You are right Moose. I am convinced that some day, when the time is right, our Vietnam veterans will be showered with all the glory and the thanks that they so much deserve. It's just a matter of time.
Susan, I am so glad to hear your description of driving back East and not being able to see anything. We visited our son in N. Carolina a few years back and drove around the country a lot and I contacted a bad case of claustrophobia because of the land being so flat and all the trees everywhere. We drove several hundred miles and hardly ever saw more than 100 feet or so in any direction. It felt like we were in a tunnel all the time. I finally got a reprieve when we got to the coast and I could finally see a long ways in both directions down the coast. What a relief, I felt like I could breathe again! Now I know where the saying from the early 1800's "the wide open spaces" came from. It was from settlers coming here from the East. I've mentioned this claustrophobic story to friends and they just look at me like I'm crazy. Hence, I'm glad to hear you experienced the same things. Maybe I'm not so crazy after all.

Richard,
You are not crazy. It is very claustrophobic driving where you have no idea where you are or what is behind the trees. Give me the West anytime.
To all the Viet Nam Vets,
Even though I was one of those people who protested the War, I never had bad feelings about the soldiers, and I believe that to be true of the majority of Viet Nam protesters. There were a few who made headlines by spitting on the returning soldiers and accusing them of atrocities, the rest of us knew that it is War not the soldiers that create the things that happen. It is the nature of war to elicite the feelings of difference. We do not have the capacity to kill each other without a whole mental reprogramming. I believe that when we experience the fight or flight most of us would flight, but war insists that we fight and in order to fight we have to see our enemy as sub human. That is why I hate war but I do not hate the soldiers.
So to all you Viet Nam Vets you have my respect and regard and here is a big kiss for all of you.

I'm 10 years younger than you so my experience with Vietnam is basically through movies and books. My generation graduated when it was all over. I suppose that's a good thing.

But thanks for sharing. My dad, Mr. Shill, was raised during a time of peace, ditto for me, my little brother, all my friends, and we all were/are very fortunate to be teens and early twenties during times of peace.

Susan, you should've hopped on I-90 and visited Spokane. Dinner on me.