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Dennis Rucker and Steve Parsons served in Vietnam. But after that service, the veterans’ differing perspectives took them on two paths with little similarity.

Rucker went on to join the Army Reserves and later the National Guard, and he currently works as the veterans services officer for the Yankton Sioux Tribe. Parsons, meanwhile, came home with PTSD and has opted to close the military chapter of his life, for the most part.

What the two have in common is how they’re grateful to see the way public opinion and treatment of Vietnam veterans have transitioned over the years.