I remember the first time I visited the Vietnam Wall. It was 2006, and I had just gotten out of the military and returned from Iraq the year prior. I had been invited by friends to come out to Washington DC to participate in a Vets for Vets peer counseling group. There was five other guys that I had served with on the trip, so in many ways it was like a reunion. Despite being told not to self-medicate, we spent most of the week catching up and drinking. It was a great week. Because for a few of the people on the trip it was their first time in Washington DC, we decided to spend a day at the National Mall taking in the sites. Our first stop was the Lincoln Memorial. Nothing stirs that patriotic feeling more than the site of Lincoln surrounded by his beautiful words of the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address. It reminded me of many of the ideals and beliefs that I tie to my service in the military, ideals of freedom, justice, and equality. It is truly an amazing monument that leaves you in awe.
We then turned up the Mall and headed to the Vietnam Wall. As I walked along the wall, I read the names, and looked at my reflection. It was surreal. I still remember the main thought overwhelming me, all these names, and for what? From everything I had learned by then, I knew that the justifications for the war was built on false information and faulty ideology. It made me think of my own time in Iraq, and how I felt lied to so that companies like Halliburton, Brown and Root, and many other companies could get rich, while we died. So many names, and for what? History was repeating itself, as we would lose over 6,000+ in Iraq and Afghanistan, which paled in comparison to the 58,000+ that we lost in Vietnam. So many names, and for what? I spent about two hours sitting there, eyes full of tears, mad, angry, and sad. Every time I visit Washington DC, I try to return to the Wall, and those thoughts, feelings, and memories come back.
I have recently visited Vietnam, and it reinforced my belief that we should have never been in Vietnam. I visited with a number of Vietnam Veterans, and to hear their stories, so much of it resonated with my time in Iraq, and we all agreed, that too many have died for US imperial wars, too much money has been diverted away from the people, not to mention the 2.5+ million Southeast Asian deaths, and the environmental damages we did that is still wreaking havoc on the region. So many names, and for what?