Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
the association with a war that ended nearly 40 years ago
justfy a negative nickname?
Ft. Bragg is one of the world's largest military organizations. Should we penalize the city of Fayetteville unfairly for being next door? Or should we be grateful to the good citizens of that city for supporting the defense of freedom?
Yes, Jane Fonda made headlines. She had a right to protest the war, and the vets that came home from that war deserve fair treatment. Our world is not black and white. The people of Fayetteville did not cause or perpetuate the Vietnam war, or any of the other conflicts since.
I lived in Fayetteville from 1971-1985. We led an ordinary suburban existence with swim lessons, neighborhood halloween parades, school events, Scouts. We participated in community theater, orchestra, volunteer opportunities. There was no lack of culture for our ordinary family. Yes, the turnover rate in our schools was high...kids moved in and out a lot, which I'm sure made for an educational challenge. A lot of those kids led very interesting lives and made friends quickly and were an asset to the community. Their parents were my role models. Frankly, I felt safer knowing that those parents were watching over us all.
To characterize the town as "...literally a 'battle zone'" is utterly ridiculous. I never encountered any IEDs there, has anyone else?
I was never aware of any local v. military violence. We never even locked our doors at night. Teenage girls learned to be cautious of young GIs on Friday nights at Cross Creek Mall, lessons that have served me well since. The enlisted certainly caused some trouble...and I'm sure their aesthetic tastes are reflected in the strip clubs and bars you'll find on Bragg Boulevard. The solution to that is simple. Don't drive on Bragg Boulevard (easy if you know how!) Perhaps we should consider recruiting a better class of enlisted personnel just to improve the cultural climate of military towns. He who did not volunteer probably shouldn't cast stones!
This clever turn of phrase (portmanteau? really?) just isn't worth the risk of offending people of Vietmamese heritage or those who serve our country in the military, or those who choose to live in Fayetteville.
You may have been totally out of touch with your surroundings during your stay. Having grown up in FAY and a graduate of 1986 I can truly say soldiers and locals were constantly at battle with one another. At the park, mall or nightclubs their was always tension. Fayetteville was considered a pretty tough town mixed with Fort Bragg and the nickname seemed appropriate at the time. I've been in DC for the last 20 yrs and I always meet retirees that refer to FAY as fayettnam. Nothing more, nothing less its okay. Have a great day.
You may have been totally out of touch with your surroundings during your stay. Having grown up in FAY and a graduate of 1986 I can truly say soldiers and locals were constantly at battle with one another. At the park, mall or nightclubs their was always tension. Fayetteville was considered a pretty tough town mixed with Fort Bragg and the nickname seemed appropriate at the time. I've been in DC for the last 20 yrs and I always meet retirees that refer to FAY as fayettnam. Nothing more, nothing less its okay. Have a great day.
Right! I remember when I was a teenager in the Piedmont back in the '70s, Fayetteville, AKA "Fayettenam" had a reputation far and near! Hay Street was notorious for strip clubs, k-bars, violence, and more violence. My understanding is that it wasn't until the early '90s that Hay street was cleaned up. Today, Fayetteville still does have a higher than average crime rate. But being an ex-GI, I think that's the norm for a military town. Wahiawa in Hawaii was the same way. Too many bored young men on a Saturday night....
From what I was told, the name came from back in the 60's when a lot of Army GI's would train at Bragg, then after hours would head downtown for action, get drunk, nail some prostitutes, cause a bunch of ruckus and live it up wildly...before shipping off to Vietnam the next day. Now it refers to the fact the town has a high crime rate.
Of course, its also a great way to tick off some of the towns people that actually liked the place believe it or not. The term "Fayettenam" sort of rubs them the wrong way and irritates them.
Keep in mind that a lot of refugees had to flee their native countries in the two wars we didn't actually win...the Vietnam and Korean War. These people were transported to the bases but did not have the funds to move away, so enriched the area with their culture. If they didn't leave, they would most likely be executed by the communists, hunting down those who aided the US.
Unfortunately, Fayetteville was/is a very conservative town and did not like the new locals.
During the Bush years we called it Fay-raq. Growing up in NC Fayetteville was seen as a "war zone" of sorts. I remember some crazy fights between soldiers and Lumbees.
Who sees Fayetteville as a war zone? Not people in Fayetteville I can promise you that. Fayettenam comes from all of the military being there. Not of all this crime that people speak of. People in Fayetteville call it Fayettenam all day long. I have never heard someon take it negatively for as long as I lived there.
Again, another thread where people are talking that have no idea!
I was there for 3.5 years and the " -- days since last Division fatality" board only go to 82 days once. I was personally shot at twice, was with friends on two different occasions who had guns pulled on them, I dodged sniper bullets on Ardennes . . . and i'm a lover, not a fighter. I never carried a weapon off-duty and didn't roll with anyone who did.
It was (maybe still is?) a dangerous place to live. You didn't need to go looking for trouble - it was everywhere.
I was born in Faytetteville and literally the week after high school moved away if you don't work in the military or heath field and retail it's slim pickings for employment. The military presence there is just so overwhelming. It is both a blessing and a curse to the city. Blessing in that the Military funding and troops send money back into the ecomony but a curse in that like most military towns the crime, unsavory elements (strip clubs, bars, bad hotels etc. etc. ) Just don't go away. Big business will likely never come to fayetteville as it's always been a targe as one of the largest and now probably the largest military installations, and is risky because in peace time the economy there STRUGGLES! the conveniences they recently got in the last decade (Starbucks, Panera bread,) only came about because of the ongoing battles in the middle ease and the realignment and closure of other bases. Not because fayetteville is a booming and desirable place to live. And although the name "Fayettenam" may have started back when with the vietnam war was happening. There is still much reason to keep calling it that. Like I said I was born there but I just can't claim it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The only time I ever heard the term was when the radio host used it, and he used it all the time.
