General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 1968 (Your Help, Please!) [View all]KT2000
(20,568 posts)Thank you for that. Your last paragraph says so much and it answered some questions for me.
I met Vets who were on the road as they often gravitated to the "hippie" events and locations in Seattle. Some say there was anger and animosity between Vets and so-called hippies but that is not what I saw. The easy MJ and unstructured lifestyles were likely a good place to land for a while. The vets did not mix and were generally guarded but they were always invited to share - and they did - as that was the big thing back then.
As I look back now, the whole hippie thing must have appeared kind of obnoxious to someone returning from war. I don't know.
Conservatives now want to sum up the time in simplicity but it was far from it. My cousin and brother-in-law each did two tours over there about that time. My brother was to luck out when the lottery went into effect. My boyfriend after high school was a returning vet who joined Viet Nam Vets Against the War. It was hard for him to adjust but I was too young to be much help.
Those were the days, huh?