Beautiful Girls Get Down and Dirty at Tough Mudder !
Beautiful Girls Get Down and Dirty at Tough Mudder as they negotiate the barbed wire obstacle one of the first at the toughest event on the planet!
Many young beautiful girls participated in the toughest challenge on Earth! Many men as well but Im not paying to much attention to them. Its like watching “Stripes” with Bill Murray all over again as babes in tight outfits get covered in mud and squirm their way through the muddiest courses.
Thousands returned to endure and conquer a new course for these wet and wild mudders! Many appeared wearing costumes and team outfits. From what looked like a Telly Tubby Fire ant Brigade to Transvestite Ballerinas many appeared in regalia and by the end of the day all look like slimy polliwogs!
“The Coach” gave them all a good warm up in his high and tight shorts from 1972!
Tough Mudder Starts as US Army Soldiers Give Support
Climbing the Wall at the Tough Mudder
Tough Mudders leap into a vat of slimy green water. But it has Electrolytes in it!
Beautiful Girls Get Down and Dirty at Tough Mudder
Beautiful Girls Get Down and Dirty at Tough Mudder ! Check out the video!
The Mudder Village Map displayed the immediate grounds and all that was available for Tough Mudders before and after the challenge!
The US Army was very supportive supplying water trucks for wetting down the runners as they began to add a little more weight as they trekked up the hillside.
US Army Shirts Recruiting station was on the scene to grab up top performers!
Transcript from President Obama on the subject of ISIS!
“My fellow Americans — tonight, I want to speak to you about what the United States will do with our friends and allies to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL.
As Commander-in-Chief, my highest priority is the security of the American people. Over the last several years, we have consistently taken the fight to terrorists who threaten our country. We took out Osama bin Laden and much of al Qaeda’s leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We’ve targeted al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen, and recently eliminated the top commander of its affiliate in Somalia. We’ve done so while bringing more than 140,000 American troops home from Iraq, and drawing down our forces in Afghanistan, where our combat mission will end later this year. Thanks to our military and counterterrorism professionals, America is safer.
Still, we continue to face a terrorist threat. We cannot erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true today. That’s why we must remain vigilant as threats emerge. At this moment, the greatest threats come from the Middle East and North Africa, where radical groups exploit grievances for their own gain. And one of those groups is ISIL — which calls itself the “Islamic State.”
Now let’s make two things clear: ISIL is not “Islamic.” No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim. And ISIL is certainly not a state. It was formerly al Qaeda’s affiliate in Iraq, and has taken advantage of sectarian strife and Syria’s civil war to gain territory on both sides of the Iraq-Syrian border. It is recognized by no government, nor the people it subjugates. ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.
In a region that has known so much bloodshed, these terrorists are unique in their brutality. They execute captured prisoners. They kill children. They enslave, rape, and force women into marriage. They threatened a religious minority with genocide. In acts of barbarism, they took the lives of two American journalists — Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff.
So ISIL poses a threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, and the broader Middle East — including American citizens, personnel and facilities. If left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat beyond that region — including to the United States. While we have not yet detected specific plotting against our homeland, ISIL leaders have threatened America and our allies. Our intelligence community believes that thousands of foreigners — including Europeans and some Americans — have joined them in Syria and Iraq. Trained and battle-hardened, these fighters could try to return to their home countries and carry out deadly attacks.
President Obama: ‘ISIL is not Islamic’
I know many Americans are concerned about these threats. Tonight, I want you to know that the United States of America is meeting them with strength and resolve. Last month, I ordered our military to take targeted action against ISIL to stop its advances. Since then, we have conducted more than 150 successful airstrikes in Iraq. These strikes have protected American personnel and facilities, killed ISIL fighters, destroyed weapons, and given space for Iraqi and Kurdish forces to reclaim key territory. These strikes have helped save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children.
But this is not our fight alone. American power can make a decisive difference, but we cannot do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of Arab partners in securing their region. That’s why I’ve insisted that additional U.S. action depended upon Iraqis forming an inclusive government, which they have now done in recent days. So tonight, with a new Iraqi government in place, and following consultations with allies abroad and Congress at home, I can announce that America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat.
Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy.
First, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions, so that we’re hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense. Moreover, I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are. That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.
