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National Vietnam War Veterans Day is March 29…Time to Honor and Celebrate Their Efforts

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National Vietnam War Veterans Day is March 29…Time to Honor and Celebrate Their Efforts

 

Many of us were around during the Vietnam War. We had classmates and relatives who served. Some here may have served as well. Today is National Vietnam War Veterans Day.

 

When the young men and women returned home, they were not greeted with parades and the gratitude that they deserved. Many placed their negative feelings about the war on them.

 

Larry was an F-4 pilot; a good friend, Vic, was part of the Lost Platoon in May of 1967.  I had a cousin who saw a sight so horrible that when he returned home, it was many months before he felt comfortable talking to anyone. 


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Regardless of anyone’s personal opinion, these veterans sacrificed their time…their time to begin their careers and families. Some came home with injuries that changed their lives. And there were an estimated 58,000 who were killed in action. 

 

The average age of men killed: 23.1 yrs.

Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 yrs old. 

POWs:  766 (114 Died in Captivity)

 

In 2017, the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 was signed by President Donald J. Trump. 

 

This Act honors all who served from November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of where they served. (All were called to serve and none could self-determine where they would serve.)

 

If you know of someone who served during this period, please take the time to thank them. Some may not feel comfortable discussing the war, but if they do, learn about their experience. 

 

 

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Kathy Streib
Retired Home Stager
and Interior Redesign

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Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists

Very sad time for our Military Kathy, and I certainly remember it too well.  I was at my friends home when the soldiers knocked at her door to give her the sad news of husband who she had just married months before!

Mar 29, 2023 05:37 AM
Kathy Streib

Oh Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400 I cannot imagine what that must have been like.  That is so sad. 

Mar 29, 2023 04:59 PM
Jim Paulson

I wish there were other emoji options here since I do want to "like" the sad news.

Apr 04, 2023 12:09 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good morning Kathy,

What a great tribute to all the veterans who served. It was not a popular war but these men served their country and deserve to be honored and not ignored.

Mar 29, 2023 05:39 AM
Kathy Streib

I agree Dorie Dillard Austin TX these men and women didn't ask to go but they went. The very least we can do is show them how much we appreciate them. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:00 PM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Los Angeles Pasadena 818.516.4393

Hello Kathy - it was good to read the post by Endre Barath, Jr. today on the same subject dedicated to Larry for his service in Viet Nam.   

Mar 29, 2023 05:46 AM
Kathy Streib

Thank you Brian England for pointing this out to me. I immediately went to his post and we communicated as well. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:01 PM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

I think that my Dad was serving during Vietnam, I will have to ask him about this.

Mar 29, 2023 05:51 AM
Kathy Streib

Brian England Ask him. He may or may not want to discuss it. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:04 PM
Bill Salvatore - East Valley
Arizona Elite Properties - Chandler, AZ
Realtor - 602-999-0952 / em: golfArizona@cox.net

I served at the end of this war.  Never in country, spent my time in West Germany.  God Bless America. Bill 

Mar 29, 2023 05:58 AM
Kathy Streib

Bill Salvatore - East Valley Larry spent time in pilot training so by the time he completed that the war was beginning to wind down. He  was in Germany and Korea. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:11 PM
Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP
DFW FINE PROPERTIES - Flower Mound, TX
Selling Homes Changing Lives

My spouse served in Vietnam in 1970. It was a tumulutous war.

Mar 29, 2023 06:13 AM
Kathy Streib

Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP Larry joined in '71. You remember the draft. He knew he would be drafted so since he already had his pilot's license, he decided to enlist in the AF. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:13 PM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Kathy, this is so sad, losing so many service men and women, and then not to get the credit and fanfare they deserved.

Mar 29, 2023 06:20 AM
Kathy Streib

Joan Cox I remember the protests when I was in college. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:14 PM
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Ward County Notary Services - Minot, ND
Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker

Thank you for this post Kathy Streib . I was 18 in 1972 and scared as could be that I would be drafted after high school but just then they went to a lottery system and I was not called to serve. Truth be told it would have been the best thing that could happen to me as I really needed discipline and focus at the time. One of the main reasons this war was so unpopular and the soldiers stigmatized was agitators like John F. Cary calling the military "baby killers" and his (faking) that he threw his medals away in protest. He should have been brought up on charges of treason.

Mar 29, 2023 08:16 AM
Kathy Streib

Bob "RealMan" Timm I have a few friends who would have benefited from being in the service. Larry was in Lawrence, KS so when the first draft was held, he knew that he would have to go. So, he decided to enlist in the AF since he had his pilot's license. They let him get his degree before he had to go. 

And I agree with what you said!!!

Mar 29, 2023 05:20 PM
Carol Williams
Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals. - Wenatchee, WA
Retired Agent / Broker / Prop. Mgr, Wenatchee, WA

Hi Kathy,
The statistics from the Viet Nam war are very sobering. The way our soldiers were treated when they came home was one of America's greatest disgraces, in my opinion. 

Mar 29, 2023 08:28 AM
Kathy Streib

Carol Williams it was not one of our proudest moments. I keep thinking of the lives lost. I had some high school friends who never got to have a family and live their lives. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:25 PM
Will Hamm
Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO
"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

Hello Kathy and I lost two many friends in this war and since wonder what was behind this war for many years.  Thanks for sharing this one with us.

