Mike Spencer Interview Clip #5

Mike Spencer Interview Clip #5

The gap forming between WWII veterans and Vietnam veterans.

Mike describes how WWII veterans viewed Vietnam veterans.

Zach Ostrowski and Ben Handley

Wabash College

April 4th, 2020

MP3

0:01:55.56

Well, I think it was a... The old song about the grasshopper. “The world owes me a living, deedi deedi doe” or whatever it is. And I, I don't know that they thought the world owed them a living, but I think that they thought not all of them are like, I know my father was not like that for one minute and not all WWII veterans were like that. But a lot of them that were in positions in clubs like the Legion or VFW wanted to control and run that club. And they had a lot of arrogance about it, and they thought, they could do anything, they could do, they could do because nobody would fuck ’em or question them because of what they did in the service, because they served in World War II. And I understand that. But then at the same time, they, they didn't show any respect until maybe, started showing in respect, A lot of them never did show respect. But the ones who lived longer started showing respect. Maybe back in the late 80s and early 90s, but nothing like it's been in since about 2000. And that's just because the WWII guys like deceasing, dying but a lot of the WWII guys just didn't, you know, they didn't hold the Vietnam era guys in, they, I won’t say they didn't like him. They just didn’t respect them. My war, basically what had come into it was a big pissing match. It's like my war was bigger than your war. OK. Yeah, I agree it was. But that doesn't make me any less a person than what you are. You know, we're all in the same boat here. We both, we all served. We just didn't all do the same thing. And that's where today it's like that. You know, we all serve. It's OK.