[Vision2020] Kerry's military record, redux.

Joan Opyr auntiestablishment@hotmail.com
Tue, 27 Apr 2004 11:29:52 -0700


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Tom writes:

>In June of 1969 I had just graduated from high school.  My father and I =
were =20
>not seeing eye-to-eye on alot of things, basically anything that involve=
d me.  =20
>My draft number was a high number the year before (325, I think) and I w=
as =20
>afraid that it was going to be alot lower.  I felt that I had to get awa=
y from =20
>home.  So, I went to the local recruiting office.  Being the whimp that =
I was, =20
>I first checked with the Army National Guard.  The waiting list was 18 m=
onths.  =20
>I then checked with the Navy recruiter.  The waiting list was six months=
  So, =20
>I walked down the hallway and stood between two doorways, one marked "Un=
ited =20
>States Marine Corps" and the other marked "United States Army", and flip=
ped a =20
>coin.  Thirty-six hours later I was in-processing at Fort Ord.


My father was in much the same position in 1965.  Fresh out of high schoo=
l, no college prospects, and a low draft number.  It doesn't seem to have=
 occurred to him that he might have gone to Canada.  (He was born in Mont=
real and had aunts, uncles, and grandparents still living there.  Residen=
cy wouldn't have been a problem.)  Instead, he enlisted in the U. S. Air =
Force and hoped for the best.  He was lucky; he spent his time in service=
 stateside, stationed first in North Carolina and then later in Alaska.  =
He didn't want to go to Vietnam, and he's always said that he chose the A=
ir Force because he thought it offered him the best chance of not being s=
hipped overseas.

I grew up in a working class neighborhood in the late sixties, early seve=
nties.  All around us were guys who weren't rich, who weren't privileged,=
 who weren't Senator's sons; most had been in one branch or another of th=
e regular service and many had done tours in Vietnam.  They rarely talked=
 about it and we rarely asked.  The adults I knew spoke about Vietnam in =
an embarrassed hush.  No one knew how to act or react.  Some supported th=
e war, some were opposed, but the topic was generally off limits.  Memori=
al Day and the VFW were for veterans of WWII and Korea, wars that you cou=
ld safely talk about or re-enact with toy guns in the backyard.  (Those w=
ere unenlightened times; every kid had a cap gun.)  Returning veterans we=
re either ignored or treated as potential problems.  I remember adults wh=
ispering to one another about whether or not so-and-so had post-traumatic=
 stress and consequently might be a danger to himself and others.

Some of this atmosphere of shame and secrecy survives to this day.  Opera=
tion Desert Storm was not the cure.  We have yet to have a Vietnam vetera=
n in the White House, and at this point that's just damned peculiar.  Unl=
ess you consider the fact that we say, or allow others to say, things abo=
ut Vietnam veterans that we wouldn't stand being said about veterans of W=
WII, "the greatest generation."  I don't recall anyone questioning Bob Do=
le's bravery in WWII or asking about his withered arm, but Ann Coulter re=
cently published a column arguing that Max Cleland was not a legitimate w=
ar hero because the Viet Cong didn't throw that grenade at him; he picked=
 it up when it fell off a fellow soldier's web.  (I'm not a violent woman=
, but for that alone I would gladly pinch off Ms. Coulter's head and flus=
h it down the toilet.)   =20

The Bush campaign is playing a nasty and hypocritical game, one they bega=
n playing when they attacked John McCain for the one thing in his career =
that should have been sacrosanct: his time as a POW.  The Bush play book =
is as obvious as it is disgusting.  Pretend to value military service whi=
le slashing veterans benefits and closing VA hospitals.  Smear others as =
unpatriotic while hiding your own deferments and/or the strings your fami=
ly pulled to land you a spot in the National Guard.  Worst of all, play o=
n the lingering ambivalence many Americans still feel about the Vietnam W=
ar by launching nasty smear campaigns against the men who fought it.  Whe=
ther or not you support John Kerry, whether or not you supported the war =
in Vietnam or the war in Iraq, I think you have a moral obligation to rej=
ect this kind of cynical, vicious character assassination.  =20

If courage means nothing more than talking tough; if leadership means sen=
ding other people to die while you yourself never leave the safety of you=
r privileged cocoon, then our language and our culture are truly debased.

Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment              =20

PS: That's it from me today, I promise.  Sorry for once again violating t=
he two-posts rule . . . though I'll be damned if I'm sorry for anything e=
lse.Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.=
msn.com