Second, we will increase our support to forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. In June, I deployed several hundred American service members to Iraq to assess how we can best support Iraqi Security Forces. Now that those teams have completed their work — and Iraq has formed a government — we will send an additional 475 service members to Iraq. As I have said before, these American forces will not have a combat mission — we will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq. But they are needed to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training, intelligence and equipment. We will also support Iraq’s efforts to stand up National Guard Units to help Sunni communities secure their own freedom from ISIL control.
Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped up our military assistance to the Syrian opposition. Tonight, I again call on Congress to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters. In the fight against ISIL, we cannot rely on an Assad regime that terrorizes its people; a regime that will never regain the legitimacy it has lost. Instead, we must strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight to extremists like ISIL, while pursuing the political solution necessary to solve Syria’s crisis once and for all.
Third, we will continue to draw on our substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIL attacks. Working with our partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding; improve our intelligence; strengthen our defenses; counter its warped ideology; and stem the flow of foreign fighters into — and out of — the Middle East. And in two weeks, I will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council to further mobilize the international community around this effort.
Fourth, we will continue providing humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians who have been displaced by this terrorist organization. This includes Sunni and Shia Muslims who are at grave risk, as well as tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities. We cannot allow these communities to be driven from their ancient homelands.
This is our strategy. And in each of these four parts of our strategy, America will be joined by a broad coalition of partners. Already, allies are flying planes with us over Iraq; sending arms and assistance to Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian opposition; sharing intelligence; and providing billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Secretary Kerry was in Iraq today meeting with the new government and supporting their efforts to promote unity, and in the coming days he will travel across the Middle East and Europe to enlist more partners in this fight, especially Arab nations who can help mobilize Sunni communities in Iraq and Syria to drive these terrorists from their lands. This is American leadership at its best: we stand with people who fight for their own freedom; and we rally other nations on behalf of our common security and common humanity.
My Administration has also secured bipartisan support for this approach here at home. I have the authority to address the threat from ISIL. But I believe we are strongest as a nation when the President and Congress work together. So I welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger.
Now, it will take time to eradicate a cancer like ISIL. And any time we take military action, there are risks involved — especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these missions. But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil. This counter-terrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years. And it is consistent with the approach I outlined earlier this year: to use force against anyone who threatens America’s core interests, but to mobilize partners wherever possible to address broader challenges to international order.
My fellow Americans, we live in a time of great change. Tomorrow marks 13 years since our country was attacked. Next week marks 6 years since our economy suffered its worst setback since the Great Depression. Yet despite these shocks; through the pain we have felt and the grueling work required to bounce back — America is better positioned today to seize the future than any other nation on Earth.
Our technology companies and universities are unmatched; our manufacturing and auto industries are thriving. Energy independence is closer than it’s been in decades. For all the work that remains, our businesses are in the longest uninterrupted stretch of job creation in our history. Despite all the divisions and discord within our democracy, I see the grit and determination and common goodness of the American people every single day — and that makes me more confident than ever about our country’s future.
Abroad, American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. It is America that has the capacity and the will to mobilize the world against terrorists. It is America that has rallied the world against Russian aggression, and in support of the Ukrainian peoples’ right to determine their own destiny. It is America — our scientists, our doctors, our know-how — that can help contain and cure the outbreak of Ebola. It is America that helped remove and destroy Syria’s declared chemical weapons so they cannot pose a threat to the Syrian people — or the world — again. And it is America that is helping Muslim communities around the world not just in the fight against terrorism, but in the fight for opportunity, tolerance, and a more hopeful future.
America, our endless blessings bestow an enduring burden. But as Americans, we welcome our responsibility to lead. From Europe to Asia — from the far reaches of Africa to war-torn capitals of the Middle East — we stand for freedom, for justice, for dignity. These are values that have guided our nation since its founding. Tonight, I ask for your support in carrying that leadership forward. I do so as a Commander-in-Chief who could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform — pilots who bravely fly in the face of danger above the Middle East, and service-members who support our partners on the ground.
When we helped prevent the massacre of civilians trapped on a distant mountain, here’s what one of them said. “We owe our American friends our lives. Our children will always remember that there was someone who felt our struggle and made a long journey to protect innocent people.”
