March 29 is the day set aside to honor veterans of the war in Vietnam. Yes, there is a National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Most of us didn’t know that, did we?

Those born after 1970 know little about that war, and true history about it fades each year as the veterans who fought in the land that most had never heard of until they were told to fight die in increasing numbers. The soldiers who fought there are all in their 70s or older. Can glamorous be used to describe a war? If so, the war in Vietnam was the opposite. No parades or celebrations for the boys who were drafted and had to become the toughest of men overnight or at least in the six to 13 weeks of basic training they were given in boot camp.

There was no social media for people who opposed or supported the war efforts to wage their battle of words while these brave souls left families behind to go and fight to try to restore or save the lifestyles we as Americans thought they should have. Those battles of words and politics still rage today decades after the fighting stopped.

Far too many Americans took their last breath on that foreign soil doing what they were ordered to do. The war did end as far as fighting and shooting are concerned. But the men who returned to the United States were not treated as the heroes they were and are. And today many of them still suffer from conditions they had to endure both mentally and physically. Not the least of the horrors they brought home were the effects of napalm and Agent Orange.

Napalm was a jellied gas used as an explosive in World War II and Vietnam. It was said to not only burn but torture the people it hit with severe, often fatal, burns. Agent Orange was used by our military to clear dense vegetation which was native to the swampy lands of the country. It was used to make the vegetation more passable for our troops in their efforts and also to force the enemy out of hiding in the vegetation.

But the effects of Agent Orange are forever. The soldiers who were exposed to dioxin, the deadly toxin in Agent Orange, develop a litany of health issues including multiple cancers, heart and lung issues, diabetes and others. Vietnam War veterans die every day. The cause of death isn’t always stated as Agent Orange, but without question it will have had an impact on the soldiers’ quality of life. Butler lost another one of those brave men this week.

This writer is not a military veteran. If any of the comments made here are in any way offensive to anyone who served or lost someone they loved in any war, we apologize. But we were motivated to pen these words due to the loss this week of a friend, a soldier, a businessman and a community leader. Those were Ron West’s jobs after he first did his best in his husband, father and grandfather responsibilities each day. His favorite golf partner the past few years was his son. He loved golfing with friends at the club, but maybe more with his even longer term friends at Krendale followed by a stop at the Rock Ann Haven on Thursday nights. He loved participating in the activities that brought grandchildren into his hobbies. One of our favorite terms for him was when he would be called the Silver Assassin for his handsome silver hair and his tenacious attitude on the golf course.

Those are the things we will choose to remember about Ron West. But not to be lost are also his service to his country and his desire to make his community a better place. Thank you Ron, RIP.

— RV