Photo By Andrew Damstedt | Naval Support Activity Bethesda held a commemoration in honor of the Vietnam War Nov....... read more read more
Maryland’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs George Owings shared three lessons the United States learned from the Vietnam War at Naval Support Activity Bethesda’s Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Nov. 7 in Memorial Auditorium.
One lesson, he said, was “if you commit Americans to fight a war, you fight to win.”
He said the United States learned that lesson the hard way because the Vietnam War had no clear goal or exit strategy. New chemical weapons, such as Agent Orange, added a new element to the war, he added.
“You’re treating these very people who are suffering from exposure to things perhaps that we should’ve known about before,” Owings said.
NSAB is participating in a nationwide Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War – a 13-year program to honor Vietnam War veterans.
Owings, a Vietnam veteran who joined the Marine Corps in 1964, said another lesson learned was the “Golden Hour.”
“Increased training of field and medical personnel and the use of helicopters to evacuate wounded personnel within an hour increases survival rates,” Owings said. “We came to know it as the ‘Golden Hour.’ Without the Golden Hour, we would not be able to save those that we save today.”
The third lesson, Owings shared, was that to win future wars public support is critical and needs to call upon the nation’s military Reserves and National Guard.
“It’s important that we engage why, because now the whole of the country is involved, not just those active duty in the five fighting branches but all of us are engaged,” Owings said.
During the height of the Vietnam War in the 1960s, Owings said the country was divided about the war.
“War demonstrations were commonplace,” he said. “Students at the University of Maryland staged sit-ins against the war and against the draft on Route 1 that stopped traffic. Police responded with tear gas.”
Owings said many decided to join military service while others were drafted.
“Within a matter of weeks, you were exposed to something called life threating conditions – you were in combat, far from home with individuals that you really don’t know a lot about,” Owings said.
The welcome home for many Vietnam veterans was not a warm welcome, he explained, so many chose to fly back to the United States out of uniform.
“Now back in your own country, your friends – worse than that, some family members – your own family in some cases didn’t understand you; didn’t know why you did it,” Owings said. “They didn’t want to be around you; they disowned you. And if you were suffering from things other than physical wounds it was even worse.”
He said lessons learned from the Vietnam War have improved the situation for service members today.
“We look forward to coming to these (commemoration events) and acknowledging the service that you did in or out of the field; in an aircraft or on the ground; on a boat, ship or on land, it did not matter,” Owings said. “If you served, you served with pride; you served with integrity but most of all you served with your fellow Americans and are willing to serve them all the way to the end. And for that no one should ever forget what you do.”
Owings presented Naval Support Activity Bethesda Commanding Officer Capt. Marvin L. Jones and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Senior Enlisted Leader Sean Brown a Veterans Day proclamation signed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
Jones thanked Owings for sharing the lessons learned from the Vietnam War.
“We’re grateful for the sacrifice that was made by our Vietnam veterans,” Jones said.
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 11.09.2017 11:40 |
| Story ID: | 254783 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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