Hagel (R-NE) pays tribute at Vietnam memorial ceremony

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Joseph Morton

WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel helped mark a national commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War on Monday by focusing on the American soldiers that he and his brother Tom served alongside so many years ago.

“These quiet heroes who we slogged through jungles with, fought side by side with, were wounded with, and sometimes helplessly watched die, always considered themselves just ordinary people,” Hagel said at the special Memorial Day event. “But they were far from ordinary.”

Hagel, who served Nebraska in the Senate as a Republican, introduced President Barack Obama at the event. The commemoration was held in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, often referred to as simply the Wall. The event included many other high-profile guests, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the secretary of defense and actor Tom Selleck, national spokesman for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s education center.

Hagel and his brother Tom, who was at Monday’s event, served in the same Army squad in 1968 in Vietnam. Both were wounded and each saved the other’s life.


FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20120528/NEWS/120529634#hagel-pays-tribute-at-vietnam-memorial-ceremony

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Photo: http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=OW&Date=20120528&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=120529634&Ref=AR&maxw=490&maxh=275
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington is seen at sunrise on Monday, the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

[SGMRTDARMY]

1. This is a Repub. I can respect as he walked the walk

unlike those repigs like Romney, Cheney, Nugent who are nothing more than chickenhawk asshats.

I can relate to Hagel and his brother. My brother and I both served in Vietnam at the same time although he was a Navy Seabee and I was an Army Ranger.

[DallasNE]

2. Wow, This Brings Back Memories

I am 6 months older than Dick Cheney but unlike Cheney I didn't take any deferments so I joined the Nebraska National Guard. While that spared me time in Vietnam I did end up on active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis so I did briefly have to look down the barrel of war but I was spared by the greatest diplomatic negotiation in American history. While still serving in the National Guard I learned that two old school mates, Douglas Holland and Kevin Burke, has been killed in Vietnam. I had known Doug since he entered kindergarden at our one-room country school until I graduated from high school. Kevin was the younger brother of one of my two best friends in in high school. Doug was shot in the neck by a sniper in downtown Siagon and Kevin was killed in a fire fight near the Cambodian border.

In spite of this background I was anti-war early on because I didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel that MacNamara kept telling us about. I was also uneasy with the anti-war movement because it often targeted the soldiers in combat as well as the wrong-headed policy that saw over 58,000 killed. Because of that the only time I participated in an anti-war demonstration was following the shooting rampage at Kent State. I was out of the Guard by then but never understood that because I was involved in two activations for riot duty in Omaha. While we were armed our live rounds were in out pockets rather than chambered like at Kent State. On the first deployment 4 members from my squad were on the cover of Newsweek magazine. The one scary moment was in the back of the troop truck when one of the soldiers declared "I'm going to stick myself a nigg*r", making me wonder who the real enemy was. (We had fixed bayonnet's on our M1 rifles). So, yes this brought back many memories but never did I blame the troops for the rotten policy they were attempting to implement. And yes, those memories are seared in my mind like it was only yesterday.

[Kolesar]

5. My draft-aged peers did not "target the soldiers in combat"

The war ended before I was a teenager, but I remember well enough where the criticism was directed. The returned vets were sympathetic figures and often were the activists in the peace movement.

[pinboy3niner]

6. I'll give Hagel credit--he was no chickenhawk

And I can relate, too. My little brother and I also served together in Vietnam. While I was a plt. ldr. with 2/501 Inf., 101st Abn. Div., he was a personnel clerk at our Division HQ. When I was wounded, they pulled my brother off bunker guard on the perimeter of his base, read him the notification telegram the Army sent him, and brought him to the 85th Evac. Hosp. at Phu Bai to see me. I'd become a casualty early in the morning, and by that evening he was at my bedside.

[coalition_unwilling]

3. What is this '50th Anniversary' of the war stuff? War started in (depending on how you

count) either 1945, 1954 or 1965. (50-year anniversary of war's start would thus be either 1995, 2004 or 2015.) War ended in 1975, making 50-year anniversary of the ending 2025.

Am I missing something with the math here or how anniversaries are established?

Hagel, one of the few sane Repigs (albeit extremely conservative). Notice how the Teahadists have completely sidelined and marginallized him? If Hagel were smart, he'd switch parties and become a Dem (Blue Dog variety).

[hack89]

4. That is when the US created a formal military command organization in Vietnam

and sent a 400 man special forces training group. You are right that there had been a gradual build up to that point up but 1962 is the first time that the US military was deployed to VN in support of a unified national policy driven by the President. It is when VN stopped being a minor side show and laid the legal, political and military foundation for LBJ's escalation in 1965.