That is the difference we make in the world. And our own safety — our own security — depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation, and uphold the values that we stand for — timeless ideals that will endure long after those who offer only hate and destruction have been vanquished from the Earth.
May God bless our troops, and may God bless the United States of America.” (Source: www.cnn.com)
Some wait a lifetime for their 15 seconds of fame and it is the feeling of just about every normal human being with a sense of right or wrong that when someone or something crosses the line then it needs to be called out. ISIS your 15 seconds is up!
Let’s first identify who are real enemy is. Let’s give them a face and let’s identify who they are just so there is no question or ambiguity.
ISIS – Who Are They!
“The Islamic State (IS) (Arabic: الدولة الإسلامية ad-Dawlah l-ʾIslāmiyyah), formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (داعش) (ISIL/ˈaɪsəl/) or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ˈaɪsɪs/),is a Sunnijihadist group in the Middle East. In its self-proclaimed status as a caliphate, it claims religious authority over all Muslims across the worldand aspires to bring much of the Muslim-inhabited regions of the world under its political control,beginning with Iraq, Syria and other territory in the Levant region, which includes Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus and part of southern Turkey.It has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, and has been described by the United Nationsand Western and Middle Eastern media as a terrorist group. The United Nations has accused the Islamic State of committing “mass atrocities” and war crimes, and Amnesty International has accused it of ethnic cleansing against minorities in northern Iraq.” (Source: Wikipedia)
When a dog bites the hand that feeds it you put it down. When it beheads an innocent and unaffiliated adult male you destroy it to the fullest extent possible. The Nazi’s killed, tortured, mutilated to gain power in pre-World War 2 Germany. ISIS and its threats, decapitations and ethnic cleansing is no better. A world went to war to stop Hitler and Nazi Germans. When will we as humans demand the end to the same with ISIS? How many concentration camps and deaths must we suffer again before we take action. Millions of Jews might have been spared if the Allies took action sooner. Sadly that did not happen. How many innocent children and families must suffer while those with the ability to stop this mayhem allow its continuation?
Steven Sotloff, James Foley American innocents beheaded by the filth called ISIS now sees a third hostage, a Brit, is now being threatened with a brutal death. Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron vowed that “a country like ours will not be cowed by barbaric killers” (Source: NBC News)
Again how long will it take before we see raw naked military power aimed at this evil! While the politicians rhetoric froths at their politically vote oriented mouths the time has come where this dog needs to be put down!
Simply put now is the time to stop these radical Islamist groups from their forced march across the Middle East and Europe.
Now is the time for America to step up and do the right thing. We fought Nazi Germany because they were evil incarnate. We had the support of the world when we went to war. Now we are faced with the same problem and a far nastier and menacingly evil group. America the time for your Crusade is upon you.
Now at last with heads finally turning in the direction of ISIS we can focus our attention on a military game app that brings back the excitement of blowing the crap out of large chunks of hurtling frozen chunks of planetary sized asteroids and guess what the best part is? You can blow them to bits just like the US military is about to do to a group about to be formerly known as ISIS.
Guide To Military Business Ethics How to Navigate Successfully
Guide To Military Business Ethics How to Navigate Successfully. For years now the United States military has adopted an attitude of becoming more business like in its course of doing business whether with government contractors or working with Uncle Zeb’s Snake Oil and Coin company right outside the main gate to their various military bases and installations.
Core Values!
In the course of doing business over the last 7 years I have seen a growth of changes that appear to get rated at what I would define as a C- grade point average in terms of the attitude, honesty and integrity of those who have expressed a desire for products and services spanning from challenge coins to custom unit designs for military shirts and apparel. I am not proud to write this because I love our men and women in uniform but sometimes you have to express yourselves in a way to gain clarity and reach others who feel the same way we do: Integrity and core values need to be taken seriously again!
Where We Have Lost Our Way!
