Memorial Day

Marine Corps Colonel Robert Tyler answers the question: Did serving in the Vietnam War make a difference?

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[May 28, 2022]   As we approach Memorial Day, we’d like to take a moment to honor all veterans and soldiers who have dedicated their life in service to our country.

One of the newer special days of recognition is for Vietnam veterans. The National Vietnam War Veterans Day Ceremony held in Lincoln on March 29.



The keynote speaker was retired United States Marine Corps Colonel Robert Tyler.

Tyler served in Vietnam flying with the “Flying Tigers.” The Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 operated out of Marble Mountain near Danang in the region known as I Corps.

Tyler gave a history of dates that jump out at him:

  • In 1956, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev said to the U.S, “We will bury you.”

  • In 1961 was the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis.

  • In 1965, ground troops went into Vietnam.

  • In 1968 was the Tet Offensive [U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive, 1968] and Tyler was learning to be an aviation electrician.

  • In 1969, when Woodstock occurred, Tyler was on the rifle range.

In July 1969, when man landed on the moon, Tyler was checking into flight school. When Tyler watched Apollo 13, years later, he realized he barely remembered the moon landing. Tyler was doing jungle survival.

As a helicopter pilot, Tyler said he had a different perspective of the war than most. The Vietnam countryside was gorgeous with pretty hills, nice valleys, wonderful mountains, and nice shores with sandy beaches.

Flying the medivac, Tyler could see what was happening down below. He hauled people out of the jungle. He flew chaplains, dentists and doctors to villages to take care of the people there. There was a baby born in the emergency medivac when he was called to help a woman having a difficult pregnancy.

The other half of Tyler’s office in Danang was shared with the First Wing Public Affairs Officer. He recalled that this officer would say that if a briefing went out and there were no topics besides county fairs, babies being born or a marine died saving someone else, no one showed up for these briefings. On the other hand, if there was a friendly fire incident, the place would be packed.

As the war was winding down, there was a Congressional Delegation Tyler was fortunate to attend in Khe Sanh, Vietnam. There they saw mass graves and the destruction of villages. Tyler said four years later, he finally found a report about it in the Honolulu Star.

People back in the United States did not know what was really happening over in Vietnam. Many stories of what was happening over there did not make the news.

For example, the first month Tyler was in Vietnam, he was secure in the Marble Mountains. Soon, their huts started getting rocketed. [There were] 186 medivacs went out in one day, but Tyler said that never hit the news.

Over the years, Tyler said the media and Hollywood has often characterized veterans as disturbed, homeless, druggies and victims.

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Tyler has never considered himself a victim. He felt it was an honor and privilege to serve as an officer in the Marines.

Now Tyler teaches psychology classes at Richland Community College. When talking to students about Post Traumatic Stress, he does not call it PTSD. Adding the “D” means it is a disorder and Tyler said that indicates he is defective. PTS means he has stress and maybe an injury, but an injury can be fixed.

In his classes, Tyler tells students about an article where a Sergeant General talks about his coffee cup having all kinds of crud in it. However, every day, the man said he puts coffee and possibly cream in the cup even with its residue.

Using the coffee cup analogy, Tyler said many veterans have residue. Many who have been in war came home to become normal and responsible citizens. They are not defective. Tyler knows many normal vets. He knows some who have become architects, engineers, school principals and even senators. Tyler asked why they should feel like victims for having served.

In transitioning out of Vietnam, Tyler missed a lot of the animosity many experienced. He brought his squadron out of the country to Hawaii and they settled in quietly. Tyler’s son has been deployed four times and Tyler has ensured he did not get treated or remembered the same way as the Vietnam Veterans.

Society has changed in how they deal with things, even in their own aircraft. Tyler said when someone died enroute to the hospital on emergency medivac flights, he just reported it. When Tyler’s son was flying medivac Blackhawks and someone died enroute, it became a hero flight.

There are 58,220 names on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. Though Tyler appreciates the Wall, he said it has taken away from those named - their [rank] service, and their [branch] organization.

These soldiers are not [listed as] seamen, airmen, marines, soldiers, sergeants, gunnies, or lieutenants. On the wall, these soldiers become just a name. The Wall does not say to the people who visit it that these were American men and women who stood up and were part of the seven percent of Americans who have ever worn a uniform.

Tyler is glad the Wall is there. However, he wishes it listed their units, organizations, and the fact that they were American service members and not just veterans.

One question Tyler said always comes up is whether they made a difference. He said many who got out of Vietnam after 1975 and now work in various jobs in the United States are glad the service members were there. Every Veterans Day, Tyler receives a thank you card from someone whose family lived in Vietnam during the war.

National Vietnam War Veterans Day is about recognizing these veterans for what they did. Tyler said those willing to go and fight deserve thanks for their service. He reminded the Vietnam Veterans to remember they answered the call and wear the pin with pride.


[Angela Reiners]

Editor’s note: Due to privacy issues, veterans names who were honored were not made available.

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