Is Appalling!!
My name is
James A. Porter. I spent 24 years in the United States Army and I fought in
Vietnam, Desert Shield, and Desert Storm. President Trump and I are 71 years
old, and we are also Baby Boomers (or members of the generation of Americans
that were born between 1940 and 1964.)
The Baby Boomers who support Trump, especially white males,
seem to be his followers that are the most outraged by NFL players kneeling during the
national anthem. This display of anger by them is ironic because the fact is no generation of
Americans have disrespected the American Flag, the national anthem, military
veterans, and active duty soldiers more than the baby boomers that are now
Donald Trump's supporters.
During the
war in Vietnam, they ripped-up and burned the American flag, and they assaulted,
injured, and spit in the faces of soldiers returning from the war. Their
violent actions against soldiers became so great that those of us returning
from the war were told by our military leaders to wear our civilian clothes instead of our military
uniforms for safety reasons. Their
demonstrations became so intense that several large cities, including New York,
cancelled Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Armed Forces parades for several
years.
It should be noted that despite the
harsh treatment that returning veterans received from Trump's Baby Boomers,
veterans made a concerted effort to understand the Boomers issues and concerns. Moreover,
some of us began to speak-out on their behalf. Many of us became “veterans
against the war. ”Eventually, our joint actions lead to the end of the military draft on January 27, 1973 and the end to the Vietnam
War on August 15, 1973.
It would be nice if Baby Boomers would make the same type of concerted effort to understand the social issues and concerns that black Americans are facing: Daily life experience, today, for most black Americans is Vietnam, Kent
State shootings, Berkeley protest, and Richard Nixon (in Donald Trump's body) all rolled into one.
God, help us!
By James A. Porter
