Opinions from This Combat Veteran of the Vietnam War

          I was there, at the Washington, D. C. Mall, last Saturday, March 17, 2007, to witness the “Great Anti-war Rally and March on the Pentagon,” and to act as a guardian or sentinel.  My mission:  protect the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; if necessary, to guard our memorials from those who might demean them.  I also planned to spend some time with those I served with, those who died under my command during the Vietnam War. 

          Prepared for wet weather, unfortunately I wasn’t prepared for the windy cold we got that day, but I managed to bundle up somewhat and made it through a half hour wait for the train at the Franconia Station in the company of many other Americans who were headed for the Mall.  At first glance, one group projected an “anti-“look (I must be honest here – they looked that way because one young man was dressed in black leather and chains – I had forgotten that was my son’s favorite garb when he was young, and he’s now a 2^nd Class Petty Officer in the US Navy!); they turned out to be “pro-troops,” or “anti-anti-“ (which ever way you want to look at it).  They were a Vietnam Veteran father and a nice family, wife and kids; they were there to support him, and to support our troops.

          We walked from the Metro station several blocks before reaching the Mall at about its midsection.  The Washington Monument towered over us on our left flank, and we saw glimmers of the Lincoln Memorial on the horizon.  We turned west down Constitution Avenue arriving in the vicinity of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a few minutes past 10:00 a.m., the start time for the anti-war rally.  Those of us who had grouped together on the walk from the Metro Station were all there to stand in support of our troops, and to honor those who lost their lives during the Vietnam War, Korean War, WWII and all other conflicts.  I think I speak for most of us in that small squad when I say that I was very apprehensive about what I would see.  My main concern was for the sanctity of our Memorials, especially the Vietnam Wall.  Our concern stemmed from an incident a couple of months ago during an “Anti-war” rally during which our Capitol Building was defaced.  That was simply unacceptable, and I was determined that it was not going to happen again.  Not here, not today; not ever again. 

          The lines of demarcation became rapidly apparent.  A small cluster of folks with yellow signs were separated from the veterans, who overwhelmed the north eastern corner of the Mall.  It took several minutes to make our way through this happy throng, but finally The Wall came into sight.  It looked so small from that distance, but my heart broke once again when I saw that distant slash, because I know how enormous it truly is.  Our walk around the southern edge of the Memorial grounds was quiet, thoughtful.  I saw that my mission was already accomplished; our Wall was protected, by the Park Police who had done such an outstanding job of erecting a security barrier and enforcing security all throughout that day, and by the throng of Americans who formed a huge perimeter, a human shield, of average, ordinary people – fathers and mothers, aunts and uncles, sons and daughters, grandpas and grandmas – between our Memorials and the anti-war demonstration.  We all knew in our soul that the people who were protesting the war last Saturday were a younger generation of those who protested the Vietnam War and who in their ignorance and antics actually prolonged that war causing many more thousands of casualties.  Now here they were, doing it all over again.  They can’t possibly understand the harm they are doing to our nation, and to our young men and women in the military; if they did they would stop their craziness right now.  As I saw their gathering, I thought, “Well, there they are, and they’re going to do it all over again.  I guess that’s their right as Americans.”  At the same time I just knew they didn’t belong anywhere near our national Memorials, especially The Wall.  My primary mission was accomplished without lifting a finger or speaking a word – the Vietnam Wall was the most peaceful place in Washington, D. C. last Saturday.  The tumult around it was pretty amazing, though.

          We arrived at the security checkpoint, the only portal to The Wall that day, located not too far from the Lincoln Memorial, just past the Statue of the Three Grunts.  The line was long but orderly, as though a great calming wave of contentment had washed over us all.  It didn’t matter how long the wait was; this was where I belonged.  I didn’t actually know anyone I stood with that day, but I was among friends.  I was with my buddies.

          I had pulled a rolling backpack along, having filled it with various items I planned to drop off at “my” section of The Wall – a copy of my book, several copies of a recent “op / ed” piece I wrote entitled Congress has Abandoned our Troops, a commemorative coin, etc.  Learning to my dismay that I couldn’t drag the bag into the Memorial, I spent a few minutes looking at those who had made it through security.  Every person who made his or her way down that long brick walkway represented the Veterans of America, or those who truly support our troops.  Everyone there that day with the intent to call our President names, and to demean the outstanding job our troops are doing, were too busy chanting matras to come over and visit their fellow Americans, those who truly know that war sucks because they served and died in a war.

