Vietnam Veterans: They Were the Best This Country Had — and the Country Forgot to Say So

They fought without adequate support. They came home to a country that, in many cases, treated them with hostility rather than gratitude. They processed their experiences in silence because there was nowhere to take them and no one particularly eager to hear. And through all of that, they were — and will always be — the best this country ever had.

The Vietnam Veteran's Unique Burden

No generation of American veterans has carried a heavier or more complicated burden than those who served in Vietnam. They served during a war that divided the country to its core, under military and political constraints that made their job harder than it needed to be, in conditions that were among the most physically and psychologically demanding in American military history.

When they came home, many walked into airports to find protesters rather than families. They were told to change out of their uniforms before traveling to avoid confrontations. They received no formal national welcome for years — the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington didn't open until 1982, nearly a decade after the last US troops left Vietnam.

What Their Service Was Worth

None of that changes what they actually did. The combat performance of US troops in Vietnam was exceptional by any objective military standard. They operated in jungle terrain against a determined enemy using guerrilla tactics, with significant political constraints on what they could do and where they could go. They did their jobs under conditions that would break most people, with fewer resources and less support than they deserved.

This bold gold tee — with its soldier silhouettes on an olive-toned American flag, Vietnam Service Ribbon, and declaration that they will always be the best this country had — is the recognition that should have come a long time ago.

Find it at Liberty Shirts. Browse the full collection at libertyshirts.net.