Returning Vietnam vets spat upon?

February 2, 2007 3:48 PM

What proven, documented examples exist of returning Vietnam vets being spat on upon arrival in USA? These stories have gone around for years; can anyone point me to documented cases that include credible, convincing evidence such as contemporaneous accounts / news stories, eyewitness corroboration by disinterested people, and, if possible, photographs.
posted by charris5005 to Society & Culture (18 answers total)

No Spitting Image might be a good place to start your research.
posted by box at 3:57 PM on February 2, 2007

You won't be able to find anything. The author of this book searched hard for credible documentary evidence and found none.
posted by mr_roboto at 3:59 PM on February 2, 2007

A book was written on the subject, debunking it.
posted by jellicle at 4:01 PM on February 2, 2007

None.
posted by raf at 4:04 PM on February 2, 2007

And Slate just ran another article about that book this week, in response to an article in Newsweek that accepts that there were cases of this happening.

I'd be interested to know if anyone does have accounts of this happening. All the book shows is that there weren't news reports at the time of vets being spat on by organized protesters in airports. My dad was a vet, who says he was spat on in uniform just walking around the Johns Hopkins campus. I'm not sure why the reporter assumes that such cases would have made the news -- seems just as likely that a vet would want to avoid the publicity, and would change into civilian clothes as soon as possible, wanting only to live a normal life upon returning?
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:06 PM on February 2, 2007

Bob Greene dealt with this in Homecoming.
posted by brujita at 4:09 PM on February 2, 2007

One angle that I don't usually see addressed in the lack of documented evidence of actual spit being spat is that "being spat on" is a strong, specific metaphor and a vivid visual image. Some "accounts" of being "spat on" likely meant attitude, not saliva. Plus, memories tend to simply and intensify over time -- some of that metaphorical spittle may be remembered as literal spit.

Additionally, those too decent to spit ON someone may still spit on the ground pointedly to demonstrate their disgust. In the emotionally charged atmosphere returning home from Vietnam, and in the remembrance of that time, the difference between being spit upon and witnessing someone spitting in disgust may not seem that different.

I think that the literally spitting, if any occurred, has been blown out of proportion and been abused in rhetoric for political reasons. But that doesn't mean that returning soldiers who felt spat upon are delusional. Experiencing disgust from strangers is upsetting and uncomfortable.
posted by desuetude at 4:48 PM on February 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

One angle that I don't usually see addressed in the lack of documented evidence of actual spit being spat

The book mentioned above went looking for evidence of semi-organized/widespread efforts on the part of protesters, and semi-organized/widespread efforts on the part of military to avoid the protesters (e.g. the claims that military officers were advising each other to carry extra sets of clothes). And the book didn't find any.

I'm not sure "he gave me a dirty look" could ever be quantified. ;-)
posted by frogan at 5:38 PM on February 2, 2007

I always thought the spitting was more metaphorical than literal.
posted by sophist at 6:00 PM on February 2, 2007

The best place to look for spitting incidents would be the Veterans Against The War's protest at the republican convention in 72, they were not well recieved by the convention attendees.
posted by hortense at 6:11 PM on February 2, 2007

This thread on The Blue degenerated into a slapfight about spitting. A couple of MeFiers recounted first- or second-hand instances of spitting; the author of the book mentioned above called them liars via y2karl. Bottom line seems to be that such incidents happened, but they weren't verified nor did they occur with the frequency some people claiim.
posted by forrest at 8:23 PM on February 2, 2007

Looks like this was mostly an urban legend.
posted by washburn at 10:22 PM on February 2, 2007

It's more than an urban legend. It's a right-wing smear of the anti-war movement, as if the right cared so much for our soldiers in Vietnam. Yeah, so much that they sent them off to the jungle to die in a pointless war. No surprise the myth is being recycled now, just as the right is about to start paying the serious political price for Vietnam 2: The Sequel.

It's Ann Coulter territory; it proves that if you repeat a lie often enough, it will become the truth.
posted by fourcheesemac at 3:36 AM on February 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

There seem to be first hand accounts on the internet (I know, I know...it's the internet.)

http://tinyurl.com/yrrpxw
http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/51638
http://www.serl.org/oralhistory/Cooper.html
http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e350-66-the-rebel.html
http://www.nam-vet.net/billfaq.html
http://www.floppingaces.net/2005/05/08/spitting-on-war-heros/
http://tinyurl.com/22qbv8
http://tinyurl.com/23mhr9
posted by Jahaza at 7:51 AM on February 3, 2007

Wow, forrest's link to the Blue is definitely the most valuable you'll find to see exactly what you want re: the argument over "spitting as a mass epidemic" vs. "spitting as a one-off anecdote."

Very good read, though a bit bitchy at times. With commentary by the author of said book, The Spitting Image.
posted by disillusioned at 12:08 PM on February 3, 2007

Sort of tangentially, looks like we're gearing up for round two of the supposed spitting epidemic - I've been hearing lots of noise about the same thing happening to Iraq veterans, and in particular to a vet who was counter-protesting at last weekend's antiwar March in D.C. Does anyone know if this has been picked up by a serious news source (i.e. not some right-wing blog)?
I'm not not saying it didn't happen, maybe it did, but people who think this is evidence of widespread anti-troops sentiment are out of their minds.
posted by naoko at 5:12 PM on February 3, 2007

also tangentially - PTSD is a political invention? WTF.
posted by Smedleyman at 9:17 PM on February 3, 2007

How about going down to your local VFW and asking around?
posted by kc0dxh at 7:11 AM on February 5, 2007