          My mission was easily accomplished that day, because the “gash in the heart of America’s soul” was the most peaceful place in Washington, D. C. that day.  The Park Police did a spectacular job of managing this “happening.”  They provided excellent security for our Memorials, and they did a spectacular job of keeping the two factions at a distance from each other.  It was probably a very good thing.

          I spent the rest of that day looking at faces; that’s not always easy when you are in the middle of a huge crowd.  Some have estimated that a few thousand “anti-war protestors” showed up that day.  Although I honestly never had a vantage point allowing me to view the entire gathering, I got the impression that we outnumbered the “anti’s” at least three to one; our crowd was estimated by others to be 30,000 strong.  Whatever the numbers, the folks who showed up on our side of the street vastly outnumbered those on the other side.  Those on the other side of the street spent most of their time chanting, accompanied by the warped sounds of bad amplifiers and the boom-boom-diddy-boom vibrations of hip hop noise.  I couldn’t actually understand a word of their messages, but that wasn’t a problem because I could read their signs, and I could read their faces.  Their faces were old and wrinkled, young and inexperienced, bearded and smooth cheeked.  To me, looking at their faces and trying to ignore the roar of the crowd and the bizarre protest signs, most of them just seemed angry.  Angry at life; angry at the war; angry at Bush; angry at us.  Just plain angry.

          There was the young man, posturing at the front of the barrier, puffed up in an aggressive stance, gesturing, calling out any of us old farts who would be willing to take him on.  When I noticed his antics and chuckled, a man standing next to me said, in a rather amazed tone, “That jackass actually jumped over the barrier a few minutes ago; he ran out in the street, crossed the ‘no-man’s-land,’ and was angrily running toward our side of the street, when the Park Police ran him down on horseback and drove him back.”  This very stupid young man was still there, angry, yelling, gesturing.  I turned to look at the faces of those on our side of the street, to see and absorb their reactions, and I saw amazement and humor.  People were pretty relaxed, and most were chuckling.  A few were gesturing back, and hooting and hollering as much as the “anti’s” but they were all smiling.  Sadly smiling, as though these people had seen this all before, but it just never ceased to amaze them what people would do or say.  This young man represented what I believe is a large segment of these “anti-war” protests – those who are just looking for a party, those who are looking to get laid.  My theory is that these folks represent anywhere from one third to a half of the “anti” crowd.  My theory was proved out when I noticed a young girl, not far behind one of his thrust-out elbows, watching in obvious admiration as this young jackass “proved” his courage on the street that day.  My mind suddenly wrenched to another street, a long time ago – that street was dubbed Phase Line Green, a street in Hue, the place my platoon died.  That street was the scene of much courage, true courage, of young men rising up to face an entrenched enemy, no more than fifty feet away….  I wrenched it back, and saw the young man again, no more than fifty feet away, hollering, gesturing.  I don’t think he was saying, “I support the troops, but…..”  He was angry.  He was pissed.  But, maybe he would get lucky tonight!

          The others on the his side of the road, those with “political convictions” were well-represented by the old grandmother, one of many older folks in the “anti” crowd across the street from us.  I watched her face as her harsh gaze fell upon me and my fellow veterans.  She was lividly angry.  She was angrily pointing at us, and then pointing at her sign, one of the many signs that claimed all manner of vile atrocities on the part of the Bush Administration.  One such sign claimed that the attacks of 9/11 were a “put up job” by the Bushies; many more claimed that America is guilty of murder, racism and other dastardly motives for going to war in Iraq.  I could tell from her expression that she hated us, hated veterans, just like she hated our military. 

          Then there was the other young man, this one seemingly more grown-up than the jackass, who spent several minutes trying to send us hand signals; I thought he was trying to say that he “loved” us veterans.  He kept going through this exercise in hand signals, starting by pointing at all those around him (the old lady and the young kid included), then by placing his hands dramatically over his heart as the universal symbol of love, and then by pointing across the street, at us, the veterans.  His message was that he and all those “anti’s” really did love us veterans, really do support our troops.  Then, after he seemed to start to get his message across – some of us started to believe that he really felt that way – he proudly held up his huge sign saying “Listen” and started sending all the other messages (we hate President Bush, we hate the terrible war, America must leave Iraq now, etc., etc.).  I moved quickly to look at those around me, and saw once again the sad humor on the faces of those who know better.  We all knew that the young man did love us, as long as we agreed with his message.  That we must leave Iraq; that we must abandon another nation.

