Yesterday and Today, Hudson Valley Vets Talk About Life During Vietnam

Throughout history, men and women who served this country have been praised or shockingly neglected. There are no answers to why, but perhaps it's generational, with many people having different views. Each year, November 11 is Veterans Day, and no matter when you serve, the bottom line is that, on this particular day, the brave are equal across the board. Almost any veteran who served during the 15-year Vietnam War will tell you that coming home was not a happy site for them; where most veterans during that time felt highly underappreciated, and many Americans at home thought they were the ones being blamed for doing something wrong. They only felt that they were there, only doing their job. Here are two Veterans from that period, having vastly different experiences, living in two different skilled nursing homes, and making something out of their lives following those Vietnam War days.

76-year-old Kingston, New York native Mr. Jon Vos is a well-loved resident at Northern Metropolitan on Maple Avenue in Monsey, New York, especially by the therapy and activities staff. Jon survived at least two seizures we know about, where the first one landed him at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. Doctors learned that Mr. Vos had suffered from traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage, also known as a brain bleed. Jon is a U.S. Army veteran who volunteered to serve in Germany during the Vietnam War but was stationed in Germany, far from the front lines but ready to go if sent over. Growing up in the Hudson Valley on a farm near a children's day camp, he met many different kinds of kids from all over.

He speaks highly of his mother, an intellectual and New York Times writer in the 1940s and 1950s, where she interviewed many global leaders, even Hitler—according to Jon, his mother, who published two books, helped the Jews during World War II while his family was living in Europe. Extremely kind and outgoing, Jon speaks highly of the friends he made while in the service, and following his time, he made friends with Vietnam War vets upon returning home.

The other part of Jon's life is his love, where he came from and went to high school near Woodstock, New York. He was discharged to Germany in 1967 and returned in 1969 during the famous Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in Bethel in August. Upon coming home after his tour, he met Bob Dylan. This encounter greatly impacted him, and he and his wife named their daughter Sarah after Dylan's wife. Being a big fan of Dylan's, he went to one of his shows in 1972 while in Connecticut. Sarah is one of four siblings, including two children, whom Jon and his wife adopted. Their son is named Dustin after the Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman. Fast forward to 2024, where he has made many friends in Northern Metropolitan, both staff and fellow residents. They all gather around Jon, loving his smile and great outgoing wit and admiring his life.

Originally from Port Chester, New York, and living in White Plains, Vietnam War veteran Mr. Bruce Logan, 75, a U.S. Marine, wants respect from his country for himself, his fellow veterans, and all of the families who had loved ones who fought the "unpopular war." From 1967 to 1969, Mr. Logan served on one tour on the front lines, constantly fearing being shot by a mostly invisible enemy. Bruce remembers touring the historic Vietnam battlegrounds of Da Nang, Quang Tri, and Dong Ha Combat Base, and he fought during the siege at Khe Sanh. Hard to imagine for those generations who served during Operation Desert Storm, The War on Terror in Afghanistan following 9/11, and Operation Iraqi Freedom; fighting in Vietnam was done in the infested rice paddies and throughout the jungles, and there were countless booby traps set by the Vietcong, as the soldiers fought in downpours of tropical rain, and at night.

Bruce volunteered to go overseas and fight the Communist Vietcong, but when he returned, he was in disbelief about feeling not only underappreciated but also neglected by his country. Returning military personnel had no direction when their plane landed and were "left out in the cold". Some had ideas, others didn't and tried to return to their pre-war lives, but the world had changed against them. They were getting grief about what their country asked them to do and receiving the blame for the war. While so many had problems, mentally and physically, when returning from Southeast Asia, Bruce had his share but was able to create a new life for himself using his talents in computers and a hands-on mechanic.

Bruce had a talent for early computers but was willing to learn about new computer systems in the 1970s and 1980s. He succeeded in working at IBM in Armonk doing various computer work. He then took his keyboard talents to Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), which provided information technology and professional services. Following CSC, Bruce worked at the Bank of New York and learned much about the financial industry. After 12 years, Bruce was done with computers. He had talented hands, and one day, a friend of his invited him to work on a professional golf course in White Plains where he would work on and do upkeep on professional lawnmowers to make sure that they were in excellent working condition, preparing for nationwide and televised various golf classics. Bruce loved it, and working as a mechanic was life-fulfilling for the next twenty years before he retired. While living in his apartment in Shelton, CT, Bruce had gotten sick and learned he had articulitis, which is inflammation of the joints in the human body. The inflammation causes swelling, pain, tenderness, heat, and disturbed function of the joints. Earlier this year, Bruce checked into Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. By June, he was transferred to Martine Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, where he thrived with the help of the facility's therapy and nursing teams.