The nomination of the first Vietnam War veteran to lead the Department of Defense is being hailed by some from Tampa who served in that conflict.
For Dave Braun, an Army missile technician who was in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969, the nomination of Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense is a “validation” for those who served during an unpopular war that killed 58,000 American troops.
“There is the stereotype of the Vietnam veteran being a ‘baby killer’ and most of the country didn’t think we served honorably,” said Braun, 69, of Brandon, now a veterans’ advocate.
“We truly served our country honorably and admirably. Chuck Hagel earned two Purple Hearts in Vietnam for being wounded in combat. Being nominated says good things about our generation. ‘Look at us now, bro.’ ”
Harold Youmans, 69, received two awards for valor during in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969.
“There are three broad groups of people who served in Vietnam,” said Youmans, who became a lawyer in Tampa, retired and came back to represent mostly veterans as clients.
“The first group experienced it and went on with their lives. The second group experienced it and could not get on with their lives. The third group experienced it and said, ‘OK, how do I capitalize on that experience?’ Chuck Hagel is in that third group.”
Youmans, who retired as a colonel in 1994 after 28 years in the Army, spent time in the Pentagon as a division chief on the Army staff and as an action officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He said Hagel’s experience both in combat and as a senator from Nebraska will serve him well at a time when the next secretary of defense will be looking for ways to trim defense spending.
“He will find that the junior leadership at the Pentagon will be responsive to his leadership,” Youmans said.
Bob Silah, a Navy captain who served two tours of duty in Vietnam between 1967 and 1969, applauded Hagel’s nomination for two reasons.
His combat experience is a positive message to a military that has been at war for more than 10 years. Like Braun and Youmans, he also said it is a source of pride for those who were shunned after fighting in Vietnam.
“I am very happy that he was picked,” said Silah, 70, of Carrollwood. “With his combat experience, he can relate better to the average GI. He is someone who can really relate to our whole defense system.”
Silah, immediate past president of the Tampa chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, an influential military lobbying group, said having Hagel in charge of the Pentagon will help put to rest some of the bad memories experienced by those returning from the jungles of Vietnam.
“We couldn’t leave ship in our uniforms because of the riots,” he recalled. “It’s important that we have better exposure now. This guy understands that.”