          Those of us who served our military during the Vietnam War, many of whom were there that day, and those who have studied its damaging affects on our countrymen and our nation over the past four decades, do understand what’s at stake here.  Yes, we’re in a war.  Yes, war sucks.  But we know, history proves, the only way out is to win the war – militarily, and to get it over with as rapidly as possible.  Those of us who stood between the “anti’s” and our memorials that day understand the importance of completing this mission, and we know that the greatest failure for our nation during our generation was the failure of the vast majority of Americans, once aptly dubbed the “silent majority” by the media, to stand up and support our troops, and to stand against politicians who would end a war by simply giving up and leaving.  Those of us who fought there remember many who died there.  For what?  The Vietnam War has gone down in history as the only war we have fought wherein we won all of our battles against the enemy, some of them under incredibly difficult odds.  And yet, we lost that war.  How could that be?  In the end, our politicians and political activists dictated a failure that will live in our nation’s soul forever.  We are, as a nation, at terrible risk of repeating that failure today, and we (I speak for myself but I think I represent the vast majority of veterans in this conviction) simply cannot let that happen.

          The worst look I saw on any of the faces that day came from across the DMZ.  His face looked familiar, but his visage was warped by conflicting emotions – sadness, anger, confusion, guilt, unhappiness.  It came from a Vietnam Veteran, one of a few who stood under a banner that read, “Vietnam Veterans Against the War.”  He was on the side he thought was right.  As I watched his face, an incredible range of emotions morphed his expressions, driven by his dialogue with some on my side of the street.  He was sad (I believed from his expressions) because he was separated from the vast majority of his fellow veterans.  He was obviously imploring his fellow veterans to understand his belief, that this was an “illegal war,” that once again politicians were killing people needlessly, and that he stood against war.  He was angry that we all didn’t “get it.”    I watched confusion and sadness abruptly replaced by his final and lasting emotion, anger, as someone on our side made a compelling argument of some sort (it was very hard to hear any individual dialogue, just crowd roar); he just stood more upright and made his final gesture of anger and defiance, the bird.

          One of the funniest signs at the rally last Saturday was actually on our side of the road.  It displayed the “peace symbol” (or the sign of the Great American Chicken as some of us remember it), and underneath it was the word “sucks.”  That’s right, folks, the sign read “Peace Sucks!”  Those on the other side of the road were most likely shocked at that sign, because they probably read it literally, but I busted up.  It was pure irony, and it was funny!  The Vietnam Veterans in the crowd that day were greatly amused, and irony was used many times to portray our amusement.  It was sad, and funny, and tragic, because, at the end of the day, the media coverage focused on the “anti’s” and said very little about the huge crowd that gathered to keep them in their place – on the other side of the road, kept at a distance from our Memorials. 

          Later that afternoon, back in my hotel room,  I watched a local news broadcast report on the rally.  The primary focus was spent on the anti-war demonstration with little mention of the pro-troops rally on the other side of the street.  When the reporter did make mention of us, he described the folks from Rolling Thunder, and dismissed us as a bunch of “bikers” in leather and chains.  That was it.  No mention of all the moms and dads out there with entire families.  We love the Rolling Thunder biker guys and gals – thanks, Rolling Thunder, for supporting our rally.  Thanks for being there on the curb, standing tall and looking good in your colorful leather.  But you know you only represented a small fraction of the pro-troops rally that day.  The vast majority there that day, the human shield, was made up of just “average Joe’s” and their families; but they were, I believe, the point element of a movement of true support for our troops.  I believe the Vietnam Veterans of today will stand up to prevent history from repeating itself.  We will be underestimated, we will be disrespected, and we will be taken for granted.  We will be labeled “counter-culture” rabble, flowing against the “tide” of polls “proving” that the American people are against our President and against the War in Iraq.  We are told daily that the war is an abject failure, and that we must get out of there as soon as possible, at all costs.  We are told that the military must “strategically re-deploy” which is “political speak” meaning “withdraw.”  We are told that “65% of the American people are against the President and the war.”  Well, I believe that when the people of America (especially you “silent majority” folks) truly understand that the only way out of the war in Iraq is to win it militarily, to secure the new government of Iraq and help them learn how to take care of themselves, they will support the military who are just doing a fantastic job. 