The generation of American we call the “Greatest Generation” were the sons and daughters of the American Depression. They knew and understood sacrifice and what it meant to not know where their next meal would come from. They had to burn their wooden fences to get enough heat into their homes so they would not freeze during the long winter months. They could buy a steak for 5 cents with all the trimmings but the only problem no one had 5 cents. They played outside in the Summer and they learned how simple life could be when its focus was just living without the distractions of television and consumerism, music that had no soul and might as well had been written by a computer, arrogant tattoo wielding sports professionals (when they start acting like professionals maybe we can then start labeling them as such) who are paid insane amounts of money, and were not constantly exposed to thousands of advertising messages on a daily basis. They worked as hard as possible to support their families, when work was available, and they knew that the core responsibility was to the family, their brothers, their sisters, their mothers and fathers. These children grew up to fight against Nazi Germany and the Empire Of Japan and quelled these world usurping foreign governments. And when the fighting stopped and they received their papers to return home they did so and they did the same thing their parents did, they worked, they loved their children and they raised their families.
When this generation of Americans did business they could do so on a handshake!
Where Are The Ethics Today?
Chasing the American Dream in my humble opinion has been shattered! As rough statement as it may sound we have all been giving our marching orders to chase the almighty dollar but in doing so we are losing respect for ourselves because we no longer ask the question “Are we doing it correctly? Are we doing it right? Am I acting morally correct?” Instead these respectable statements they have been replaced with “What do I get out of it?, “I am not going to promise anything!, Let’s take their art and work and send it to someone else and not say a word!, Oh I didn’t know I was copying your art? These morally reprehensible statements show a state of decline in the morality of business ethics in some corners of our military. Why are these questions stated here? Cause they happen and have been the reply to any number of questions often asked when trying to do the best job possible for a military unit coordinator or someone in need of services.
The bigger question as to why some members of our military act or think this way perhaps might be that they do not understand or do not know better. We cannot say for sure but someone needs to have their ass kicked now and again and get back on track acting with integrity verses this shifting of morality to let’s get by or screw them and try and not get caught concept.
Morality and ethics is not a highly populated college set of coursework but for those that missed that day in school here is a simple truth and to stick by this really is all you need.
“Do what you say and say what you do!” Even if the truth is harder than the lie take the high road and accept responsibility for your word and actions and expect the same from others. It is pretty simple.
Outside Influences!
Again our military has more responsibility than ever to interact with civilian businesses and has to navigate through a quagmire of red time both on their side of the house as well as the rules within the civilian world. Coupled with the desire to make a buck or save a buck and we enter into what has seen recently as the Wild Wild West!
Military units that seek out one company or another from challenge coins to shirts are faced with many obstacles. Who can get the job done? How do I know I am getting a good deal? Am I going to get screwed if I use these guys? How will this look when I get what I ordered?
These are all good and relevant questions. Sadly the person on the other end of an email may or may not know what they are doing, is looking to do whatever it takes to get your money, may not be able to deliver the quality they advertise or cheat by stealing the art and graphics of another company and advertise it as their own. This plus some people who copy off the internet a piece of artwork they like and send to a company who did produce it and ask them to copy opens up another Pandora’s Box and ethical storm of controversy.
Many companies that do not possess integrity will copy any art that comes at them from any direction and could care less if it belongs to someone else. This in simple terms is called stealing! It is also called copyright infringement and don’t think for a second you are harmless and not impacted. You are!
They have no right to produce it and when they accept it and print with it they are putting our military in harm’s way because they will throw you under the bus the first chance they get claiming that you took responsibility of its ownership when you sent it to them in the first place. Believe me its not worth losing a stripe over it, getting gigged or having the IG call you for a sit down.
Solutions!
Working in an ethical manner is easier than it might seem and it really boils down to simple communicating. Be better than the rest and communicate with the business you intend to work with. Ask questions. Learn and work together because collaboration will produce the best results. Below is a short list of time saving ideas for producing the best results when working with outside companies that are interested in working with you.
1. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate!
2. Be prepared to finish what you start.
3. Is it your artwork? If you found it on the internet and it’s not yours then locate the company that produced it. They might turn out to be able to produce what you are after faster and at a reduced cost since the art is already done.
4. Copyright infringement is unethical. Don’t do it. Think about it and then think about it again. Copying some else’s art leads to controversy and pitting two companies against one another and throwing you into the middle of an avoidable situation and setting into motion a series of actions all that result in unpleasantness for all concerned. Don’t put yourself in the middle of a firefight. Avoid it and do the right thing. If you like the art don’t copy it. Ask for permission to use it or ask the company to provide a quote. This is the right thing to do.
