They say that every war is different but veterans of any war
agree on one thing.
They say that every war is different but veterans of any war agree on one thing.
“War is nasty,” said Mike Parks, a retired Northwest Airlines pilot who flew C-130s out of Vietnam in 1965, ‘66 and ‘67.
Parks finds himself uncomfortable with the full, televised coverage of the present Iraqi conflict.
“I think it’s a little disrespectful to bring it into the living room,” he said. “I haven’t watched a lot – just to catch up. It’s a little gruesome.”
Parks is afraid people watching full, live coverage will get a skewed view of what war is like.
“They think it’s an arcade game,” he said.
Eddie Bowers, the man behind the Veterans Memorial Square downtown at Monterey Road and First Street, had two tours of Vietnam. Bowers is mostly keeping away from the television.
“It upsets me to see it live,” Bowers said. He’s a little easier watching news wrap-ups. Other Vietnam vets he knows are having some trouble with flashbacks, a situation that dogged veterans after their return from Asia and still bothers some.
“I wish they wouldn’t have so much live coverage,” Bowers said.
Parks, a Live Oak graduate who said he is normally apolitical, said the U.S. forces were fortunate during 1991’s Desert Storm because the Iraqis surrendered so quickly. “Now we are in their own country,” he said.
It will take longer and cost more (in lives) this time, Parks said.
“It’s hard to say if it (the Iraqi invasion) is right or wrong; Saddam is a bad guy but I don’t think it has been proven that he was a threat to us at the present time,” Parks said. “I don’t want to see these guys get killed if (Saddam was not building biological and chemical weapons). They (the government) haven’t convinced me yet,” Parks said.
Jerry Venema was in the Navy from 1966-1970, stationed, among other places, off Vietnam where his experience was less “hands-on” than that of Bowers or Parks.
“I had no choice – I was almost drafted and chose the Navy instead (which many young men did).” “I enjoyed most of the Navy but, then, other times it was horrible.”
Venema said he learned a lot including a trade – diesel engines and propulsion systems and ended up a mechanical engineer.
“I suspect this war is necessary,” Venema said. He works for the company that manufactures the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, which is a cross between a tank and an armored personnel carrier, in use now in the Middle East. Could he say where they were?
“Well, they were in Kuwait and now they’re not,” he said.
“I have mixed emotions (about the Iraq war),” Venema said. “We, as citizens, must see that we (the government) don’t get out of hand.”
Jack Todd, a former Live Oak teacher, has seen many wars since he joined the Marines in 1953. He votes for diplomacy first and sees war only as a last resort.
“I’m afraid we’ve opened a Pandora’s box here (with the latest invasion),” he said. Pandora was a character in ancient Greek mythology who, against explicit instructions, opened a box of troubles. The story goes that, thus, Pandora loosed the troubles on the world.
Charlene Poole, a WAC (Women’s Army Corps) from 1954-56, said she’s old enough to remember Dec. 7, 1941, which gives her a slightly different perspective. She comes from a family with a strong background of military service.
“This (Iraq) is the first war where I’ve not had a relative in the military. Still, I worry,” she said. “I worry.”
Parks said he was disgusted with the protesters in San Francisco.
“I respect their right to protest but their way of doing it is totally wrong,” he said.
Another thing most veterans mention is the treatment of Vietnam vets when they returned home. While they were welcomed with joy by their friends and families, many were abused publicly; some were spat upon and called “baby killers.” Parks said he found this sort of thing “very hard.”
“We were doing what we thought was right at the time,” Parks said. Parks and Bowers both said they want the veterans of this new war to be treated with honor and with respect.
Parks said he – and a lot of other people – are aware the military and the government lie but, despite that, the troops deserve to be treated differently.
“They’re there now so let’s support them,’ Parks said. How?
“If you have someone there, communicate with them and their families – and stop bad-mouthing what’s going on over there,” he said. “Saddam is a bad dude.”
All of Parks’ neighbors, near Jackson School, have flags out on their mailboxes and there is a large one at the entrance to Jackson Meadows at East Dunne Avenue. But there aren’t nearly as many around as in the months after Sept. 11, 2001.
Venema said he thought the relative absence of flags around is because there is less of a mandate.
On Saturday, Eddie Bowers will raise a special American flag at the downtown Veteran’s Memorial. The flag was presented to the family of World War II Navy veteran Ervine Xavier, who died recently.
Xavier’s memorial service will be held March 29, 2 p.m. at the Advent Lutheran Church, 16870 Murphy Ave. His many friends are welcome.
