On Nov. 11, I also think about the Black veterans of the Vietnam War. Whereas World War II was recognized, overwhelmingly, as a “just war,” the Vietnam War was a criminal enterprise in violation of international law. Black veterans had the experience of a horrendous war and racism within the ranks, only to return to a nation that was on the verge of an economic transition that would limit their post-war opportunities. They returned to a U.S. that was beginning to be flooded with heroin and where jobs were starting to disappear. They returned to a USA that, for the most part, wanted to forget about the Vietnam War and the soldiers who served in it.
For all that this country says about how it cherishes veterans, the reality is that this is largely not the case. Certainly there are the heroes, dead and living, from various wars. But the average veteran who returns rarely has the opportunity to, safely, discuss their experiences in war. There is little sensitivity to issues such as post-traumatic stress, though that has improved over the years. And, to add insult to injury, war-monger administrations, such as the Bush administration most recently, was prepared to lie us into a war and, at the same time, cut benefits for veterans.
I wish that there was some sort of sincerity on Veteran’s Day. Anyone who has or has had a veteran in their family probably knows exactly what I mean.
(Bill Fletcher Jr. is the host of The Global African on Telesur-English. He is a racial justice, labor and global justice writer and activist. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and at www.billfletcherjr.com.)
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