3/13/2025
The “Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017” designates March 29th as National Vietnam Veterans Day … a day set aside in perpetuity for our Nation to thank and honor all Vietnam veterans.
The official recognition came forty-three years after the last American troops were withdrawn from Vietnam on March 29,1973. Most, if not all of us were well over 60 years old when lawmakers finally decided that Vietnam veterans should be formally recognized and thanked for their service.
With the National Vietnam War Veterans Day approaching, I thought this would be a good time to repost the following article that I wrote asking the question: “Is it Too Little Too Late?”
**********************************************************
Just my opinion…
Even though it is hard not to, I feel that holding on to and harboring resentment about the past rejection and unjust disrespect that many of us veterans faced upon returning home from a thankless war really serves no purpose today, other than to make me appear to be a bitter old man.
When I take a closer look and look into the eyes of those persons who are offering their sentiments of gratitude today, they are in almost all cases younger than me. To them, I am the old man now. They are not the perpetrators of the past ignorant iniquity.
Most of the ones who I see that are offering expressions of their sentiments of welcoming gratitude are my children’s generation, 40 – 50+ year-olds. In some cases, they are the ages of my grandchildren, who are being taught to do the right thing and show respect to veterans. I am proud of them for wanting to do so.
When I am approached by them, I try to reply positively in a most encouraging way to the next generation who wants to show patriotic respect to an old vet. Doing so teaches our children and grandchildren that every generation of veterans, past and present, were and are honorable men and women who have served and hard-earned their respect.
When a well-meaning young person takes the time to say, “Welcome home” or “Thank you for your service,” I stand as tall as my old bad back will allow, and I smile the best a bitter old man can, and I thank them, while giving them the new generational fist bump.
Try it. I feel better about myself when I do and you may too. And in my opinion, I personally don’t think it is “Too Little Too Late.”
Robert Kuhn, 1/22nd Infantry, Vietnam.
Author, Rucksack Grunt.
More Blog Articles
What was it like? An interview with Robert Kuhn
PTSD is an Honorable War Wound!
The Prostate Cancer Foundation’s (PCF) interview with Robert Kuhn
RUCKSACK GRUNT - A Vietnam Veteran's Memoir 