Ronald Bailey was a staff sergeant in the Army and served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970 as a sniper. This tank was destroyed by a rocket propelled grenade in a village that was friendly just beforehand. The crew of two and six passengers died.
Other Articles in this Category
Most Viewed Stories
What this soldier learned: The only thing you could count on was your buddy
November 11, 2009 10:08 AM
I was a staff sergeant in the Army. I served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970 as a sniper. I was there for the Tet Offensive of ’68. You fight because you are told to. Most times you are not told why you’re fighting, and you don’t ask. You just do what you are told.
This is just like today. They go to fight, and they are told a reason — but you never know the true reason. You just go and fight and die.
Just like then in Vietnam, you don’t know who you are fighting. The person you are talking to one minute might be trying to kill you the next. You do not know who to trust. It is not like World War II, when you had lines most of the time — American, German, Japanese.
I hope they take better care of soldiers now, because today I still feel like a second-hand person. I feel the government has turned its back on me and lot of the Vietnam vets.
When I landed in Washington during the Vietnam era, our bus broke down on the way to the Army base. We sat in a park wating for a new bus. There was a bunch of people in the park, and they came up to us. They began to curse at us. One young girl spat in my face and called me a baby killer. I got very, very mad, but I did nothing. After all, that was what I was fighting for — her right to do that.
I have shed blood for this country. I feel I have the right to make my feelings known. Unless you have shed blood, you don’t have the right to complain.
Social media
Reader Comments
The Lima News welcomes readers' responses on LimaOhio.com. We do require you to
log in via Facebook or a valid e-mail address. Please use your real name, as
anonymous comments are no longer permitted.
We want our site to be a place where people discuss and debate ideas that foster stronger communities. We built this for you. Please take care of it. Tolerate broad thinking, but take action against obscene or hateful material by letting us know about it at info@limanews.com. Make this a credible and safe place worth preserving and sharing.
If you have any questions about what's acceptable, please refer to our user agreement. Thanks.
We want our site to be a place where people discuss and debate ideas that foster stronger communities. We built this for you. Please take care of it. Tolerate broad thinking, but take action against obscene or hateful material by letting us know about it at info@limanews.com. Make this a credible and safe place worth preserving and sharing.
If you have any questions about what's acceptable, please refer to our user agreement. Thanks.
