When I was building the Vietnam Memorial, I never once asked the veterans what it was like in the war, because from my point of view, you don't pry into other people's business.
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In 2003, Congress authorized the construction of a visitor center for the Vietnam Memorial to help provide information and educate the public about the memorial and the Vietnam War.
quote by Dennis Cardoza

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I deliberately did not read anything about the Vietnam War because I felt the politics of the war eclipsed what happened to the veterans. The politics were irrelevant to what this memorial was.
When the soldiers came home from Vietnam, there were no parades, no celebrations. So they built the Vietnam Memorial for themselves.
quote by William Westmoreland

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Keep It Real
Excuse me.
I hate to annoy you!
'Oh,
You're not! '
Those people?
Those people that were taunting you.
About your abilities and lack of qualifications...
To teach and be a good role model for their children?
What has happened to them?
'Either attending funerals or visiting the prisons.
You know...
The ones seeking to identify appropriate role models,
For their...er, uh...children? '
You say that as a matter of fact!
'Oh,
It is!
And if you've noticed...
I've been in this same spot,
Watching them pass judgement.
But of late,
They seem to have stopped! '
You shouldn't let that hamper your progress.
I wouldn't let that drop!
'You asked me about the people who were taunting me...
Did you not? '
Yes!
'From your point of view...
Who would you say has made more progress?
And keep it real!
Although it seems like I'm not doing a thing,
Does it?
Here take this.
It's a copy of my book.
You can have it.
I'm working on a new one.
Entitled, 'There's Nothing Like Minding Your Own Business'
Especially if your business does not please.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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As I rejected amnesty, so I reject revenge. I ask all Americans who ever asked for goodness and mercy in their lives, who ever sought forgiveness for their trespasses, to join in rehabilitating all the casualties of the tragic conflict of the past. (On Americans who avoided conscription during the Vietnam War, to Veterans of Foreign Wars)
quote by Gerald R. Ford

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A Different Point Of View
(tennant/lowe)
----------------------------
When Im sitting so close to you
Theres only one thing that I wanna do
But I know what youre likely to say
That Im going about it the wrong way
We cant agree about anything
Where to go or even where weve been
And I know what youre likely to do
Say that Ive never cared about you
And all I wanted to say was that I love you
But you tell me now you dont believe its true
You got a different, a different
A different point of view
You got a different
Point of view
You dont believe a single word I say
If Id say black was white, youd say it was grey
But in spite of being treated this way
I still dream of you all night and day
And all I wanted to say was that I love you
But you tell me now you dont believe its true
You got a different, a different
A different point of view
You got a different
Point of view
Just this once
Just say yes
Please
Youve got a clever way of haunting me
Im never scared, but youre still daunting me
cause I know what youre likely to say
And I know that youll get your own way
And all I wanted to say was that I love you
But you tell me now you dont believe its true
You got a different, a different
A different point of view
You got a different
Point of view
You got a different, a different
A different point of view
You got a different
Point of view
song performed by by Pet Shop Boys

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Everybody respects the Vietnam Veterans of America.
quote by R. Lee Ermey

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I learned a lot from Vietnam veterans, especially as some of them turned against their own war.
quote by Robert Jay Lifton

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These men were wrongfully rejected, the veterans. The fighting man should never have been blamed for Vietnam.
quote by Neil Sheehan

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In Vietnam we have no political prisoners. No one is arrested or jailed for his or her speech or point of view. They are put in jail because they violated the law.
quote by Nong Duc Manh

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On 'One' Memorial Day
Blessed I am,
To be given the talent to write.
And be able to have public websites,
To voice the plight of those who are veterans.
Those who put their lives on the line,
To find themselves totally disrespected...
By those they defend.
Veterans completing their tours of duty,
Should not find themselves hungry, homeless...
And without jobs.
To support themselves, families...
Or others who are lost dependent upon them.
Blessed I am,
And as a veteran to say...
Being brave and patriotic does not always pay.
And even though celebrations held,
On 'one' Memorial Day...
Our veterans should be praised,
For giving their lives away EVERYDAY...
To the benefit of feeding the greed,
Of those whose selfish ways...
They courageously appease.
Dedicated:
To ALL my brothers and sisters who have 'donated' their lives,
Liberties and the cost of their own freedoms...
So those unappreciative could feed upon their 'entitlements'.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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In Celebration Of A Holiday
Yes I am a veteran,
Of a life given that is well experienced.
And on Memorial Day,
I think of my parents, grandparents...
And lives of my ancestors also veterans,
Of living lives in the doing for others.
My mind on this day,
Is not only on those who sacrificed their lives...
Wearing a uniform to serve time in the military.
I think of those who have sacrificed their lives,
For beliefs kept many today take for granted...
Just to eat and drink in celebration of a holiday.
Only to be glad to spend time away,
From a regular routine.
Yes I am a veteran,
Of a life given that is well experienced.
And on Memorial Day,
I think of my parents, grandparents...
And lives of my ancestors also veterans,
Of living lives in the doing for others.
And the doing for others many who have passed on,
And done...
Should on this day be always remembered.
And as far as wars, destruction and the loss of life goes?
There is nothing about the act of it that is worthy of celebration.
However...
The showing of an appreciation is a more honorable expression,
Than the rushing to feed one's greed as a priority...
To prove a loyalty in the doing of it!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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From the business point of view, always encouraging the people in our company to own stock in the company, and if we're going to build something great, to have a lot of people share in the benefits of that greatness.
quote by Sanford I. Weill

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We pretended there was no problem with Agent Orange after Vietnam and later the Pentagon recanted, after untold suffering by veterans.
quote by Jim McDermott

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The power of the word in Morocco belonged to men and to the authorities. No one asked the point of view of poor people or women.
quote by Tahar Ben Jelloun

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Like any small business owner, I experienced the pressures of building a company from the ground up - developing a business plan, balancing the books, meeting payroll and building a customer base.
quote by Gavin Newsom

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But this Veterans Day, I believe we should do more than sing the praises of the bravery and patriotism that our veterans have embodied in the past. We should take this opportunity to re-evaluate how we are treating our veterans in the present.
quote by Nick Lampson

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Veterans Day Poem
Veterans Day
the old soldier refuses
to talk about war
Veterans Day
the 15 year old lad
in grandad's uniform
Veterans Day
all alone in the garden
remembering friends
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo

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On this Veterans Day, let us remember the service of our veterans, and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free.
quote by Dan Lipinski

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But despite their heroic acts, the Vietnam Veterans of America continued to struggle to establish a combat badge in honor of these brave pilots and medics.
quote by Tim Holden

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