 

Mar 29, 2023 09:27 AM
Kathy Streib

Will Hamm it usually boils down to money, greed, and power. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:26 PM
Sheri Sperry - MCNE®
Coldwell Banker Realty - Sedona, AZ
(928) 274-7355 ~ YOUR Solutions REALTOR®

Hi Kathy,

As I mentioned in Endre Barath, Jr.'s post.  Thank Larry for his service.  He is a hero.  So many of our heroes were scarred for life and never deserved the treatment they received when they came home.  I am glad I was able to learn firsthand what they went through. 

 

It is not something I wanted to hear.  But it was something that I needed to hear, and I am glad that there were Veterans who were willing to share their stories. 

 

War is horrible, but the Vietnam Jungle War took it to a different level. My heart still breaks for our Vietnam Veterans.

Mar 29, 2023 09:39 AM
Kathy Streib

Sheri Sperry - MCNE® We had breakfast almost every day with our friend, Vic, when we were in Delray Beach. He was in the jungle and shot in the back. He had to lay there and pretend to be dead because the VC were eating their lunch a few feet away. 

I want people, especially our young people, to hear the stories. War is not a video game. It's real. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:29 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

This is a good reminder to share. I posted a notice on Facebook this morning.

 

May be an image of text that says 'VIETNAM VIETNAMW VIET NAM WAR NATIONAL VIETNAM WAR VETERANS DAY 29 MARCH VETERAN Join the Nation... Thank a Vietnam Veteran for Service to our Nation'

Mar 29, 2023 10:17 AM
Kathy Streib

Roy Kelley I'm glad you did!!!   Hello to Chef Dolores. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:30 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Wonderful post and reminder, Kathy, that our Viet Nam veterans deserve our respect and thanks, which they clearly didn't get when they returned. I still consider that one of America's most shameful moments. What happened in that war to our veterans is simply heart-breaking.

Mar 29, 2023 12:15 PM
Kathy Streib

Nina Hollander, Broker I could not agree more. You and I are old enough to have had friends we went to high school and college with who did not come home from that war. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:32 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker

Kathy Streib hi Kathy... one of my most vivid memories is of young men I knew who were always worried about their number coming up in the draft, including my brother.

Mar 30, 2023 04:41 AM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Kathy like I commented on a couple of other blogs, I was on one of the Aircraft Carriers (USS Ranger CVA61) in December of 1972 when were dropping bombs 24/7 over there.

Mar 29, 2023 12:55 PM
Kathy Streib

George Souto and I thank you for your service. I cannot imagine what they must have been like. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:37 PM
Doug Dawes
Keller Williams Evolution - 447 Boston Street Topsfield, MA - Georgetown, MA
Your Personal Realtor®

Hi Kathy Streib 

Thank you for writing this blog post today. I was a USAF C-130 crew chief. We flew many different types of missions from Medevac, troop transport, and resupply runs, it could even drop a bomb (15,000 lb), and could be turned into the lethal AC-130 gunship. We also picked up those who had died on the field and brought them to safety to ensure their return to the U.S.A.

Minicraft "Vietnam Era" C-130 A/E W/ Stand 1/144 Plastic Model Plane Kit 14748 | eBay

Mar 29, 2023 01:32 PM
Kathy Streib

Doug Dawes and I thank YOU for your service. I didn't learn until a few years ago that part of Larry's service was flying nuclear alert, which meant that he'd be sitting on one of those things if all H__ broke loose. He said that he and the other pilots knew that if they did, they weren't coming back. 

Mar 29, 2023 05:40 PM
Jim Paulson
Progressive Realty (Boise Idaho) www.Progressive-Realty.info - Boise, ID
Owner,Broker

My 3.5 year tour of Vietnam was from 1965-1969.  I started Kindergarten there during the war. If anyone thinks I am mentally messed up, I blame it on Vietnam (although I actually loved it there).

Mar 29, 2023 05:20 PM
Kathy Streib

Jim Paulson I read your post about it and it was so interesting. You have a different perspective of Vietnam from those who served in country and that is to be expected. I can't imagine what it must have been like. I am very thankful that we met our friend, Vic, and got to hear of his experiences serving there. 

Mar 31, 2023 07:52 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Kathy Streib  what a sad situation and how different people reacted to the draft... some went to Canada, others volunteered and joined the Military... all boils down to character.... Thank you for Larry and others who did not go to Canada... Endre

Mar 29, 2023 10:01 PM
Kathy Streib

Endre Barath, Jr.  there have been times when i judged some who did not go...they left for Canada or dodged the draft in some other way. I felt it was unfair to those who did sacrifice their time and sometimes their lives. I am working on getting over that. I have the greatest admiration for anyone who serves. And that includes YOU. 

Mar 31, 2023 08:00 PM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

One of my last real estate sales before retiring, was a lady who had lost her husband in the last days of the Vietnam war.  He was a pilot.  She never remarried!

Mar 30, 2023 08:28 PM
Kathy Streib

oh Myrl Jeffcoat that is so sad. I am glad that I did not meet Larry until after he left the service. 

Mar 31, 2023 08:02 PM
Lise Howe
Keller Williams Capital Properties - Washington, DC
Assoc. Broker in DC, MD, VA and attorney in DC

ThBk you for reminding us of this very important day. I had some classmates in college and law school who served and then came back   We should always remember their sacrifice

 

Mar 31, 2023 10:42 AM
Kathy Streib

Lise Howe we forget that for those who were drafted, that meant putting their careers on hold...so many other things. 

Mar 31, 2023 08:03 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Kathy Streib  I get it and unlike you I judge them and have no respect for them.... just like  those who never mind....Endre

Mar 31, 2023 08:58 PM
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