Jerry C. Davis
WSJ, Jan. 26, 2023
“America was divided then, and it is divided now. This resolution, which is 50 years overdue, acknowledges this stain on American honor.”
The Vietnam War ended with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords on Jan. 27, 1973. More than 50,000 Americans were killed in the war, and hundreds of thousands were wounded. Many who served weren’t properly welcomed home. Veterans often were advised not to wear their uniforms lest they become targets for mistreatment. Some were cursed, spat on and worse.
These great Americans deserve an apology.
Vietnam veterans often had trouble getting jobs. I learned this firsthand. When I became a college president in 1977, it was hard to find any reference to military service on applicants’ résumés. This saddened me, as my two brothers had served honorably. I changed the hiring approach at the institutions I led, and Vietnam veterans ended up being some of the best employees I hired over the next 45 years.
Most Americans know the treatment of Vietnam veterans was wrong. Soldiers don’t start wars. They are sent on our behalf by our representatives in Washington. They fight and die for us. Those who wear this country’s uniform in any war always should be respected.
At the College of the Ozarks, we have the Knight Center for Patriotic Education, which seeks to carry out a patriotic goal: “to encourage an understanding of American heritage, civic responsibilities, love of country, and willingness to defend it.” The center accomplishes this with classes (including in military science), events, convocations and publications. It also boasts the Patriotic Education Travel Program, which pairs students with veterans on trips to battlefields where the veterans fought, in North Africa, Italy, Germany, France, Hawaii, Japan, Vietnam and elsewhere. I went on four of these trips during my 34 years as president of the school and watched the students’ respect for the veterans grow as they began to understand the sacrifices made. The program has sent a total of 53 students and 37 veterans to Vietnam. … [To read the full article, click here]
