TRANSCRIPT: A Vietnam War veteran takes on a new battle
Jack Ziskin: On Saturday, over five million Americans across the country protested the Trump administration — including one Central New York Vietnam War veteran whose story is 75 years in the making.
Dennis Buschle enlisted as a Marine at the height of the Vietnam War, shipping out for his tour of duty in 1969. On Saturday, the 75-year-old felt the call to serve again by protesting for the first time in his life.
Dennis Buschle, Vietnam War veteran, Marine: January 6th, when I thought the traitors were storming the Capitol, and when I saw a Marine flag being used as a weapon, I physically got sick, because I’m a Marine.
Ziskin: Buschle called January 6th a turning point, but it’s not the only reason he decided to protest. Buschle is part of a support group at the Syracuse Vets Center, and in 2007 he went back to Vietnam. It was a transformative experience.
John Mannion, Congressman (D-NY): This is what happens when you incite violence and release insurrectionists.
Ziskin: I met Buschle after he asked to shake hands with Representative John Mannion. The New York congressman had just condemned the political assassination of one Minnesota state lawmaker and the attempted assassination of another. Mannion said that the president is losing support in Central New York.
Mannion: I went to five Memorial Day parades and not one person said: ‘Shut up, Mannion, go MAGA!’ Four out of five were in places I lost. This is not supported. This administration does not have public support.
Ziskin: Does that loss of support extend to the military? While active-duty soldiers cannot comment, Buschle can offer his insight into the minds of his fellow Marines deployed in Los Angeles.
Buschle: I think they feel betrayed. They’re spending all this money for a parade that’s totally ridiculous, and it’s just that. That’s what they do in China and North Korea and Russia. That’s not something we should be doing in this country.
Ziskin: Buschle understands his place in history. Over 58-thousand americans paid the ultimate price in vietnam, over 150- thousand were wounded. None of those that returned home were given a hero’s welcome, and many of them, like buschle, struggle with ptsd. According to DisabledAmericanVeterans.org, over two-thirds of all Vietnam War veterans are no longer with us. Buschle still is, and he worries that many Americans don’t understand just how important democracy really is.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — More than 5 million Americans took part in protests against the Trump administration on Saturday — including one Vietnam War veteran whose story is 75 years in the making.
Dennis Buschle served in the Vietnam War in 1969 after enlisting in the Marine Corps. Decades later, he says the events of Jan. 6, 2021, were what brought him back into action.
“January 6th, when I thought the traitors were storming the Capitol, and when I saw a Marine flag being used as a weapon, I physically got sick — I’m a Marine,” Buschle said.
He called that moment a turning point, but said it wasn’t the only reason he decided to protest. Buschle is part of a support group at the Syracuse Vets Center and returned to Vietnam in 2007. He described that trip — four decades after his service — as transformative.
Buschle understands his place in history.
Over 58,000 Americans died during the Vietnam War and over 150,000 were wounded. Those who returned did not receive a hero’s welcome and many of them, like Buschle, struggled with PTSD. According to DisabledAmericanVeterans.org, more than two-thirds of all Vietnam War veterans are no longer alive.
Buschle is one of the survivors — and he worries that many Americans no longer understand how important democracy really is.
That’s why Buschle asked to shake Rep. John Mannion’s (D-NY) hand at Saturday’s “No Kings Day” protest in Syracuse.
“This is what happens when you incite violence and release insurrectionists,” Mannion said.
Mannion had just condemned the political assassination of a state lawmaker in Minnesota and the attempted assassination of another. But he said his concerns extended beyond political violence, claiming public support for the administration is slipping.
“I went to five Memorial Day parades and not one person said: ‘Shut up, Mannion! Go MAGA!’” said the congressman. “Four out of five were in places I lost. This is not supported. This administration does not have public support.”
Buschle believes that erosion of support may be felt within the military as well. While active-duty soldiers cannot speak publicly, he says veterans have a strong sense of how those still serving are feeling — particularly Marines deployed in Los Angeles.
“I think they feel betrayed,” Buschle said. “They’re spending all this money for a parade that’s totally ridiculous — and it’s just that — that’s what they do in China and North Korea and Russia. That’s not something we should be doing in this country.”