To fully appreciate the sacrifice these Vietnam-era veterans made, allow me to paint the picture. By the same token, South Korea would not be the industrialized nation that it is today, had it not been for the Korean War veterans.Īfter much introspection, I decided to make a point of thanking every Vietnam Veteran I would cross paths with. You also need to be mindful that if it weren't for the World War II veterans, neither Europe nor Japan would be the economic power houses they are today. And had I survived the famine, the exorbitant cost of secondary education as a result of limited educational opportunities in Vietnam would have precluded any chances of me finishing high school, let alone completing a graduate education. Given the famine following the war, I doubt if I would be alive today. military pushing back the Viet Cong (Vietnamese communists) during the Tet Offensive in 1968 followed by successful bombing campaigns, I would have been stuck in Vietnam. Little that these Airmen, Sailors, Marines, and Soldiers know back then, but they were not merely fighting to give the Vietnamese people freedom from communist oppression, they held the line long enough for many of us to escape to this land of opportunity. Only after my retirement from the military did I reflect on my life, to ponder over what those Vietnam Veterans endured for my freedom. I viewed my service in the military as merely protecting my way of life, my family's way of life. I was then, and continued to be, proud to be in the ranks of those bringing liberty (that we too often take for granted) to millions of people in Eastern Europe. Needless to say that it was a significant emotional event in my life and my career when the Berlin Wall came down in 1992, signifying the end of the very oppressed world regime I escaped from back in 1975. citizen, and I developed an even deeper appreciation for this country as I saw how America took care of its citizens by evacuating her military members and her non-combatant citizens out of harm's way. While serving in the Philippines, I was once again evacuated-but this time as the result of Mt. My service to the Air Force continues to this day, though I no longer wear the uniform. I spent 20 years in the Air Force primarily as a communications officer with assignments in Europe and Asia, protecting our country from the threat of communism. I always felt it was my obligation to serve in the military to repay this country for what it has done for not only me and my family. It's truly a testament to American exceptionalism. can a 13-year-old-refuge receive secondary education, be provided with an opportunity to go to college with government educational grants and most importantly, be afforded the privilege to serve in the military. Nowhere else in the world other than in the U.S.A. Only in this great land of ours, the United States of America, could a fairy tale like mine unfold. In any other country, refugees-status is synonymous to second class citizens. You see, I came to the United States in 1975 as a refugee at the end of the Vietnam War with just the clothes on my back. My hope is that as I share its importance, you will come to appreciate it the same way I do. Michael, you are 15 and focused on classes and school, and Alex, your boundless energy as a 3-year-old keeps us on our toes, so I can understand why you may not fully appreciate what Memorial Day means to me. I speak of Memorial Day, which to you may just mean the official beginning of summer.
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