The Tragedy of the American Military

[The Brain]

Two of my colleagues -- one at the old office, one at the current one -- were in the Army during the Vietnam War and were sent to Vietnam. 

They both got drafted and just showed up for induction like they were told to.  The first one was drafted after college at the peak of the war and the second was drafted after high school a couple years later.  They were both stationed on base during their respective years in Vietnam, the first as a typist and the second as a truck mechanic.  Then rotated back to the US, at bases in California and the South, both having all their family and friends back in New England.  Then given honorable discharges and that was that.

Neither of them really seem to have any strong feelings or anything to say about it.  They each told me it felt like a complete waste of two years of their lives and that their service seemed pointless.  No memorable anecdotes or harrowing tales; no pride in serving and no resentment at being drafted -- just a two-year blank spot that consumed ages 22-24 and 19-21 a long time ago, before and after which they lived their real young adult lives.

These accounts are almost the oddest to hear, given how emotionally overloaded the whole Vietnam experience is in the American psyche.

But this should be rather the norm than the exception. As I said, only one out of seven Soldiers is an infantryman.
Which is kind of telling me that there a lot of mechanics, cooks, and supply dudes with great war stories out there.

After seen the Hall Of Shame : http://guardianofvalor.com/hall-of-shame/
I do not believe war stories people say unless I know the dude personally and are other guys around that were there and can vouch for the story.

I was a computer guy in the Guards. Oh the stories I could tell...

[crazy canuck]

So were Boomers just allowed to walk into Canada and work and stuff?

They were allowed to apply for landed immigrant status.  Once that was obtain, yes they could stay and work and stuff.

It was fairly easy to qualify for most as they were generally well educated.

As I said a few posts ago, the people who came to Canada were smarter than most.

[The Brain]

Whiter than most you mean.

[crazy canuck]

Whiter than most you mean.

No, I don't.

During that period of our history immigrants came mostly from Europe - ie white.  So if anything even the small percentage of Black Americans coming North was an improvement.