It's time for a better understanding of the Vietnam War

There’s an effort in place that’s long overdue and will be ongoing over basically the next decade.

The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the Secretary of Defense to conduct a program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The observance extends until Veteran’s Day 2025.

Spokane’s Daughters of the American Revolution, Jonas Babcock Chapter, are at the forefront of the effort to recognize both living and deceased Vietnam veterans locally. And to date, on a statewide basis, there were dozens of different programs honoring hundreds of Vietnam vets. And the list is certain to grow.

The U.S. involvement officially ended Jan. 27, 1973 with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, with the final combat troops leaving March 29. But the personal battles for many members of the military, who have never signed a treaty or observed a cease-fire, continue.

Medical Lake Mayor John Higgins is just one of many locals who served. He did multiple tours and this November marks the 50th anniversary of his first deployment as a Combat Engineer.

The 68-year-old Army vet is like many who returned from the horror of war, and chooses to keep memories to himself. But he did share that, “Vietnam, when it was calm it was calm, when it was not calm it was terror.”

Ten members of his senior class of 69 joined the military after graduation, and two, John Jensen and Dannie Turnbough — both Marines — were killed a day apart. They were two of over 58,000 Americans who gave their lives.

While there is never a good time for war, the timing of Vietnam may have been some of the worst.

Perhaps forgotten is that the Vietnam War was fought during one of most volatile parts of America’s history. Civil rights issues shared the headlines with news of desegregation, segregation, forced busing and general turmoil.

Notable American leaders like John and Robert Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King were felled by assassin’s bullets. And on any given day the world seemingly stood moments away from nuclear annihilation.

But as the healing and rebuilding began after World War II, not only was there turmoil in the U.S, the world was changing, too.

Decades of colonialism were ending across large parts of both Africa and Asia. There were conflicts everywhere, such as in Korea, many of them were proxy wars funded by Cold War combatants, the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The Iron Curtain left much of Eastern Europe captive; the Bamboo Curtain did the same in parts of Southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam.

Vietnam was different than any other wars in our history.

While World War II was also viewed back at home in film, it was done so at the movies in newsreels, not beamed into our living rooms on the RCA Victor console.

The Vietnam War was brought home to us every night with television images of battle scenes served with dinner via satellite transmission on the nightly news by Walter Cronkite, Chet and David Brinkley. The daily body counts of both friendly and enemy fighters told a grim story, too.

Part of the enemy was traditional in one sense as U.S. forces fought uniformed soldiers from the NVA — North Vietnamese Army. But the other adversary, the Viet Cong, or the People’s Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam, might be the people you helped during the day on their farm, only to gun you down come nightfall.

Coupled with all the turmoil, it was much easier to find reasons to protest and focus blame on soldiers who were simply doing what they were ordered to do.

Coming back to Medical Lake wasn’t like setting foot on U.S. soil in Oakland, Calif. “Down there, there was a lot of protesting,” Higgins said. He returned stateside via Seattle and Fairchild where there was not the sense of bitterness seen elsewhere.

Nothing good ever came out of it, Higgins said of his experience, other than the hope that none of his grandkids have to experience what he did.

A confusing and tumultuous time in our recent history is about to be revisited with the 50-year commemoration of the Vietnam War. Perhaps by participating, we can walk away with a better understanding of it all and appreciation for those who served.