SwiftVets.com

[Wescoot2]

I'd like to relate an experience I had, while in Washington DC this year, as I Joined thousands of my fellow veterans in the Run for the Wall.

One evening, searching out a place to grab a bite to eat, and noticing it was rather late, I came across a Vietnamese Resturaunt. Since most of the other places were closed, and I was rather hungry I was hoping they were still open. I go up to the door, and was greeted by the owner, A Vietnamese, who looked at the ribbons on my vest, and warmly invited me in. One minute after I was seated, various groups of 2 and 4 couples came to the door, but he turned them away, indicating that he closes his place at 11pm. I looked at my watch and noticed the time, and smiled to myself, seeing that it was almost 11:30. After having a wonderful meal, I was sitting back talking to my wife when the owner approached, and asked if he could sit down and speak with me. Of course, I greeted him with a smile, a handshake, and pulled out a chair for him. He told me of his days while he was still in Vietnam, and asked what years I was in country, and where. He figured out he was about 10 while I was in country, and I joked with him, that I may have been one of those GI's that were handing him candy bars on the side of the road, and he smiled and said he was probably asking for Salem cigarettes. Without boring you of all the details of our conversation, let me just say it was a very warm conversation between us, and in the end, he thanked me, fro doing the best that I could to free his country...

The only reason I relate this story, is because this evening once again watching Kerry testify before the Senate committe 'We found most people didn't even know the difference between communism and democracy. They only wanted to work in rice paddies without helicopters strafing them and bombs with napalm burning their villages and tearing their country apart.[b] How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake"

I only wish that Kerry would have been with me that night, looking into the eyes of that sucessful Vietnamese business man, and tell him that we were in Vietnam, and it was a MISTAKE.....

Thanks for letting me Vent.......By the way, I paid my bill, walked out with a warm feeling that WE did make a difference to many.......and then stopped and smiled, the bill that I paid, was about 1/3 of what it really should have been.......
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If your Gonna Be One...Be a BIG RED ONE

No Mission To Difficult...No Sacrifice To Great...

DUTY FIRST

[wings042]

I was a KC-135 pilot who had two TDY tours in SEA. I always felt my service was minimal, until Kerry had tried to run for President on his record. After my active service, I joined my home Guard Unit in Pittsburgh, Pa in 1970. So I was in the Guard, the same time as Bush, and know that the the partisan attacks against Bush's Guard service are BS. We had F-102's and C-121 aircraft. The situation Bush's critics do not understand, or don't want to understand is that in 1972, pilots were not in demand, especially pilots flying obsolete aircraft. Guard Commanders bigest problem was getting flying time, not keeping pilots. The Air Force was downsizing. Whenever a pilot asked for time off because of his civilian job, as I did, it was granted. Pilots did not attend the usual two week training. We set our own scheduals although we did have our monthly week-end drills. If we missed them, we could make it up. Unless a unit is activated, I don't think its possible to be considered AWOL. In my latter life as an FBI agent, I do not recall anyone ever being charged with being AWOL, although I do recall chasing deserters. But they had not been legally and offically discharged by their Guard or Reserve units, as Bush was. So all those ads charging Bush as being AWOL are just ignorant of the basic facts. And considering that most of the people writing this BS have no knowledge of military service, they are operating in the dark. Many men served their country in missle silos and isolated duty stations during the SEA war. Their service was just as valuable as the Swift Boat veterans. Most veterans were like myself. I went where I was told to go, and did what I was told to do. I was sent to war by a Democratic President. When I left the service, a Repbulican President had ended the draft but not before he ended college deferments. I think that is what was the cause of half of the protest in this country. The lower classes who did not go to college were put on an equal footing with the rest of thier contemporaries. One party always wants to take credit for representing those less advantaged. So why did it take a Republican President to even the playing field? And why does he seem to perpetually get the blame for the war that he ended?
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Active Duty USAF KC-135 pilot 1965-1970. Pa. National Guard 1970-1973