Dear Hero,
I was in my twenties during
the Vietnam era. I was a single
mother and, I'm sad to say, I was probably one of the most self-centered
people
on the planet. To be perfectly honest, I didn't care one way or
the other
about the war. All I cared about was me-how I looked, what I wore,
and where
was going. I worked and I played. I was never politically involved
in
anything, but I allowed my opinions to be formed by the media.
It happened
without my ever being aware. I listened to the protest songs and
I watch the six
o'clock news and I listened to all the people who were talking.
After
awhile, I began to repeat their words and, if you were to ask me,
I'd
have told you I was against the war. It was very popular. Everyone
was doing
it, and we never saw what it was doing to our men. All we were shown
was
what they were doing to the people of Vietnam.
My brother joined the Navy and
then he was sent to Vietnam. When
he came home, I repeated the words to him. It surprised me at how
angry he
became. I hurt him very deeply and there were years of separation-not
only of miles, but also of character. I didn't understand.
In fact, I didn't
understand anything until one day I opened my newspaper and saw
the
anguished face of a Vietnam veteran. The picture was taken at the
opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. His
countenance
revealed the terrible burden of his soul. As I looked at his picture
and his
tears, I finally understood a tiny portion of what you had given
for us and what
we had done to you. I understood that I had been manipulated, but
I also
knew that I had failed to think for myself. It was like waking
up out of a
nightmare, except that the nightmare was real. I didn't know what
to do.
One day about three years ago,
I went to a member of the church I
attended at that time, because he had served in Vietnam. I asked
him if
he had been in Vietnam, and he got a look on his face and said,"Yes."
Then, I took his hand, looked him square in the face, and said,
"Thank you for
going." His jaw dropped, he got an amazed look on his face, and
then he
said, "No one has ever said that to me." He hugged me and I could
see
that he was about to get tears in his eyes. It gave me an idea,
because there
is much more that needs to be said. How do we put into words.all
the regret
of so many years? I don't know, but when I have an opportunity,
I take it.
So here goes:
Have you been to Vietnam?
If so, I have something I want to say
to you-Thank you for going! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Please
forgive me for my insensitivity. I don't know how I could have been
so
blind, but I was. When I woke up, you were wounded and the
damage was
done, and I don't know how to fix it. I will never stop regretting
my actions,
and I will never let it happen again.
Please understand that
I am speaking for the general public
also. We know we blew it and we don't know how to make it up to
you. We wish we
had been there for you when you came home from Vietnam because you
were a
hero and you deserved better. Inside of you there is a pain
that will never
completely go away. And you know what? It's inside of us,
too; because
when we let you down, we hurt ourselves, too. We all know
it.and we suffer
guilt and we don't know what to do. So we cheer for our troops
and write
letters to "any soldier" and we hang out the yellow ribbons and
fly the flag and
we love America. We love you too, even if it doesn't feel like it
to you. I
know in my heart that, when we cheer wildly for our troops, part
of the
reason is trying to make up for Vietnam. And while it may work for
us, it
does nothing for you. We failed you. You didn't fail us, but we
failed
you and we lost our only chance to be grateful to you at the time
when you
needed and deserved it. We have disgraced ourselves and brought
shame to
our country. We did it and we need your forgiveness. Please say
you will
forgive us and please take your rightful place as heroes of our
country. We
have learned a terribly painful lesson at your expense and we don't
know how
to fix it.