Veteran's Day: America's Forgotten War Heroes

Charles Hagemeister was drafted in the Army in 1966 while on break from the University of Nebraska.  Like many college-aged students during the Vietnam War era, he figured it was inevitable his number would be called. While a few students fled to Canada, the Nebraska native didn't dodge his duty.  

After training as a medic, Specialist Fourth Class Hagemeister was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam's Dinh province. On the night of March 20,1967, his platoon came under heavy fire from an enemy armed with rifles, machine guns and mortars. Americans were hemmed in on three sides.

During the ferocious firefight, Hagemeister raced through a hailstorm of bullets to rescue two seriously wounded comrades.  As the battle raged, the 21-year old crawled forward to render aid to his platoon leader and several other wounded soldiers, ignoring the constant enemy barrage.  

At one point, Hagemeister seized a rifle from a fallen soldier and shot and killed a sniper and three enemy soldiers attempting to encircle his position. Not done, he took out an enemy machine gun before securing help from a nearby platoon to evacuate the wounded on the battlefield. 

For his "heroics and selfless actions at the risk of his life," the Army awarded the Nebraskan the Medal of Honor.  Hagemeister was one of scores of soldiers cited for bravery during the Vietnam War, which lasted from 1964 to 1973.  But few Americans know their names or have heard of their heroism. 

Regrettably, America treated its Vietnam War veterans with contempt.  By the time many returned home from the jungles in Southeast Asia, Americans were war weary.  The conflict had become a political flashpoint with many focusing on war atrocities rather than on those who served with distinction.

An anti-war movement, birthed on college campuses, whipped up antipathy for those who wore the American uniform during the conflict.  Service members were labeled murderers and baby killers. Waves of demonstrations attracted crowds of up to 100,000 as the protests rippled across America.  

Returning Vietnam veterans were greeted with scorn. Instead of parades and civic celebrations, they were spat upon, jeered and confronted with derogatory signs.  One returning Vietnam veteran, 21-year-old Steven A. Wowwk, will long remember his reception when he landed on American soil.

Strapped to a gunnery, the wounded Army infantryman peered out the window of his hospital-bound convoy, to see a raucous crowd.  "I remember feeling like, what could I do to acknowledge them and I just gave the peace signal."  In return, the angry knot of protestors raised their middle fingers in salute.

Much of the acrimony was fed by the media, which splashed gory photos on the front pages of newspapers and beamed gruesome television images of body bags, Napalmed villages and crying children. This was a far cry from the news coverage of World War II, which glorified American troops.   

That wasn't the only ignominy.  Returning servicemen were treated shabbily by the Veterans Administration.  Many never received treatment for the post traumatic syndrome suffered in the grisly war.  The VA's institutional indifference was felt by many returning vets.  

Christian Appy, a professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, authored three books on the Vietnam War. After talking to scores of returning American soldiers and researching their level of medical care and support, he concluded:

"The society really was ill-prepared to give these guys what they deserved.  They were not necessarily looking for a parade, but they were certainly looking for basic human support and help in readjusting to civilian life after this really brutal war."

Vietnam was the first major war abroad in American history that ended in retreat instead of victory. The 3.4 million soldiers, sailors, pilots and Marines who served paid a physical and mental price for the bungled decisions by politicians and generals.  These heroes deserved better for their sacrifices.

A total of 40,934 were killed in action.  The in-theater war deaths and missing-in-action amounted to 58,220.  A total of 153,303 wounded service members survived, many thanks to courageous medics like Charles Hagemeister and battlefield doctors. A total of 5,299 died of their wounds.

On Veterans Day, Americans attention is often fixated on World War II because it remains our military's finest hour.  America defeated the axis of Germany, Italy and Japan.  According to the latest count, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates there are about 389,000 WWII vets living today.

By contrast, there are about 610,000 surviving veterans who served on the battlefields of Vietnam. It is time for the United States to repay these veterans for their honorable service.  The Vietnam Memorial, built in 1982 in Washington, D.C., was a long overdue recognition for those who served in the war.