5. Cost is one thing but quality is something completely different. Savings does come at a cost. Let’s face it. You want to save money? Sure. But don;t think for a minute that just because you are saving 50 cents on a shirt for your unit it means you are getting a good product. Often it means you will not. You wouldn’t think twice about spending money on a 5 dollar cup of coffee but you will complain about spending 50 cents more on a custom designed military shirt that will last you for years. Think about.
6. Go with quality over cost every time! It is actually less expensive to get quality if it means your fundraising is successful or the likelihood of selling all the items is improved verses having left overs still sitting in a box a year later. Who wants that? No one.
7. Don’t run away with the sketch! Taking the art down the road and stopping all communication with the company you contacted to have work done is unethical. Remember you contacted them and saw value in what they do. Let them complete their work and get it done correctly and above board for you. They are there to help so let them do what you asked them to do. If something comes up and you don’t understand then simply ask questions and communicate!
8. Remember the demands of art and production are not a simple thing. Dates can change, art can take time and really good art can take longer so be patient and keep the lines of communication open!
9. Above all things if your intention is to kick a tire and try something out and you start a project then be prepared to finish it! This isn’t about getting one over on someone else. It isn’t about getting a quality product or getting something for nothing. It is about acting and behaving as adults and working together to get the very best and crossing the finish line together successfully.
An important date in US Army and military history is the US Army Ambulance Corps Founded Today. On this day, August 2nd, 1862 Maj. Gen. George McClellan instituted theUS Army Ambulance Corps!
Wiki ~
“The U.S. Ambulance Corps was a unit of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The Ambulance Corps was initially formed as a unit only within the Army of the Potomac, due to the effort of several Army officials, notably Dr. Jonathan Letterman, medical director of the Army of the Potomac, and William Hammond, the US Surgeon-General. Until August 1862, the lack of trained ambulance drivers meant that the wounded had to wait a long time to receive medical care. This changed at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 when his new system allowed the wounded men to be transferred quickly so there could be fewer deaths. The corps also meant that ambulances had a more centralized organization. [1]
Due to public pressure, the Army created an Ambulance Corps for all units and theaters of operation, through the Ambulance Corps Act of March 11, 1864. The Confederate armies did not have any such service available within their military.
The Confederate Army did have an Ambulance Service.”
Gaining additional prominence in later US military Wars and engagements the US Army Ambulance Corps found duty in World War’s 1 and 2, where casualties became so staggering that the medical needs of the Army grew to such a level that the medical corps and ambulance service had to expand to meet the demands.
Vision-Strike-Wear.Com has for many years been humbled by participating with our active duty men and women in uniform, veterans, prior service through supporting an environment of pride through creativity, designing apparel and items that are worn on the backs of our servicemen and women, designed in collaboration with them and ensuring the highest level of satisfaction and service. Our returning OIF and OEF Veterans with whom VSW began its company designing for we salute for standing up and making Congress know about the effects of PTSD. Vision-Strike-Wear.Com is honored to work with organizations like IAVA.Org and send year round funds to support their efforts.
June is PTSD Awareness month and throughout the month VSW will be supporting causes, non-profits and organizations whose mission it is to bring not only awareness but also find solutions and combating PTSD so our soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and guardsmen can find the tools and solutions necessary to help with issues related to post traumatic stress.
One such organization, Vision-Strike-Wear.Com, will be supporting through the month of June is the Purple Heart Foundation, a congressional Charted organization founded in 1948 whose mission is to serve and support our veterans.
A percentage of every sale at Vision-Strike-Wear.Com will be donated to this fine organization to support their work helping our American Veterans.
In the modern day of our military never has such an important topic been discussed as the one called PTSD. Vision-Strike-Wear.Com is dedicated to helping and working with many other talented organizations whose firm goal is to help our men and women in uniform both past and present.
The mud, the trenches, the desolate battlefields and the fighting between hedgerows found throughout France and Europe during the First World War found soldiers battle weary, drowned souls without sparks of a willingness to live and move past the gray and black of artillery pock marked French soil found themselves shell shocked. America has never turned from a fight and since their great grandfathers of old that unified 13 colonies and ultimately fought the British for control of our country, a way of life and ultimately for a preservation of a way of thinking: freedom.
