SwiftVets.com

[jsmitheng]

When I hear little brats the likes of Sen Kerry saying that unless you served you cannot talk about Nam and critize his volunteer cause, I say does that include critics of political service, prison incarceration, homosexuality,abortion, rape and all other forms of service both good and bad? For 20 plus years since Pres Ford suggested there would be a blood bath to Congress if they pulled the funds, I wondered why I was to only one to continue talking about Nam and its influence on this country. Viet Nam was not a failure. Once we were there we saw the need to give the people a chance to select their own government. We picked up the French curse and fought bitter children left behind by their dads, many now actively retired in France today. While the war effort was very very political we gave 9 million now deceased SE Asians hope for 10 or more years to hear about America, touch our hearts, and provoke our anger in some instances. How can the haters of Nam forget the boat people and the stories of the real killing fields to all who wore glasses, knew Jesus or other eastern religions, under 6 or over 40 that took common 50 cal bullets for just being in the wrong place. When Kerry was asked in 71 if there would be a blood bath, he replied 'perhaps a few hundred but certainly no blood bath'. He was bloody well wrong. John Oneal's answer was right on the money. We ran from that country and 50 thousand souls cried out for us to think again. There was and still is a hope for many surviving people who saw the glory of a nation when many of our troops reached out, not to seduce but to assist. Sure, many of our men were not missionaries, nor were some gentlemen. But for the most part, we were in that nation as ambassadors regardless of the split between the doves and the hawks. As America has always tried to do we presented our very best young men and women available at the moment and we did offer a hope that communism can never offer any living person-self worth and a glimpse of heaven with our freedom to worship and work as we see fit. On behalf of my friends unable to speak (those who died there and those trying to put everything behind because of the pain of coming back to a girly-man society fearful of being called to military service anywhere after years of network stories) may I please thank you for your willingness to remind us that our stories have not been told. Those who served and those who remained here whether in the Guard or not healthy enough to enlist are all veterans all lived the War Experience. If I had listened to just network news and glared at the newspaper headlines I would have thought America was just making war to boost the economy. But I met a returning Spec Forces African American on a cool down cruise to Germany long before a goofy kid toted a film camera on his shoulder in hopes of recording some action sequences for a future run at Politics. The year was 1964 and that Vet befriended a 14 year old Explorer Scout from Carolina on a MSTS ship mixed with our Regional Troop of 40 Boy Scout-Explorers and this group of Nam Vets talking about a coming war that was likely political. This was my first exposure to what would impact the next 11 years of my growing up life. In that period of time I have visited Vets in hospitals, tackled a Marine at a shooting range who flashed back, and debated good and bad experiences from Vets and draft dodgers. To date, the most disheartening and shocking Nam experience for me is the selling out of our system of two party politics. As far as I am concerned character counts and unless there is sincere repentance and shame associated with those foolish or calculated errors in judgment no man should be worthy of holding public office. It is possible that seeing men such as Sen Kerry moving to the forefront is what has split this nation's vets so sharply. My money is on Swift Vets. Every penny that would have gone to political candidates will go to you to get the message out. Thanks to you and those who served whether on the battlefield or here at home.You tell the truth,and the spinmasters plan their web to counterattack with their own Bolex cameras and weak minded men whose own accounts of history have been told so many different ways that truth fits each group's theme music. Do not quit. America must be awakened to the dangers of simply forgetting things that happened 35 years ago for the sake of economy and everything else associated with liberal government-is-GOD thinkers.

Jerry Smith
Bless God America!