Ask Amy: A well deserved salute to veterans

Dear Readers: I recently ran a letter from a reader who noted that, as a Vietnam vet, he feels uncomfortable when people say, "Thank you for your service."

He said that "there are many wounds that have never healed" because of the way service members were treated when they returned from Vietnam.

I later ran a response from a different reader who claimed that this mistreatment was an "urban myth."

These letters have prompted hundreds of responses from other veterans — and those who love them. Some of these responses are below.

But first, on this Veterans Day, I'd like to say to all service members: Thank you.

Dear Amy: The letter from the veteran made me cry.

I too was subjected to a lot of nastiness coming home after my service was completed. The day I got home and changed my clothes was the last day I ever talked about being in the service. I moved away from my neighborhood and never told a soul that I had been in the military.

Dear Amy: I'm an Army brat. People told me my dad was a baby killer when he was serving in Vietnam.

In 1977, I was spit on when I was wearing my ROTC uniform on campus. I understand people want to believe that those things never happened, but they did. Let's never let that happen again.

Dear Amy: It's been 52 years since I came home from Vietnam. For the first 30 years or so, I didn't tell anyone I was a Vietnam veteran because I didn't want to be harassed or ridiculed. But not anymore.

No matter how unpopular the war was, I am proud of my time in the U.S Army Infantry.

Dear Amy: My mom was a nurse in Vietnam and always had mixed feelings about serving in the Army.

She said it took her 40 years, but she was never so proud to have served. She knew her kids were proud, but strangers saying "thank you" and showing respect for her service boosted her.

She finally felt like she fully came home. To all of the vets out there: Thank you, and welcome home.

Dear Amy: I am the wife of a Vietnam vet. My husband was drafted, so he went. The poor treatment of returning vets isn't a myth.

I will always remember waiting at Travis Air Force Base for his returning plane with protesters shouting curses. And yes, spitting. It was awful.

Neither my husband nor I thought the war made sense, but what protesters didn't seem to understand is that the members of the armed services didn't start the war.

Dear Amy: For four generations, my family has served as pilots in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan. There are two words most appreciated by vets and rarely heard, "Welcome home."

I've had vets respond with heartfelt gratitude and pride, often telling me it's the first time anyone has welcomed them home.

Dear Amy: I am an older vet. When people say thank you for your service, I reply: "I was drafted. But I would do it again for you."