Message from Councilman Roc White | April 7, 2023

On March 29, I had the honor to join other veterans at the Vietnam Veterans monument at town hall to mark National Vietnam War Veterans Day. It has been 50 years, to the date, when the last combat troops left South Vietnam, as well as the estimated date when Hanoi released the last of its acknowledged prisoners of war. 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that there are more than 7 million U.S. Vietnam veterans living in America and abroad, along with 10 million families of those who served during this timeframe, from 1955-1975.  The federal government makes no distinction between veterans who served in-country, in-theater, or who were stationed elsewhere during the Vietnam War period.  All were called to serve and none could self-determine where they would be.

For all Americans, March 29 is an important day on the calendar time to join and honor Vietnam veterans and their families. It was also a moment to remember the many men and woman who lost their lives in what is widely considered one of America’s most controversial and longest foreign wars.

As a U.S. Marine who proudly served in the Gulf War, these commemorative events can serve as painful reminders, as we think of our many friends who did not return from war, or others who are haunted by lifetime scars, both physical and mental.

Being a combat veteran, as well as an elected official, I am often asked what more can be done to honor veterans in our town. I am pleased Scotch Plains holds a number of programs throughout the year; our work is consistently honored at the state level.  For individuals eager to honor our brave soldiers, here are some suggestions:

• Thank a member of the military for his/her service
• Organize a “Take a Veteran to School Day” to allow township students the opportunity to hear experiences directly from soldiers
• Develop an article about a local veteran from Scotch Plains and submit it to the local media or post on social media.
• Coordinate a local art project in town that honors veterans
• Volunteer at our annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day programs
• Visit the Wall in Washington D.C.
• Join in our local commemorations throughout the year; mark your calendars to be a part of the Vietnam program on March 29, 2024. While it is great to be with fellow veterans, having community support at these events makes them even more meaningful.

During our commemoration last week, an article was circulated, titled “What is a Vietnam Veteran?” It is a superb piece written by David Mouer, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in response to a college student who asked for personal narratives. Let me quote an excerpt:

“We feared we would die or we feared we would kill.  We simply feared, and often we still do.  We hate the war or believe it was the best thing that ever happened to us.  We blame Uncle Sam or Uncle Ho and their minions and secretaries and apologists for every wart or cough or tic of an eye.  We wonder if Agent Orange got us.

Mostly -- and this I believe with all my heart -- mostly, we wish we had not been so alone.  Some of us went with units; but many, probably most of us, were civilians one day, jerked up out of "the world," shaved, barked at, insulted, humiliated, de-egoized and taught to kill, to fix radios, to drive trucks.  We went, put in our time, and were equally ungraciously plucked out of the morass and placed back in the real world.

And life went on, had been going on, as if we hadn't been there, as if Vietnam was a topic of political conversation or college protest or news copy, not a matter of life and death for tens of thousands.

Vietnam vets are people just like you.  We served our country, proudly or reluctantly or ambivalently.  What makes us different -- what makes us Vietnam vets -- is something we understand, but we are afraid nobody else will. 

But we appreciate your asking.”