50th Vietnam War Commemoration Cadet Essay Contest

By COL, Ret. Arthur N. Tulak, Chair, 50th Vietnam War Commemoration Comm. This was the 9th year of the Vietnam War Cadet Essay Contest, which provides Cadets the opportunity to write an essay for publication in one of 3 categories. The purpose of the essays is to challenge the JROTC Cadets and CAP Cadets to appreciate the sacrifices made by Vietnam Veterans who served their country in an unpopular war, and to discern lessons of citizenship, loyalty to country, and commitment to duty and service. This effort encourages the Cadets to identify and share these lessons with their own generation, while simultaneously honoring the Vietnam Veterans who continue to serve their local community, and who fill the ranks of many Veterans and Civic organizations in Hawaii, and the nation at large. This year, we introduced a new category focused on those who waited for their servicemember at the home front, and asks “What lessons can we learn about duty to country from the families at the home front, who waited for their service members to return from War? “

The first place essay is published in full in the June edition of the Commandery News, and all the winning essays are shared with other Veterans Organizations in Hawaii. Winning essayists receive a certificate from the Hawaii Commandery MOFW, along with cash prizes from the Commandery. They also receive a certificate from the Hawaii Chapter of AUSA, with the first place essayist receiving it at AUSA’S Land Forces in the Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium. The Reserve Organization of America and the DoD 50th Vietnam War Commemoration Commission also provide certificates. Congratulations to our 2022 contest winners: 1st place Cadet Kennedy Ushiroda, Pres. Theodore Roosevelt High School Army JROTC 2nd Place Cadet Olina Kung, Pres. Theodore Roosevelt High School Army JROTC 3rd Place Cadet Alli Djou, Punahou High School Army JROTC

Here are some excerpts from the 2nd and 3rd place essays:

2nd Place: Cadet Major Olina Kung, Pres. Theodore Roosevelt Hight School JROTC. Cadet Kung’s essay highlighted the patriotism and duty of those who volunteered to serve, or were drafted and reported for duty.

“Citizens who enlisted in the Vietnam War are courageous, as any other citizens who enlisted in the military are brave. Enlisting in the military in times of war is helpful to the nation, but during the Vietnam War, many citizens did not agree with being enlisted or drafted into the war. The article "Vietnam War: Draft Resistance" mentions, "Draft resisters filed for conscientious objector status, didn't report for induction when called or attempted to claim disability. Soldiers went AWOL and fled to Canada through underground railroad networks of anti-war supporters" (Kindig, 2008). Many people were against going to war, not supporting the war, and even did a lot of actions to show their opinion. Draft evasion reached its peak during this time, especially among the young students who wanted to follow their dreams and path, which led to their actions of burning draft cards and making false accusations. From the draft evasion issue during this war, we were able to learn and change our selective service system, which led to today's enlisting procedures, of an all volunteer military force. The U.S. had many people drafted and sent a large number of soldiers to help provide aid in Vietnam. Young citizens had a negative outlook on being drafted and protested, causing a bad relationship between citizens and the military. Although many people did not want to participate, there were still some citizens who enlisted and served, coming back with wounds from the battlefield…… The [Vietnam] Veterans were not greeted with joy and respect when coming back to the United States. Instead, they were greeted with hostility and shown no kindness. Learning about the hostility towards the veterans allows us to know and reflect that a war not won is still a war to be appreciated and understood. …. no matter how small or large, unpopular or popular [a given war may be], citizens should treat veterans with respect and thankfulness. The service and sacrifices of veterans are the reasons why the states are unified and allied with other nations. We should keep in mind that their hard work and contributions are because they wanted future generations to live in a society where we do not necessarily need to worry about war conflicts.

3rd Place: Cadet Djou’s essay, titled “On the Homefront During the Vietnam War “It’s a girl,” read the thin yellow paper written from the shaking hands of a young Japanese-American woman announcing the birth of my mother. It was May 1970 and my grandma was waiting for her deployed husband, my grandfather, to return home from Vietnam. The war was winding down amid active protests across the country...My grandmother’s fear and weariness grew as she had no one except for one sister to help her. Her father was an angry alcoholic and her mother had passed away a few years earlier. The fear she felt mirrored that of the many wives, mothers, and daughters across the country. Yet, they persevered in the face of adversity exemplifying resilience, perseverance, and loyalty. They were heroes in their own right for the sacrifices they made for our country, not on the battlefield, but on the home front, made all the more difficult by the perception of some that America was fighting an unjust war. While waiting for their loved ones to come home, the families of American service members fighting in Vietnam persevered. They pushed through every challenge. For my grandmother, her challenge was giving birth alone in what seemed like an empty hospital and then raising a newborn by herself, however, she never gave up. For so many families, through every hardship they faced, they endured to support their loved ones overseas and to support a cause larger than themselves. Families of American service members in the Vietnam War sacrificed pieces of themselves to the war effort. They carried the burden of supporting a family and the constant worry of someone in uniform knocking on their door with the terrible news of the loss of a loved one. These families had strained relationships trying to keep in touch with loved ones in Vietnam 8,000 miles away. They endured this amidst the most unpopular war in American history. The regular stress building up pushed so many families to their limits. Through the Vietnam War, however, they kept their loyalty to each other and to their country. They did not turn their backs on their families.

Companion Peter Hirai presents the MOFW medal to Cadets Kennedy Ushiroda and Olina Kung. They also placed 1st and 2nd in the Cadet Essay Contest. Cadet Allie Djuou, Punahou JROTC, receives her 3rd Place, certificate and prize check at the Keehi Lagoon, May 13, 2022