However, the United States needs to do more to make reparations for the contemptible treatment endured by those who battled in an unwinnable war. The president and Congress should declare next year's Veterans Day a special tribute to Vietnam War vets and their families.  

Charles Hagemeister unfortunately won't be around to experience his nation's gratitude.  He died In May at the age of 74.  But for the other veterans, there is still time for a nation to honor those who fought in one of the bloodiest wars in the country's history.  

Veterans Day: America's Forgotten War

By most historical accounts, it was the deadliest conflict in military history.  More than 70 million soldiers and civilians perished.  The savagery of World War I played out in muddy trenches, leaving lasting scars in Europe.  But for many Americans, the century-old war has been long forgotten.

The last U.S. veteran of World War I, Frank Buckles, died in June, 1973 at the age of 101.  His passing was barely mentioned in the news media.  It was a sad reminder how little is remembered about the bravery of American soldiers engaged in the bloodiest war in modern history.

More than 126,000 American men sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom in the war.  Another 234,000 were wounded.  An estimated 50 million military casualties were recorded in the conflict that embroiled most of Europe and introduced the first use of large-scale chemical warfare.

America's entry into the war in 1917 changed the course of the conflict that had ravaged the European continent since 1914.  President Woodrow Wilson committed U.S. forces to join with Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania and Japan, an allied coalition that had suffered staggering losses.

The allies were facing armies from Germany, Austria, Hungry, Bulgaria and Turkey.  (Other countries sent troops but these were the major combatants.) Germany was first to unleash chemical weapons, using first chlorine gas and then mustard gas that inflicted horrific wounds and ultimately death.

The war ended on November 11, 1918, exactly 101 years to this day when Germany signed the armistice and the guns fell silent.  Memories of the gruesome war are still prominent in many European cities, which have erected war memorials in the town centers to salute fallen soldiers. 

However, in America there are few memorials or remembrances. While many Americans are familiar with World War II and Vietnam War heroes, most would be hard pressed to name a single one from World War I.  However, perhaps America's most unlikeliest war hero emerged in that conflict.

His name was Alvin C. York, a Tennessee native and pacifist who registered for the draft as required by law, but scribbled on his draft card, "Don't want to fight."  York had serious moral issues about war and had been advised by his pastor to seek conscientious objector status.

Although the Army considered his objections, York was drafted and sent to basic training.  The 30-year-old York eventually had a change of heart after consulting Biblical sources during a visit to his hometown.  He returned with a firm belief that God meant for him to fight in the war.

York was assigned to Company G, 328th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Infantry Division.  Eventually promoted to corporal, York took part in the St. Mihiel offensive as the 82nd sought to protect the U.S. First Army's right flank. His unit was ordered to take a hill north of Chatel-Chehery in France.

As his unit inched forward, York and his fellow soldiers came under fierce German machine-gun fire from all sides in the surrounding Argonne forest.  By mid-morning York's platoon commander was killed and he assumed command of the remaining seven soldiers to repel the German onslaught.

During the bloody encounter, York was credited with killing more than 20 Germans and silencing 35-machine guns.  At one point, six Germans charged his position with fixed bayonets.  York keep firing his rifle, relying on his sharp-shooting skills he honed hunting in Tennessee, until the Germans fell.

Eventually, the Germans surrendered and York and the few men left in his platoon captured 132 prisoners.  For his gallantry, York was awarded two French medals for bravery and the allied commander called his achievement "the greatest exploit every accomplished by a common soldier."

His own country awarded him the Medal of Honor and promoted him to sergeant.  He was honored with a ticker tape parade in New York City.  In 1941, his life was immortalized in the film " Sergeant York" starring Gary Cooper.  After the war, York returned to his home in Tennessee.

Today on Veteran's Day, take a moment to remember those who have served our country in war and peace time.  And say a prayer for those brave men, like Sergeant York, who fought to save Europe from being overrun by the forces of evil in World War I.  They deserve to no longer be forgotten.