...I just listened to Medved make a talk about Vietnam. He talked about the anti-war movement and the myths of that era. I must take issue with the basic tone of his views. His tone seems to have a lack of the clear sound of the truth. His focus is on the anti-war protests and the draft. These two facts of the  Vietnam era generation were on the t.v. every night for all to watch. But as we are finding out with the media today there is more to the story.
...We all graduated from my class of a average small town in America in 1966. Most of us are still virgins and have not really had a job yet. At least not pulling down some real physical labor to get some real money for that case of beer and the weekend. But we all couldn't wait to get out of school and out in the free world. In other words we were all naive as hell.
...I had football on my mind and a job and a tryout at the local college was my focus. Vietnam a vague topic. It was more like a foriegn language to many of us. Anyway, I go on to college and my tryout with football and my job and more jobs to pay for my schooling. Some drop out of school or fluke out and join the navy or some other branch. By joining up they have choices and can make some plans they would not have if they just got drafted. One guy or more went into the Green Berets. Some others just took the draft. Now this was the scenario that we all of the class of 1966 ventured into at age 18.
...So I just stayed in school and tracted the teaching education courses and got my draft lottery number of 51 in 1969. This meant that I would be drafted if I left school. I was drafted when I graduated from Eastern Washington University. I went with the draft. I was sent to Vietnam. So goes another story on the enigma of Vietnam.
....I find that Medved has a story to tell. He went to Yale and was involved in anti-war deeply. I was never involved in anti-war hoopla. I saw it as just something on t.v. At college it was never a big thing where I went. You always had your nuts doing stuff. Most people just went about their normal stuff. This involved getting grades and moving on to greener pastures. So, while Medved was giving his anti-war speeches most of us were just trying to make grades and make enough money working to keep in school. And don't forget the Hippie movement. This was also around and infuencing that generation in ways unrelated to Vietnam. But for most of us never became hippies. We just put our toe in the water. Check it out. After all we had just got out of H.S. a few yrs ago. We were new at this, life out of high school.
...I see Medved's thoughts on the times of the 60's as void of any real thought. He doesn't get into the psyche of the time. He doesn't even venture into the thoughts existential of the time we ventured out into after graduating in 1966. His conclusions about the myths of the anti-war movement and the draft are not looked at with any lense of the real history of Vietnam. Being illiterate of this Vietnam was the sin that he doesn't see. This was also the sin of many of our leaders. And we are still illiterate of this Vietnam. Any tone that tries to speak of these times will come off as flat that doesn't know Vietnam. And to know Vietnam is to have been there and still know you don't know Vietnam.