Bob Filner: “This resolution, 1231, supports the goals and ideals of Vietnam Veterans Day. I don't think we have to remind this body…”

“This resolution, 1231, supports the goals and ideals of Vietnam Veterans Day. I don't think we have to remind this body that the Vietnam war was a very divisive time in this country. One of the lessons that we should draw from Vietnam is that although we may disagree about a war, as we do about the current one in Iraq, we must never, never disagree about the importance of honoring the service and sacrifice of the men and women who serve our Nation. We must never confuse the war with the warrior. We must never, never forget the warrior. This war that we are engaging in Iraq is only exceeded in its length by America in the Vietnamese war, the longest conflict in our history. More than 3 million Americans served in southeast Asia. More than 58,000 Americans lost their lives on the battlefield. Over 300,000 Americans were wounded, and that was at the time of the war itself. We know because we did not honor these heroes when they came home and we did not have the resources in place, especially with regard to mental health, that we inflicted a terrible, terrible future on many of those soldiers. Half of the homeless on the street tonight are Vietnam veterans. We think that there are more suicides by Vietnam veterans than who died on the original battlefield. That's a terrible, terrible blot on America for not honoring our veterans.”