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Letter to your editor

 
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coldwarvet
Admiral


Joined: 03 Jun 2004
Posts: 1125
Location: Minnetonka, MN

PostPosted: Wed Jun 30, 2004 2:27 pm    Post subject: Letter to your editor Reply with quote

"There they go again" - Our future veterans deserve an honest media

In 1971, which seems like yesterday to many Vietnam veterans, the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) organization produced testimony given before a Senate hearing that focused on the alleged actions of a few, and with one broad brush implicated 2.5 million members of the military as supporting a free fire zone mentality of death and destruction. The media picked up the story and pounded away at the American psyche with that huge lie day after day after day. The result of this coverage was a much distorted public opinion of the American troops, and as the Vietnam veterans came home they were treated with a spirit of non-approval from not only strangers but former school mates and even members of their own family. America also had several hundred men in captivity that were presented with this same VVAW dogma daily by their captors in an effort to break their spirits.

Fast forward to 2004 - "There they go again" : The media finds a story about uniformed Americans behaving badly and they pound and pound and pound away at it, eroding public opinion. They will stay on this story until there is another story about uniformed Americans behaving badly and then the drum beat will begin to pound away some more. I am not saying these stories should not be covered, but when they cover a story beyond the point of no new information being added and at the expense of the positive things that the American public should be informed about, it is an abuse of the troops in harms way that have kept us out of harms way for over 32 months now.

Questions informed Americans should be able to answer:

1. When was a military and intelligence base established in the heart of the terrorist world?
2. How many corpses were uncovered from mass graves?
3. How many non terrorist Iraqi corpses have been added to the grave yard over the past 12 months?
4. How young were some of the prisoners found in Saddams prison?
5. When was the Iraqi constitution drafted?
6. What percentage of the al-Qaeda’s leadership has been killed or captured?
7. Why haven’t we had another terrorist attack in more then 32 months?

If this was a quiz, how many of these questions could you answer?

Perhaps we would know the answers to these questions if they were being covered by the media - or is the media too busy looking for the next American behaving badly story? For example, how can we put another fresh face on the prison abuse story today?

There is a grass roots movement of veterans who do not want to see this generation of troops abused the same way the Vietnam veterans were. The veteran community is asking the American public to support our troops by completely removing CBS from their life. Veterans are going to utilize the parental control feature on their televisions and put a lock on CBS. This is a very serious issue and we need to send a very strong message and apply punishment that will be felt in every board room of every media outlet across the country. The troops in harms way have given so much to us, so we can carry on with our normal lives in a very hostile world. I think we can go without CBS , at least until they show some respect for the people fighting the War on Terror!

Thank you for listening -

Please feel free to send this to the editor of your local paper

Stephen R. Jelinek - Edited By Walt Jones
USAF 1975-1979
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Defender of the honor of those in harms way keeping us out of harms way.

"Peace is our Profession"
Strategic Air Command - Motto

USAF 75-79 Security Police


Last edited by coldwarvet on Fri Jul 02, 2004 6:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
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JOHN H. MULFORD
Seaman Recruit


Joined: 08 May 2004
Posts: 8
Location: HILO, HI.

PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 7:25 am    Post subject: THERE THEY GO AGAIN! Reply with quote

READ YOU FIVE BY FIVE! Do any vets really think Kerry will change his methods of slander against the military for benefit of this latest generation of vets. Kerry's political trade has been published and practiced throughout his career, a career that has trod on both the fallen and the returning veterans for his personal gain. Those that serve deserve better than that which Kerry and his ilk served up to those who went before. My thoughts are for the success of their campaign; honor to those who have given all; relief and restitution for those wounded. Our service may be in the past but our duty to our own does not end. Our present mission is to protect those who stand and protect us.
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MikeWinn
Lt.Jg.


Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 110
Location: South Carolina

PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bravo Zulu, John! I see you are in Hawaii. I would love to take the likes of Moore and his ilk out the Missouri just once and dare the SOB's to take a poke at a vet there! Evil or Very Mad
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GunnerMike
Spectre Gunner and 141 FE
Dedicated to Rico. KIA March 14, 1971.
Love ya man.
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coldwarvet
Admiral


Joined: 03 Jun 2004
Posts: 1125
Location: Minnetonka, MN

PostPosted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 12:48 pm    Post subject: Re: THERE THEY GO AGAIN! Reply with quote

JOHN H. MULFORD wrote:
READ YOU FIVE BY FIVE! Do any vets really think Kerry will change his methods of slander against the military for benefit of this latest generation of vets. Kerry's political trade has been published and practiced throughout his career, a career that has trod on both the fallen and the returning veterans for his personal gain. Those that serve deserve better than that which Kerry and his ilk served up to those who went before. My thoughts are for the success of their campaign; honor to those who have given all; relief and restitution for those wounded. Our service may be in the past but our duty to our own does not end. Our present mission is to protect those who stand and protect us.


John, You are so right on about this

I asked my three sons 21,19 & 17 what they were taught about the Vietnam Veterans Against War movement. They hadn’t even heard about it. The really sad part of it is my oldest son is in his senior year in a U of M mass communications program.

I believe that this part of American history should be taught in all of our schools as an example of how much power the media has and what kind of damage can be inflicted when it is dishonest.
_________________
Defender of the honor of those in harms way keeping us out of harms way.

"Peace is our Profession"
Strategic Air Command - Motto

USAF 75-79 Security Police
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