'We
Served Proudly'
This
page will be used for comments from our Officers..Read On!
May
3, 2003 - We were recently asked if there was any truth to the perception
that there was "bad feelings" between In Country and the Vietnam Veterans
of America. I thought about the past twenty years, where we have been, the
goals we still wish to reach, and answered as follows below. I hope it serves
to explain just why we, and many other organizations, chose to go it alone
rather than join the large national organizations, and why now, as we are
all aging and hopefully a lot smarter, we now see the need for us to all
to begin to work together as a joint force of veterans, rather than see
each group just dwindle away as interest and manpower fades with time. In
short, in future years, the only thing we may have going for ourselves IS
each other, and we had better begin to capitalize on that strength now before
it is too late.
About 20 years ago when In Country was founded, there were a lot of hostile
feelings around regarding the participation of us as Vietnam Veterans within
the existing organizations such as VVA, American Legion, VFW, etc... For
a variety of reasons, none fit what we thought we were all about. We wanted
a professional organization that represented successful Vietnam Veterans,
as all of us were within management in industry at that time. We did not
feel represented by parades where vets wore their cammies, or the VVAW,
or the general attitude towards us as Vietnam veterans in general as drunks,
druggies, or children that had yet to grow up. Heck, we were in our late
30's and wanted to feel proud, rather than be ashamed, of being Vietnam
Veterans. Thus, In Country was born. It actually grew from the Clifton Morenci
area because Oscar Urrea who hailed from there, had promised another vet
that he would found a group to make us proud of being veterans. We picked
it up about 20 years ago, formed it into an organization with a constitution,
bylaws, etc., and got moving. One of the things that all our original members
insisted on was that every member was actually a theater vet, rather than
an era vet. He or she actually had to have served within the theater of
operations and had to have been awarded the Vietnam Campaign medal or the
Expeditionary medal for earlier service. We allowed for a small auxiliary
membership for some English, and French veterans, plus the Vietnamese community,
all of whom could not qualify under US DD214 records. We also use this for
distinguished guests, or folks who we just plain want to have around. But,
no one can just apply to be an auxiliary member without membership approval.
Just as the VFW may have fits over the American Legion and vice versa as
a general example, there will always be unfounded misgivings about sister
organizations purely from competitive reasons. We just felt that we could
achieve more within our own brotherhood. Isn't that the same for all organizations?
However, we no longer have the luxury of time for bad feelings between organizations
as there are too darn few of us left that are willing to work anymore. Pat
Chorpenning preaches constantly that we have to work as a group if we are
to retain any clout with Congress. The largest and most vocal group was
always the WWII vets, and they are about all gone. The Korean vets never
did get really well organized. The Vietnam Vets were always the bad boys
for so many years, and now that we have been sanitized by Desert Storm,
Iraqi Freedom, etc., we no longer have the hundreds of members available
to call upon. The new vets have yet to organize, and their conflicts were
just a blink of an eye compared to WWI, WWII, Korea, &Vietnam, so I don't
see anything really happening there. Meeting and event attendance is down
in all organizations, and it is becoming impossible to get anything new
going any more. We're all just getting tired. We're proud of everything
we've accomplished over the years such as the Arizona Standdown system,
the Sacaton Ira Hayes Memorial, The renovation of the Arizona Vietnam Memorial,
and the founding of the annual Arizona Vietnam Remembrance Day, to name
some of the events we're most proud of, But, we still hope to accomplish
more, and can use all the help and brotherhood that we can get.
George
Notarpole - Membership Officer, In Country Member #2, Email - National
Commander
May
2, 2003 - I am one of the founders of In Country. One of the main reasons
that In Country was founded was to change the image that Vietnam vets had
in the community. We were not interested in politics, we were not complainers,
we played the cards we were dealt. We were proud to be Vietnam vets, and
we set out to prove that to the community. We involved ourselves in all
sorts of community activities, we built play grounds for abused children,
raised money to buy diapers, we sponsored races, gun shows, fed the homeless,
built monuments, cleaned highways, helped other vets and any other misfortunate
person who ask for help. We extended our hand out to the Vietnamese community
and involved them in our activities and treated them as brothers in arms
as well as new American citizens. And for all of this that we have been
involved in, we have asked for nothing in return. I love all vets and any
one with the courage to put on the uniform and serve his Country in the
time of war or peace, has my respect and friendship. We do what we do because
we enjoy what we do, it's the brotherhood and the camaraderie, or as we
Marines would say Semper Fi.
Tony
Arlotta - Financial Officer, Email - Financial
Officer
The
More Things Change I would like to start this offering with a poem by Rudyard
Kipling. This poem is titled "Tommy" and was written by Mr. Kipling about
a hundred years ago, I don't know the exact date. In the last stanza there
is a reference to "The Widows Uniform" The Widow is Queen Victoria. The
poem is written in a "working class" British dialect, the h's and g's get
dropped. (The larger typeface on the opening lines of the third stanza is
my doing)
"Tommy Atkins," or just "Tommy," is the name popularly given to the archetypal
British soldier.
Tommy
I
went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play -
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide -
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll -
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind
-
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!
Rudyard Kipling
"The more things change the more they stay the same". I have no idea who uttered those famous words but he was certainly right. The manner in which the public treats anyone in a uniform hasn't changed much in a hundred years. Those of us that wear or have worn the uniform in defense of "God and Country" know that it's not done for the money (ha-ha) or the glory(what?) or the respect(huh?). Duty and Honor won't go far towards paying the rent, but the knowledge that you may have made the world a better place to live for just one person is beyond price. One of the most touching moments in my life happened a couple of years ago. A gentleman from Viet Nam shook my hand and said "Thank you, for fighting for my freedom." To leave me speechless is quite a feat, but that did it.
Roy
Martin - Vice-Commander, Email - Vice-Commander
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