserves 1970-1983
Dennis Moore (D-03 KS)
U.S. Army 1970
Army Reserves 1970-1972
Patrick Murphy (D-08PA)
Army 1999-2004
#John Murtha (D-12 PA)
U.S. Marines 1952-1955, 1966-1967
Marines Reserve 1967-1990
Soloman P. Ortiz (D-27 TX)
U.S. Army 1960-1962
William Pascrell, Jr. (D-08 NJ)
U.S. Army 1961
Army Reserves 1962-1967
Ron Paul (R-14 TX)
U.S. Air Force 1963-1965
National Guard 1965-1968
#Steve Pearce (R-2 NM)
U.S. Air Force 1970-1976
Collin C. Peterson (D-07 MN)
National Guard 1963-1969
John E. Peterson (R-05 PA)
U.S. Army 1957
Army Reserves 1958-1963
#Joseph R. Pitts (R-16 PA)
U.S. Air Force 1963-1969
Ted Poe (R-2 TX)
Air Force Reserve 1970-1976
Jim Ramstad (R-03 MN)
Army Reserves 1968-1974
#Charles B. Rangel (D-15 NY)
U.S. Army 1948-1952
Ralph Regula (R-16 OH)
U.S. Navy 1944-1946
#Silvestre Reyes (D-16 TX)
U.S. Army 1966-1968
Thomas Reynolds (R-26 NY)
National Guard 1970-1976
Harold Rogers (R-05 KY)
National Guard 1957-1964
Mike Rogers (R-8 MI)
US Army 1985-89
Bobby Rush (D-01 IL)
U.S. Army 1963-1968
John Salazar (D-03 CO)
U.S. Army 1973-1976
Robert C. Scott (D-03 VA)
Army Reserves 1970-1974
National Guard 1974-1976
Jose E. Serrano (D-16 NY)
U.S. Army 1964-1966
Joe Sestak(D-07PA)
U.S. Navy [Admiral] 1970-2006
John Shadegg (R-03AZ)
National Guard 1969-1975
John Shimkus (R-19 IL)
U.S. Army 1980-1984
Army Reserves 1987-Present
#Vic Snyder (D-02 AR)
U.S. Marines 1967-1969
John M. Spratt, Jr. (D-05 SC)
U.S. Army 1969-1971
Fortney P. Stark (D-13 CA)
U.S. Air Force 1955-1957
Cliff Stearns (R-06 FL)
U.S. Air Force 1963-1967
John S. Tanner (D-08 TN)
U.S. Navy 1968-1972
National Guard 1974-Present
Gene Taylor (D-04 MS)
Coast Guard Reserve 1971-1984
#Mike Thompson (D-01 CA)
U.S. Army 1969-1972
Edolphus Towns (D-10 NY)
U.S. Army 1956-1958
Tim Walz (D-01MI)
National Guard 1981-2005
Dave Weldon (R-15 FL)
U.S. Army 1981-1987
Army Reserves 1987-1992
Ed Whitfield (R-01 KY)
Army Reserve 1967-1970
Roger F. Wicker (R-01 MS)
U.S. Air Force 1976-1980
Air Force Reserve 1980-Present
Heather A. Wilson (R-01 NM)
U.S. Air Force 1978-1989
*Only woman veteran in Congress.
Joe Wilson (R-2 SC)
National Guard 1972-2003
Frank R. Wolf (R-10 VA)
U.S. Army 1962-1963
Army Reserves 1963-1967
C.W. Bill Young (R-10 FL)
National Guard 1948-1957
Don Young (R-All AK)
U.S. Army 1955-1957
I find it very troubling what with all of these veterans in the Senate and the House, they let all of this happen to this nation's newest generation. Especially troubling are the combat veterans listed here. How could they just close their eyes to what was happening and let the veterans suffer with backlogs in claims and shortages of doctors and nurses along with shortages of claims processors when they were coming back with PTSD and killing themselves, seeing their lives fall apart, their families fall apart and when they joined the ranks of the forgotten homeless?
They can move mountains and most of the sites you see on the net dealing with veterans, began with Vietnam veterans. If anyone is going to understand this new generation it has to be them. So how is it that with so much being done by people in private lives happens yet so little happens in the House and the Senate? Even with the "highest increase in VA history" is still so far below what is needed. How can this be intstead of getting it right, right now? Where are the veterans' centers? Where is the outreach they keep talking about doing? Where are the minds of those with the power to make all of this happen? Is it because they don't want the ghosts knocking at their own doors?
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