94 | APRIL 27 • 2023 

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

50 Years Since the U.S. Left Vietnam
I 

thought long and hard 
about this week’s Looking 
Back. With little fanfare 
in the media, a significant 
50th anniversary occurred last 
month. On March 29, 1973, 
the last American troops left 
Vietnam. 
Millions of 
U.S. military 
personnel served 
in Vietnam. 
Over 500,000 
were in Vietnam 
during the 
peak year of 
participation. By 
the time the last troops came 
home, 58,220 Americans had 
been killed in action and more 
than 150,000 were wounded. It 
was a terrible toll. 
I hesitated to write about 
the Vietnam War because in 
the 1960s and 1970s — and 
still today — it was a highly 
controversial military action 
conducted by the United 
States. It was a war that 
touched many American 
families and adversely affected 
so many of those who served 
in our armed forces.
I’m old enough to have been 
in the draft. While still in high 
school in 1971, I wondered if 
my number would be picked. 
I was lucky — my number was 
248 and I was not drafted. I 
joined the Marines later, but 
as a volunteer. That is a big 
difference from being drafted.
I found 354 pages of the 
JN that had content about 
Vietnam in the William 
Davidson Digital Archive 
of Jewish Detroit History. I 

found a couple of mentions 
of Vietnam in 1950s, but the 
bulk of articles regarding the 
Vietnam War are from the 
1960s and 1970s.
BTW — Congress never 
officially declared the Vietnam 
War to be a “war.” 
The Vietnam War had a 
great impact upon Michigan’s 
Jewish community. A number 
of local men served in the war. 
Paul “Pinch” Braunstein, who 
ran for Mayor of Oak Park in 
1991, served as an U.S. Army 
airborne officer (March 15, 
1991). Rabbi Craig L. Allen, 
leader of the Livonia Jewish 
Congregation in 1991, served 
in Signal Corps (Feb. 8, 1991). 
Sanford Greenberg served in 
the Marines (Aug. 22, 1968).
Sadly, some who served 
did not return. Pfc. Dennis 
Greenwald, an Army 
paratrooper, lost his life 
assisting wounded comrades. 
Greenwald received a 
posthumous Bronze Medal for 
his bravery (March 22, 1968).
As you might expect, the 
Michigan chapter of Jewish 
War Veterans of America 
(JWV) never forgot our 
Vietnam vets. By 1970, 
the Michigan JWV and its 
Auxiliary, chaired by Ann 
Rubin, had sent thousands 
of packages every year to 
service members of all 
“races, religions and creeds” 
in Vietnam. Their position 
was: “Regardless of what 
your politics concerning the 
Vietnam War may be, the fact 
remains that our American 
boys are fighting in Vietnam” 

(March 20, 1970). 
The one story to read is 
“Suffering the Pain,” published 
in the Nov. 8, 1985, issue of 
the JN. This moving article 
addresses “the unsettling 
memories for most men 
who came of age during 
the late-1960s and early 
’70s.” Several local Jewish 
men shared their personal 
journeys as veterans, 
such as Bob Mitchell, 
Steve Hirshberg and Michael 
Berkowitz. These are not easy 
narratives to absorb, but their 
stories are very important.
Fifty years have passed 
since the Vietnam War, and 
the world has moved on. 
Inconceivable 50 years ago, a 
very hopeful sign of progress 
can be found in the wedding 
announcement of Rachel 
Helene Jacobs and Michael 
Z. Allen. The newlyweds 
honeymooned in Vietnam 
(Sept. 6, 2002). 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN 
Foundation archives, available for 
free at www.djnfoundation.org.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

