ROBBINS: Signing America's 'thank you' card - Washington Times

ROBBINS: Signing America's 'thank you' card - Washington Times

Have you ever personally thanked Vietnam veterans for their service and sacrifice? Now is your chance.

Vietnam-era vets still remember the shameful way they were treated when they came home from war. Their fathers who fought in World War II were given parades and lauded as the “Greatest Generation.” The Viet vets were met by brazen radicals who screamed “Baby-killers!” and spat on them. The vast majority of Americans - told by politicians and the press that the war in Southeast Asia was immoral and unwinnable - either did not understand how to honor the troops or were bullied into keeping private their pride in the achievements of our armed forces in that difficult conflict. Even today, the Vietnam veterans shake their heads in stoic sorrow over the treatment they received at the hands of their fellow citizens. All they ever wanted was to hear “Thank you.”

Fifty years after the war began, Americans have an opportunity to help right this wrong. On Memorial Day, Veterans in Defense of Liberty (VIDOL) is launching a yearlong Vietnam Veterans Thank You Card From America campaign. “The purpose of this nationwide effort is to repay that long-overdue debt of gratitude owed by our great nation to these deserving American heroes,” Executive Director W. Scott Magill, a former Marine noncommissioned officer and a Vietnam veteran, explains. “It is not political, accusatory or apologetic. It is solely for the purpose of finally doing the right thing while many Vietnam Veterans are still alive.”