Vietnam Vet’s Memories Trashed

3 March 2025, Las Cruces, New Mexico, Steven Zimmerman – Have you ever taken your trash out to a dumpster, looked inside, and found something that made you wonder why it was thrown away? I’ve seen degrees, yearbooks, brand-new dishes, and clothes tossed away. I’ve never pulled it out; I wondered why someone would toss such things away.

Over this past weekend, I wondered again about something tossed in the garbage. This time, however, I jumped in and took what I found out.

In addition to the photos, I discovered money from the Chartered Bank of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and two US Army medals.

I understand that sometimes we end up with items from family members, and we may not want them, but why take something considered a small piece of history and toss it in the trash?

“I don’t believe historic items, or items that had great meaning to one family member, are tossed in the dustbin maliciously, in most cases,” says Diana Hanson, a Death Doula, who helps those dying and their families. “For some, it is a large part of the grieving process.”

Diana did acknowledge that there are those who, in anger or resentment, will dispose of items left behind by a parent or partner.

“In the case of war, and the memorabilia one leaves behind, the children may resent the one who has passed and dispose of those items,” says Ms. Hanson. “I do find this to be the case in a small number of people I assist. They blame their parent for leaving them, for fighting in a war.”

I was astonished at what I discovered in the photos. Some photos capture the nightlife in Vietnam or Hong Kong during the Vietnam War. Other images show soldiers or Marines relaxing and hanging out with friends, brothers, and battle buddies.

I spoke to Randy French, a retired Sergeant First Class and Military Police Officer.

“I think people who throw away their family history are lost,” says French. “They may not care about their father’s history, but others in this younger generation may care.”

Randy French, who lives in San Antonio, Texas, recently had his storage locker broken into.

“A lot of the photos from my time in the service are going to end up in the trash,” says French. “The people who stole them will not care about my history or memories.”

“We need to preserve the history of Vietnam and that war,” says Tammy Hoàng, a Vietnam resident and a University student working on the history of the Vietnam War. “If we are to learn from history, we must preserve that history, wherever it’s found.”

Tammy Hoàng says photos are essential to history.

“The photos you posted in your video, something that others may be simple, are important,” says Tammy. “These photos show these warriors at rest and play. We can also see traces of concern and peace on some of their faces. The United States was not the bad guy in Vietnam.”

It’s sad to find these photos and memories tossed aside like yesterday’s leftovers. These snapshots into history should have been preserved. I’ve posted videos on social media, like the one I posted on X (formally Twitter), hoping to identify some of the Marines in the photos and return photos to some of them.

“These pictures,” says Robert Wilkens, a Vietnam Vet, “could have been given to a library, a school, or even a VFW. The person who trashed them doesn’t respect history or the hell we went through.”

Dumpsters are for trash, spoiled food, torn or broken items, not history.