American Support Boosts Troop Morale, Mullen Says

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greets Army Capt. Scott Leifker during a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Aug. 25, 2010. Leifker was severely burned in a car bomb explosion in Iraq in 2006. Mullen is on three-day Midwest tour to meet with local civic and business leaders to discuss the needs of returning troops and their families, and how community leaders can support them. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

American Support Boosts Troop Morale, Mullen Says
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2010 – At last night’s Major League Baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles here, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff couldn’t help but notice the difference between the nation’s support for today’s servicemembers and veterans and the reception returning servicemembers received when they came home from Vietnam early in his military career.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game and he also helped the host White Sox honor soldiers from a local Army Reserve unit.

Forty years ago, at the height of the Vietnam War, America didn’t support its troops, Mullen said. There was no tickertape parade when they returned from battle, and stories of Vietnam veterans being ridiculed in the streets by protestors were all too common.

The tension was so bad, Mullen said, that some servicemembers were even ashamed to wear their uniforms. Mullen witnessed such displays first hand, he noted, saying that’s just the way things were when he began his career in 1968.

Mullen, a Vietnam War veteran, has spent the past three years overseeing the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the wars kicked off in 2001 and 2003, respectively, he said, one of his initial fears was that the American people might not support the troops.

“As someone who grew up [during the Vietnam War] and saw a complete disconnect between our men and women in uniform and the American people, [the level of support] was a huge concern for me when these wars started,” he said. “It was terrible during Vietnam. It was really bad how troops were treated.”
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American Support Boosts Troop Morale, Mullen Says