          Although you won’t read much about it in the daily newspaper, or see it on the evening news, the actual news being released by the Public Affairs Office of the Multi-National Corps – Iraq, is filled with many stories about positive news that demonstrates that our major effort to train up the Iraqi Army and Police Force is paying off.  More and more Iraqi units are accepting complete responsibility for the security of entire TAOR’s.  Iraqi citizens, tired of being terrorized, worked with the Iraqi and American military a few weeks ago to ambush a large force of terrorists who had been hounding them for months.  These folks took their lives in their hands, and they stood up against fear.  The Iraqi military and their advisors helped them end a chapter of terrorism.  Local tribal leaders are sitting down and planning their community’s future with the Iraqi Police, the Iraqi Army, and the coalition forces.  Daily evidence of progress, in the form of news dispatches released by the multi-national forces, is ignored by the mainstream media, so those of us who choose to receive our news by watching TV or reading the local paper don’t really get the true picture.  We are being told that the war is over, it’s a failure, and the Congress of the United States of America is actually discussing how they can manage the “end” of the war by holding the purse strings, and strangling it if necessary.  I think this is all just pure politics, because I believe that if the American people truly understand what is at stake here, they will be 85% in support of completing this mission militarily.  This can be accomplished, and it will be accomplished, despite the daily toll of Iraqis and Americans at the hands of murderers.  If only America stands up this time.

          There will be many more rallies before the War in Iraq is over.  I think it’s about time for the “silent majority” to get up off your butts and to speak your mind.  During the Vietnam War, a very small, very vocal group led our nation into ruin; politicians and anti-war protestors led us to betray an ally, to abandon the Vietnamese people we had pledged to support, and they helped ruin the reputation of American veterans.  Where was the “greatest generation” when that was going on?  The World War II veterans should have known better than let a minor splinter group change our history.  You Korean War veterans should have gotten up off your butts; you should have called your congressmen and sent letters to your newspapers voicing true support for our troops.  What you are starting to see today, as witnessed by the 30,000 who gathered at The Wall, is the Vietnam Veteran generation getting off our butts and standing up.  We challenge you all to stand up with us, for what it right for our nation.  When you decide to stand up, I won’t tell you what to say, or what questions to ask.  You can figure that out if you will just take a few minutes to get “all” the news.  Watch the TV and read the papers, but also take a look at the Internet.  You’ll be amazed at what you find out.

          The best faces I saw last Saturday were those of five young Marines, presently serving at Marine Barracks – 8^th & I.  I was taking photos and looking at faces in the crowd, my head on a swivel.  As I “panned” past them, the sun’s reflection off their shaved heads caught my eye.  Obviously they were on active duty, and I wanted to go shake their hands, thank them for their service and ask them why they were here today, why they were standing on our side of the street.  “For support, sir.”  They said they wanted to support us, but they also wanted to support those who are in harms’ way right now.  They were all serving in a dream duty station, at the Marine Barracks where it all started, but they all, each one of them, wanted nothing more than to get re-assigned as grunts and go to Iraq to serve in combat.  When I spend time with these young Marines, and all young Americans who are ready and willing to serve their country and fellow Americans (despite the antics of a few jackasses) they never fail to impress me with their bearing which always reflects honor, courage and commitment, the values that our Marine Corps lives by today – values that some Americans seem to have lost sight of.

          The mission to protect our memorials was accomplished last Saturday, but I believe we Vietnam Veterans still have another, more important mission.  We must show more true empathy, and less apathy, or history will be repeated.  We must stand up for what is right, and against those who would tear us apart.  We cannot let a small but vocal group, motivated from fear, or ignorance, or just plain politics, dictate national policy.  I call on all Vietnam Veterans to stand against the “anti’s” and stand up for what’s right.  Support our Troops, support our Veterans, and only go to war to win.

Nicholas Warr – March 21, 2007