VETERANS THANK YOU NOTES TO VIETNAM VETS

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 899 New Jersey

VETERANS THANK YOU NOTES TO VIETNAM VETS

A Thank You to Vietnam Vets from a Marine in Iraq

A guy gets time to think over here and I was thinking about all the support we get from home. Sometimes it's overwhelming. We get care packages at times faster than we can use them. There are boxes and boxes of toiletries and snacks lining the center of every tent; the generosity has been amazing. So, I was pondering the question: "Why do we have so much support?"

In my opinion, it came down to one thing: Vietnam. I think we learned a lesson, as a
nation, that no matter what, you have to support the troops who are on the line, who are risking everything. We treated them so poorly back then. When they returned
was even worse. The stories are nightmarish of what our returning warriors were subjected to. It is a national scar, a blemish on our country, an embarrassment to all of us. After Vietnam, it had time to sink in. The guilt in our collective consciousness grew. It shamed us. How ever, we learned from our mistake.

Somewhere during the late 1970's and into the 80's, we realized that we can't treat
our warriors that way. So, starting during the Gulf War, when the first real opportunity arose to stand up and support the troops, we did. We did it to support our friends and family going off to war. But we also did it to right the wrongs from the Vietnam era. We treated our troops like the heroes they were, acknowledged and celebrated their sacrifice, and rejoiced at their homecoming instead of spitting on them and that support continues today for those of us in Iraq. Our country knows that it must support us and it does. The lesson was learned in Vietnam and we are better because of it .everyone who has gone before is a hero. They are celebrated in my heart. I think admirably of all those who have gone before me. From those who fought to establish this country in the late 1770's to those I serve with here in Iraq. They have all sacrificed to ensure our freedom.

But when I get back, I'm going to make it a personal mission to specifically thank every Vietnam Vet I encounter for their sacrifice. Because if nothing else good came from that terrible war, one thing did. It was the lesson learned on how we treat our warriors. We as a country learned from our mistake and now treat our warriors as heroes, as we should. I am the beneficiary of their sacrifice. Not only for the freedom they, like veterans from other wars, ensured, but for how well our country now treats my fellow Marines and I. We are the beneficiaries of their sacrifice.

Semper Fidelis,
Major Brian P. Bresnahan

United States Marine Corps

From: ALANCOOK53@aol.com
Date: 03/26/2009 05:59 PM
To: veterans@vva899.org
Subject: Fwd: welcome home

I want to thank chapter 899 for the welcome home they gave to my son last weekend.

It makes a Father proud to have VVA welcome my son home from Afghanistan

after his 15 month tour.

Alan Cook
National Treasurer
Vietnam Veterans Of America

From: "Christian Valencia de la Cuba ]
Date: 04/15/2009 01:51 PM
To: veterans@vva899.org
Subject: Fwd: Comments about your site

Dear friend,

First of all, congratulations for your great and useful website (http://www.vva899.org).

I found it really useful and I will recommend it to my friends and colleagues.

I would like to suggest a new resource for your links page:

Title: Military Schools
URL: http://www.aboutmilitaryschools.org
Description: Offering you a wide array of information about military schools,

military safety and military knowledge.

I guess this link can be useful for the visitors of your page who can be able

to see a lot of information about the military schools in America and much

more, and the same way visitors on my website could go and get information

about your site by clicking on it.

Best regards,
Christian Valencia de la Cuba
christianv.links@internetstudios.org

----Original Message-----
From: "Lauren Hasha" [lauren@mesojournal.com]
Date: 07/22/2009 04:46 PM
To: veterans@vva899.org
Subject: Fwd: Thank you for the website you provide!

Good afternoon -

I recently came across the VVA Chapter 899 website -- thanks for making important

resources like this available. I would like to suggest an addition to the Help Links for

all Veterans and Patriots page.

Mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the lung, is caused by exposure to asbestos.

Many veterans have been exposed to asbestos during their time in the military.

Because of long dormancy periods, mesothelioma and other asbestos-related

diseases can remain undetected for over a decade before the patient shows any signs of illness.

An exposure of as little as one or two months can result in mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later.

Would you consider adding information on mesothelioma to your website?

Perhaps it would be helpful for me to create something built specifically for

your website. I can provide you with some content to place on your site regarding

mesothelioma and its implications, so that your website visitors could learn more

about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments. It is important to get this information

out to the public; will you help with these efforts?

If you would rather not include information about mesothelioma on your site,

perhaps you would prefer making this information available to the public by

providing a link. This link will take visitors to a site called Mesothelioma Web.

For nearly a decade, Mesothelioma Web has been one of the most comprehensive

sites on mesothelioma, providing facts about palliative care, nutrition, and

chemotherapy, as well as information on clinical trials. They have also created a

page designed specifically for veterans: http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/veterans.

Here is some code to make it easier for you to link to this site:
<a href="http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma.htm">Mesothelioma</a>
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments.

Thanks again for making resources such as this available to our war heroes.
Cheers,

Lauren

Lauren Hasha | Mesothelioma Info
[email] lauren@mesojournal.com
[web] www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma.htm

From: "GREG EVANS" [

Date: 09/29/2009 02:13 PM
To: veterans@vva899.org
Subject: Fwd: Thanks

I served in Iraq with B Troop 1/158 Cav MD Army National Guard.

When we returned to Ft Dix at about 0130 on I think 14 or 15 March a

bunch of you guys were there welcoming us back with a hand shake

and food and drinks. I was recently going through some things from

that time and I remembered that gesture. I wanted to let you know how

much it was appreciated at the time and even more now. I thanked you

then but wanted to thank you again and just tell you again it meant a lot to me.

I have since retired after 21 years in the Guard and reg Army.
I think it is a travesty how you guys were treated and ignored when you came

home from Vietnam. War is never an easy thing to go into but an unpopular war

is even harder for the troops. You went anyway and I commend and thank you.

I was born in 1966 so don’t really remember much of those times but I have read

extensively and know men that served their and I have the utmost respect for you all.
Anyway if I have the right post thanks again and if you aren’t the right post could

you possibly forward this to the post that handles welcoming the units that return

from Iraq to Ft Dix.

Greg Evans SSG (Ret)
.
.
.
.
From: "Jim Dickman" [jdickman@mywdo.com]
Date: 10/04/2009 11:43 PM
To: veterans@vva899.org
Subject: Fwd: web page

WOW

I just want to tell that I think you have the best VVA page on the web!
I am a member of chapter 998 in New Mexico. We are a small chapter and I am
just putting a web page together.
I will keep our page simple but would like to put in a link to you page.

Awsome work.

Thanks

Jim
.
.
.
.
From: "Reed, Michael J 1LT RES USAR FORSCOM" [michael.jason.reed@us.army.mil]
Date: 12/01/2009 08:14 PM
To: don@vva899.org
Subject: Fwd: Thank You

Mr. Mohr,

My unit recently returned through Ft Dix and we were received by your organization.
I just wanted to write you a quick note and let you know how thankful that we all
were for your warm welcome home. Words cannot express how well it felt to be
welcomed home by fellow veterans from another generation. May God Bless you all.

Best Regards,

Michael J. Reed
1LT, MP, USAR
Platoon Leader

351st MP Company (CS)
2803 SE 36th Avenue
Ocala, FL. 34471
Cell: 256-366-1617

Enter supporting content here