Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Will the personal attacks ever quit?
I don't know about you, but I am getting a tad sick and tired of this back and forth attacks by both political parties reference military service on each candidate. Admitted Senator Kerry brought his war record to the service and a main part of his acceptance speech was his service in Vietnam, and the fact that President Bush had not served in Vietnam.
Initially the Swift Vets For Truth (believe this is the title for their group), came out with their ads against John Kerry's service in Vietnam. Supporters of John Kerry then attacked the Swift Boat Vets. Due to obvious fabrications in Kerry's story, it was necessary for him to retract certain aspects of his statements. Democrats then begin their attack on the fact that Bush did not serve in Vietnam, and even denegrated his National Guard service.
The way I look at it, there is no difference between the individual who served in Vietnam, like myself, or any one of 700,000 who were serving in country at the time I was, or the individual who decided to serve in the Texas Air National Guard (TANG). Bush is now being attacked for his using the system to delay serving weekend drills while apparently assisting in someone's political campaign. I don't care how these men ended their military service, or whether they went to Vietnam or not. I do care about the integrity of the candidate with regards to HOW he served and how one man served in Vietnam with a political mission. I have no doubt that John Kerry served in Vietnam, to further his Political ambitions. Before Kerry ever went to Vietnam, he was against the war and spoke against it to fellow campus students. He serves 4-1/2 months in Vietnam and due to what many feel were Bandaid Purple Hearts, he leaves his tour of duty early. When he returns from Vietnam, he speaks to Congress about the atrocities that Vietnam Veterans committed, and presumably by himself. Charges were never brought against Kerry for any War Crimes. John Kerry won't release his full Navy records, because he KNOWS that those records will destroy his candicy, due to the fact that he was AWOL from drilling for months at a time, and no charges were ever brought for that drilling requirements. Bush's drilling is attacked even though HE received an Honorable Discharge. Regardless of how you look at it, BOTH men finished their periods of service with clean slates and Honorable Discharges.
I am a Vietnam veteran who served two tours (9 months offshore performing naval shore bombardment, harassment and interdiction (H&I, Yes, I committed War Crimes like John Kerry, but I just didn't cut off heads, burned villages, or shot a boy in the back like Kerry states he did) and 12 months (not 4-1/2 like Kerry) in-country. I'll be the first to admit that I had it pretty soft, serving 7-1/2 months with the Seabees at China Beach, Danang (Public Works, Maintenance, assigned to Commander, Naval Support Activity, Danang), and 4-1/2 months in Saigon, assigned to Commander, Naval Forces Vietnam, indirectly under Rear Admiral Zumwalt, attached to their Drug Abuse Program. I could have probably received a Purple Heart, as I skinned both knees during a rocket attack at Camp Tien Sha on April 14th, 1970. I didn't put in for, but sure wish I had now, because my license plates would have only cost me $3.00 a year.
Let's call a halt to these attacks on one's military service, and get down to the chase, which is the War against terrorism, and our military action in Iraq. Notice I called it a military action, because we did not declare a war, but everyone seems to want to call it a War against Iraq, and more specifically, Saddam Hussein.
I also don't want to hear this daily tally of the body count of dead in our military action in Iraq. I'm tired of these blatantly biased new agencies using the death our men and women in uniofrm for ratings and policital bandering.
Time to talk about the basics (i.e. problems we're experiencing today) and let the past stay dead. We can't change the past, but we can decide on the future. As for me, being a Vietnam veteran, I wouldn't vote for John "Scumbag" Kerry as President if he were the ONLY candidate.
Regards,
Richard Whitenight
Arlington, Texas
God Bless America
