A lesson from Vietnam

My dad served in the Vietnam War. It was not a “popular” war. Many Americans believed we fought for the wrong side. Our military was ill-prepared for guerilla warfare, which resulted in high rates of injuries and death. Drafts were necessary to fill the ranks, but coerced soldiers did not make committed soldiers. Long deployments, resentful soldiers, and brutal conditions led to lack of discipline. This environment became an accelerant for angry men. Brutal attacks on civilians stained the entire military. When my dad returned home, despite his honorable service, his uniform was met with scorn, derision, and disrespect. These combined experiences fueled years of heavy drinking. It took two rounds of rehab, before he was able to conquer his demons and overcome the damage from that painful period in his life.

My husband served in the war on terrorism. He deployed twice – once to Afghanistan and once to Iraq. He returned home from these deployments carrying the weight of battlefield experiences we still do not discuss. While most Americans supported the initial foray into Afghanistan, the move into Iraq was less popular. As casualties rose, calls against the war increased. Despite rising disapproval, my husband returned from his deployments to praise, parties, and overwhelming gratitude. Strangers regularly walked up to him in the street to shake his hand and thank him for his service. Businesses offered discounts and free services as a token of their appreciation. Sometime between Vietnam and the war on terrorism, our country learned to separate the soldier from the system waging war. My husband did not have to carry the added weight of a disapproving nation.

We are in desperate need of bringing this same understanding to the men and women who comprise our police force. Our anger and dissatisfaction with the criminal justice system’s militarization of our police force is justified. Our demands for change must continue, but we need to save our condemnation for the policemen who earned it and point our anger and demands towards the system that created and enabled these men to do harm.  

It’s here we feel the depth of your sacrifice.  And here we see a piece of our larger American story.  Our Founders -- in their genius -- gave us a task.  They set out to make a more perfect union.  And so it falls to every generation to carry on that work.  To keep moving forward.  To overcome a sometimes-painful past.  To keep striving for our ideals.

And one of the most painful chapters in our history was Vietnam -- most particularly, how we treated our troops who served there.  You were often blamed for a war you didn’t start, when you should have been commended for serving your country with valor. You were sometimes blamed for misdeeds of a few, when the honorable service of the many should have been praised.  You came home and sometimes were denigrated, when you should have been celebrated. (President Obama, May 28, 2012)

We cannot ignore the horrible atrocities we have seen committed against Black men and women at the hands of policemen. We owe their victims justice and systemic change. But we also cannot turn a blind eye to the many policemen and women who show heroism, valor, and a selfless disregard for their own personal safety. These men and women deserve recognition. They deserve gratitude. Vietnam taught us what happens when we choose a principle over people. The war on terrorism taught us we can choose people and principle. We do not have to choose between disavowing the institution and the people doing right within that institution. We can defend policemen and women and still push for police reform.  We can support the Black Lives Matter movement and still support the men and women in blue.

Let us learn from our mistakes; let us keep moving forward; let us strive for our ideals but let us stop doing it at the expense of good people. Inequity cannot be righted by contributing to further inequity.