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<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV>Tom writes:</D=
IV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>&gt;In June of 1969 I had just graduated from =
high school.&nbsp; My father and I were <BR>&gt;not seeing eye-to-eye on =
alot of things, basically anything that involved me.&nbsp; <BR>&gt;My dra=
ft number was a high number the year before (325, I think) and I was <BR>=
&gt;afraid that it was going to be alot lower.&nbsp; I felt that I had to=
 get away from <BR>&gt;home.&nbsp; So, I went to the local recruiting off=
ice.&nbsp; Being the whimp that I was, <BR>&gt;I first checked with the A=
rmy National Guard.&nbsp; The waiting list was 18 months.&nbsp; <BR>&gt;I=
 then checked with the Navy recruiter.&nbsp; The waiting list was six mon=
ths.&nbsp; So, <BR>&gt;I walked down the hallway and stood between two do=
orways, one marked "United <BR>&gt;States Marine Corps" and the other mar=
ked "United States Army", and flipped a <BR>&gt;coin.&nbsp; Thirty-six ho=
urs later I was in-processing at Fort Ord.<BR></DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <D=
IV>My father was in much the same position in 1965.&nbsp; Fresh out of hi=
gh school, no college&nbsp;prospects, and a low draft number.&nbsp; It do=
esn't seem to have occurred to him that he might have gone&nbsp;to Canada=
&nbsp; (He&nbsp;was born in Montreal and had aunts, uncles, and grandpar=
ents still living there.&nbsp; Residency wouldn't have been a problem.)&n=
bsp; Instead, he&nbsp;enlisted in the&nbsp;U. S. Air Force and hoped for =
the best.&nbsp; He was lucky; he spent his&nbsp;time in service stateside=
,&nbsp;stationed first in North Carolina and then later in Alaska.&nbsp; =
He didn't want to go to Vietnam, and he's always said that he chose the A=
ir Force because he thought it offered him the best&nbsp;chance of not be=
ing shipped overseas.</DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>I grew up in a working=
 class neighborhood in the late sixties, early seventies.&nbsp; All aroun=
d us were guys who weren't rich, who weren't privileged, who weren't Sena=
tor's sons; most had been in one branch or another of the regular service=
 and&nbsp;many had done tours in Vietnam.&nbsp; They rarely talked about =
it and&nbsp;we rarely asked.&nbsp; The&nbsp;adults I knew spoke about Vie=
tnam&nbsp;in an embarrassed hush.&nbsp; No one knew how to act or react.&=
nbsp;&nbsp;Some&nbsp;supported the war,&nbsp;some were opposed, but the t=
opic was generally off limits.&nbsp; Memorial Day and the VFW&nbsp;were f=
or&nbsp;veterans of WWII and&nbsp;Korea, wars that you could safely talk =
about&nbsp;or re-enact with toy guns in the backyard.&nbsp; (Those were u=
nenlightened times; every kid had a cap gun.)&nbsp;&nbsp;Returning vetera=
ns were either ignored or treated as&nbsp;potential problems.&nbsp; I rem=
ember adults whispering to one another about whether or not so-and-so had=
 post-traumatic stress and consequently might be a danger to himself and =
others.</DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>Some of this atmosphere of shame and=
 secrecy survives to this day.&nbsp; Operation Desert Storm was not the c=
ure.&nbsp; We have yet to have a Vietnam veteran in the White House, and =
at this point that's just damned peculiar.&nbsp; Unless you consider the =
fact that we say, or allow others to say, things about Vietnam veterans t=
hat we wouldn't stand being said&nbsp;about veterans of WWII,&nbsp;"the&n=
bsp;greatest generation."&nbsp; I don't recall anyone&nbsp;questioning Bo=
b Dole's bravery in WWII or asking&nbsp;about his withered arm, but Ann C=
oulter recently published a column arguing&nbsp;that Max Cleland was not =
a legitimate war hero because the Viet Cong didn't throw that grenade at =
him; he&nbsp;picked&nbsp;it up when it fell off a fellow soldier's web.&n=
bsp; (I'm not a violent woman, but for that alone I would gladly pinch of=
f Ms. Coulter's head and flush it down the toilet.)&nbsp;&nbsp; </DIV> <D=
IV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>The Bush&nbsp;campaign is playing a nasty and hypocr=
itical&nbsp;game, one they began playing when they attacked John McCain f=
or the one thing in his&nbsp;career that should have been sacrosanct: his=
 time as a POW.&nbsp; The Bush play book is as obvious as it is disgustin=
g.&nbsp; Pretend to value military service&nbsp;while slashing veterans b=
enefits and closing VA hospitals.&nbsp; Smear others as unpatriotic while=
 hiding your own deferments and/or the strings your family pulled to land=
 you a spot in the National Guard.&nbsp; Worst of all, play on the linger=
ing ambivalence many&nbsp;Americans still feel about the Vietnam War&nbsp=
;by launching nasty&nbsp;smear campaigns against&nbsp;the men who&nbsp;fo=
ught it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whether or not you support John Kerry, whether or not=
 you supported the war in Vietnam or the war in Iraq,&nbsp;I think&nbsp;y=
ou have a&nbsp;moral obligation to reject this kind of cynical, vicious c=
haracter&nbsp;assassination.&nbsp; </DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>If coura=
ge means nothing more than talking tough; if&nbsp;leadership means sendin=
g other&nbsp;people to die&nbsp;while you&nbsp;yourself&nbsp;never&nbsp;l=
eave the safety of your privileged cocoon, then our language and&nbsp;our=
 culture are truly debased.</DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>Joan Opyr/Auntie=
 Establishment&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp=
;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <BR></DIV> <DIV>PS: That's it from me today, I promis=
e.&nbsp; Sorry for once again violating the two-posts rule . .&nbsp;. tho=
ugh I'll be damned if I'm sorry for anything else.</DIV></BODY></HTML><br=
 clear=3Dall><hr>Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : <a =
href=3D'http://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>

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