World War I
The shell shocked American doughboys of World War 1 faced the illusion of invincibility as these Yanks traveled to distant European shores and fought a German adversary they had not experienced since Washington crossed a river and cleverly destroyed the Hessian mercenaries during the American War For Independence. The doughboys and later the Marines found a well prepared, modern German army, and for years experienced the devastating effects of war that ultimately would lead to stress, weariness and stress disorders that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. Their victory in Europe came at substantial cost.
World War II
1000 Yard Stare Tom Lea
World War 2 came largely on the heels of the First World War and America found herself back in Europe fighting as we all know, Germany and the Third Reich, but also her Axis Ally in Japan and their expansive desires for controlling the South Pacific from Japan to Australia and as far away as Hawaii. US Army soldiers from the Normandy invasion to the ultimate taking of Berlin fought over the same ground their fathers had battled.
They battled in the skies with bomb laden B-17’s on daylight bombing missions with very little hope of return to safe shores, sailing across the Atlantic seeking out German U-Boats who were successfully for many years sending millions of tons of merchant tonnage to the ocean bottom. Then came the Army and Marines as they fought in dense jungles, intense heat and often without proper food and supplies against a determined Japanese Imperial Army on orders from their leadership to fight to the last man.
Battle Fatigue
US Army Out of the Valley…
It was during one of these US Marine island hopping battles, The Battle of Peleliu, when then Marine correspondent Tom Lea, created a piece pf art that would become the icon for battle fatigue experienced daily by our fighting soldiers. Coined as the 1000 yard stare, this artwork Lea created became the stark reminder of the stress and disconnection to reality, the giving up on caring and the need to distance oneself from the experiences on the battlefield.
Like the image taken from the top of Mount Suribachi with Marines and a Corpsman hoisting the US flag over a war torn battlefield, the 1000 yard stare would become important as the image of a battle fatigued “America’s Greatest Generation” would have to experience as they returned to home.
US MARINES- 2000 yd Stare
The Forgotten War
Korea and its generation of American soldiers would find a different climate, a different nemesis as they battled for control of a peninsula fighting in a Civil War. The frozen hills and valleys of the Korean War produced its own element of battle weariness and stress.
Named the Forgotten War, Korea and its fighting, its threats, and the demands placed upon our soldiers was no different than their brothers in WW2 and though their sacrifice was just as great when fighting the incredible numbers of Chinese Communist troops the severity of their stress and mental anguish was no less severe. The Forgotten War was not forgotten in the minds of our Korean Veterans.
US Navy Don’t Give up the Ship!
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War, the Ten Thousand Day War, ushered in a fight in Southeast Asia that would pit the United States against a Russian backed Communist North Vietnam whose desire it was to control the southern half of Vietnam and claim it. Like Korea, America found itself battling Communism once again and fighting to restore freedom and unification of a country torn by Civil War.
The jungles of Vietnam where Army soldiers and Marines fought in densely populated jungles, in cities like Hue City, in places not heard of before on American televisions reporting on the war.
Places like Da Nang, Long Binh, Khe Sanh, Phu Bai, Dak To were soon filling American living rooms with stories of battle, casualties not previously reported and for the first time an American population no longer supportive of our troops.
American Warriors of the Vietnam War
Our American Vietnam Veterans returned home to a place that was hostile towards our soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and guardsmen. Placing the blame of the war for the first time on the soldiers asked by its leadership to go to an unknown country, to fight and die in preservation of American interests abroad were heaped upon our soldiers already battle fatigued by their involvement in this unpopular war.
Like the dedicated Americans they are they found ways to deal with these issues, some keeping the issues internalized, never to be discussed, others turning to business or artistic endeavors or projects aimed at keeping these issues at bay. Nevertheless, our American warriors of the Vietnam War also experienced the same battle fatigue their fathers experienced and issues of veteran suicide began to get some exposure to the balance of the American population.
Under prepared and without the ability to deal with the mental issues our veterans were undergoing, the Veteran’s Administration was incapable of identifying and diagnosing the mental states of our returning veterans which even to this day is still a subject that alludes them, and something they have been incapable of helping our veterans with.
