SwiftVets.com

[AZVet61]

The following is a letter I wrote to the editor of a newspaper in which a writer complained that another writer had not the right to insinuate that John Kerry was aiding the enemy:

"The shame of John Kerry's anti-war candidacy is more than just his post-Vietnam War actions and statements, although those are grievous enough. It is that we have been forced to resurrect old memories and once again feel the pain of old wounds that time had begun to heal. Having chosen to focus much of his campaign upon his claimed status as a Vietnam War hero, neither Kerry nor his supporters should expect those who feel aggreived by his actions and statements as head of Vietnam Veterans Against the War [VVAW] and his participation, along with Jane Fonda, in the Winter Soldier Movement, to remain silent.
Writing in your paper, Dollie Moir says that another writer does not have the right to imply that John Kerry is supporting the enemies of the United States. I beg to differ. Having finally decided to make the Iraq War the centerpiece of his final days of campaigning for the Presidency, Kerry has resurrected his status as the ultimate anti-war protester. Having failed on other fronts, he has now compared Iraq to Vietnam. He attacked the speech given by Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi to a joint session of Congress as false and contradictory, essentially calling him a liar--a despicable attack by a presidential candidate upon the head of state of another country. But not just another country--a country that is trying to establish representative government and a consensual society with the assistance of the United States and its soldiers. Kerry's attack went beyond the pale and deomonstrates just how very far he will go in his desperation to win the presidency. In the days to come, we can expect Kerry to further undermine the effort of our troops in Iraq by condemning their mission and repeating his post-Vietnam War accusations that we are supporting a corrupt Iraqi government.
There is little doubt in the minds of those who served during the Vietnam War that John Kerry provided aid to the enemy. Even the enemy thought so. There is a prominent picture of him in a war museum in Hanoi, in which he is posing with representatives of the North Vietnam government. His post -war activities are legion and infamous. He traveled, not once, but twice to Paris to meet with the North Vietnam representative to the Paris peace talks. The duplicities of his speech to the Congress, in which he tarred all Vietnam War veterans as war criminals who engaged in systematic attacks upon the citizenry of Vietnam, "approved by all levels of command", "on a day-to-day basis", "raped, cut of ears, cut off heads", "blown up bodies", "razed villages in a manner reminiscent of Genghis Khan" and "generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravaging of war", have not been forgotten--nor forgiven.
Logically, based upon Kerry's post-war actions and statements, it is not without foundation to expect him to go much further in his attacks upon the war in Iraq. What is next? Can we expect him to attack the troops themselves, as he did in 1971? Will our troops, in the opinion of Kerry and his anti-war supporters, become war criminals--people who kill innocent civilians and who have become "babykillers"? Already, his statements are having an impact upon the terrorists in Iraq. As he intensifies those attacks, the terrorists will find solace and encouragement in his words--take even more captives, cut off even more heads and generally do everything they can in the belief that, as they do so, the resolve of the American people will diminish. The liberal media, which already has refused to portray a correct picture of what is really happening on the ground in Iraq, will intensify their efforts to paint Iraq as another Vietnam. Will history repeat? It is tragic that one of the most important lessons of the Vietnam War--that it was not lost on the battlefields of Vietnam but in the streets of America--could well be ignored. In the days leading up to the elections in Iraq, we can expect the terrorists to intensify their attacks upon American troops, American allies and upon the people of Iraq. It is inexcusable that the terrorists will have the benefit of John Kerry's statements and accusations.
The greater shame of Kerry's candidacy is that, once again, Americans are pitted against themselves over a war that formally ended 31 years ago. The military service record of her family set forth by Ms. Moir is indeed distinguished and honorable, and I am personally thankful for it. However, she is not alone in this. My own family has a comparable record, beginning 7 generations ago, in 1778, when my direct ancestor, Ebeneezer Foote, was killed in the American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Mud Fort, CT. Like millions of other American families, my family has fought and died for this country. Some of my friends in Army ROTC at the University of Arizona and many of those with whom I went through Infantry Officer Basic Combat Training at Ft. Benning, GA in 1964 did not return from Vietnam. My dearest friend in college lies in a vegetative state after attempting to commit suicide after the Vietnam War--a victim of physical wounds, but more significantly--and he told me this while convalescing in Oakland, CA --from the emotional wounds inflicted upon him by other Americans when he returned from Vietnam. He could not wear his uniform off post else he be pelted with eggs and verbal epithets by the VVAW acolytes of John Kerry and Jane Fonda. He could not understand how Americans could do this to an American soldier. Do I blame John Kerry for this? You bet I do. Do I think Kerry is capable of and willing to do it again? Yes, I do.
Perhaps, however, the most significant difference between John Kerry and George Bush--and this difference is found in Ms. Moir's letter--is that John Kerry believes it is more important to be admired and liked by other peoples of the world--most of whom would not like or admire us notwithstanding Iraq or George Bush--than it is to protect Americans from the attacks of our enemies, even if that means striking before they strike us. Moreover, Kerry and his supporters believe, and this is also found in Ms. Moir's letter--that the United States should never act unilaterally notwithstanding that the United Nations--and its constituent countries, including France and Germany, completely ignored its resolutions condeming Saddam Hussein for a period of 12 years. And that the reason for doing so was that France, Germany and Russia were benefiting from the petroleum wealth of Iraq under Saddam and that others, including the son of the UN Secretary General himself, were involved in a multibillion dollar oil-for-food scam in which a sordid array of Baath Party killers, international hustlers and even terrorists sucked the oil wealth out of Iraq as its own people went hungry.
God forbid that the United States ever becomes subjugated to the policies of a body that sees nothing wrong with countries like Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Libya and Zimbabwe as legitimate members of, even heading, the UN Commission on Human Rights. But, that's another story. The terrible irony of the election is that, even if John Kerry loses this election, he will not stop his attacks upon the war effort in Iraq. Most likely, he and his anti-war supporters will do what they did during and after the Vietnam War--and this is already happening--the Winter Soldiers and VVAW will recruit new acolytes, put on new togs and take to the streets. Nevertheless, I will take Kerry, the war protester, over Kerry, the President of the United States, any day. "

Brent F. Moody

[dusty]

Wow AzVet, well said! Bravo!
A copy of this with due credit is going to all the names on my list. Yea, you covered it all very, very well.
It sure isn't political for me either. Just don't get more personal than this fight.

Dusty

[neverforget]

Incredibly well-written, both logically and emotionally. I'm also sending it around with attribution.
_________________
US Army Security Agency
1965-1971

[Stevie]

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

As usual, good letter, AZ!

BZ's!
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother