As a child raised in the 1990’s, I was too young to witness our troops return from the jungles of Vietnam. My only knowledge of their experiences comes from reading books and watching movies, some based on fact, some fiction. Those servicemen came home from war to face a nation in the midst of social and political change. They were singled out and targeted by the anti-war protesters as supporters of the war solely because they had donned the uniform. It didn’t matter if they were been drafted or they volunteered, what mattered to those who opposed the war was that these brave men carried out orders they believed were wrong.
When I joined the Marine Corps after graduating from college in 2000, I left Massachusetts behind with hopes of seeing the world while getting the opportunity to serve my country. Only ten months later those dreams became reality when a few airplanes changed the course of history on 9/11. I joined the Marines in peacetime, but now I was in the midst of a war. Although none of us were ready for what was to come, it was our time to answer our nation’s call for help and we did so without hesitation.
For whatever reason, we went to war in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of us got to see both countries, but I only got to see Iraq, although several times. We were given orders and we carried them out to the best of our abilities. Not once did I ask why were there, nor did any of the Marines I serve with question our purpose. These types of questions were not heard on the battlefield, they are questions best reserved for those in Washington and for debate in the pages of our nation’s newspapers. Our purpose as combat troops was to fight and win when given the order, not to question those in Washington who make such decisions.
Upon return home, we became more attuned to the debate as to the legality of the war we left behind. An anti-war movement had spread throughout the country which we were reminded of nightly by the cable news stations. But unlike our brothers in arms returning a generation ago we did not face angry protesters throwing rotten vegetables at us outside the front gate of our bases. Instead we were welcomed home by crowds of supporters and magnetic yellow ribbons stuck on the back of cars. But this wasn’t true everywhere.
When I left the Commonwealth, I always knew I would return. Due to circumstance beyond my control, this didn’t happen until this past summer. Unlike the warm welcome I received in other states, Massachusetts has not been so friendly. In one conversation I was asked, “how could you kill women and children” over there. My wife, a local public school teacher, was told recently by a recent college graduate working as an aide in her classroom that he didn’t “support our military” because they kill innocent people. This in addition to the last incident when someone decided to shoot a hole in the rear window of my vehicle because it displayed a sticker stating “Iraq Campaign Veteran.”
What has happened in the past nine years since I left this state? Have we come so far that we cannot remember the mistakes of our past? Do we not remember the pledge we made never to treat our veterans in the same manor as we did in the late 1960’s and into the early 1970’s no matter if we supported a war or not? I’ve always thought of Massachusetts as a state tolerant of spirited intellectual debate and open to new ideas and viewpoints. It didn’t matter if you were a refugee from a war-torn African nation or product of a middle-class neighborhood on the South Shore, everyone was equally entitled a chance to speak. It appears I might have been mistaken. I know this was the Massachusetts I left, but is it the Massachusetts in which I now live?
I am proud of my service to this country and if asked to do it again I would not hesitate. I shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of my car just because I put a veteran sticker in the windshield, nor should any veteran. Veterans are the backbone of this country who serve to protect our nation’s rights, liberties, and way of life. Some of our veterans paid the ultimate price, sacrificing their lives for the greater good of the nation. Others, like me, are disabled veterans who bear scars which remind us everyday of our personal sacrifices.
No veteran should hang his head when he or she walks down a sidewalk, nor should they made to feel they should. It doesn't matter if you supported our elected officials' decision to send our troops into Iraq and Afghanistan or not, however you should support the troops. Our veterans didn't make the decision to go to war, be we were there to answer this call to arms. The Marine, Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen I served alongside were nothing less than patriots. They defined the words honor, courage, and commitment. They should com home as hero's, not made to feel like was criminals. Maybe Massachusetts has changed drastically over the past few years, or maybe I never realized the Commonwealth for what it was. But in any event, this is one veteran who will proudly hold his head high and continue to support our brave troops battling our enemies overseas.
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