On my most recent trip to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, I brought two of the Marines I fought with in Vietnam at the Battle of Hue City. One was my platoon commander.
I knew the newly wounded men and women from Iraq would enjoy meeting these two veterans. What I didn’t realize was the impact the visit would have on my old friends. Seeing our newly injured troops returning, for me, is like seeing a mirror image of what I went through some 36 years ago; the experience was no different for them.
We can certainly be grateful that the insanity surrounding the Vietnam War and the way it affected the treatment of its returning veterans is not a factor today, and that this new generation is being treated with gratitude and respect. Several of the patients we visited were aware of some of the hostility we experienced as Vietnam veterans, and told us as much. It is too bad that it took this long, but we did learn some important lessons from Vietnam.
The wounded warriors of today represent the best that our country has to offer; they are heroes in the truest sense of the word because the most unselfish thing a man or woman can do is fight for what is right and for one’s own country. The war on terrorism is unfortunately ongoing, but we have the best patriots fighting for our freedoms. We three Marines certainly knew what these warriors had been through, and we wanted to show how much we honored them.
I am planning to visit Walter Reed and Bethesda Hospitals, as well as Camp Lejeune, every six weeks or so. We cannot tell these young men and women enough how very much we appreciate their service. Most of them will go back to the war if given a chance. During our visit, we were told again and again that they felt guilty about letting their troops down. I knew this all too well because for over 30 years, I felt guilty about not being with my men after I was injured on the battlefield. It was only when my company commander made a speech during the dedication of the USS Hue City and stated, “It doesn’t matter whether you were in the battle for one day or the whole six weeks, you played a major part in securing that city,” that I began to feel that perhaps I had done my duty.
The same applies to these young men and women, and thinking in these terms helps to realize how very valuable they are. If you get a chance to meet someone who fought or who was wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan, tell him or her how much you appreciate what they did for our country. They have been through the toughest time they will ever experience in their lifetime, and they deserve our everlasting gratitude. We pray for them as well as for the ones still fighting
My Vietnam veteran buddies I brought to Walter Reed gained much from visiting these heroes. I think both generations bridged a gap and came away with a renewed respect for each other.
Until next month, keep your annual physical appointments, and semper fi!
Peter F. Addesso President
