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MadIvan
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Joined: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 50
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 Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 9:15 pm Post subject: Setting the Record Straight, Before It’s Too Late… |
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| Quote: | Setting the Record Straight, Before It’s Too Late…
Jay Grinder | Aug 28, 2004
Many have accused the Swift Vets for the Truth of both character defamation and the reopening of old wounds. For many Vietnam veterans, John Kerry reopened that wound once he decided to use his experiences from 35 years ago as a platform for his campaign.
Much of the anger that the Swift Vets are feeling is based on scars that Kerry himself inflicted on them, not 35 years ago, but two years after that, when the young Mr. Kerry delivered sworn testimony, and besmirched the reputations of nearly a whole generation of honorable military servicemen. As a man in his early-thirties, I didn’t live through that era, but I had the great fortune of knowing several honorable men that did live through it, and their experiences helped to shape my view of that war.
I remember being scolded by a teacher in grade school for referring to the Vietnam War in an oral presentation I was delivering. She corrected me by saying that I meant the Vietnam Conflict, not war. I, having always carried a bit of a defiant streak in my personality, had a quick comeback to her correction. “I’m sorry Ms. Carter, but I’m sure those men that served in that conflict would rather I called it a war.” The look on her face was worth the C that I received for what was (in my honestly humble opinion) an A worthy presentation.
I’m sure that much of Ms. Carter’s use of the term ‘conflict’, coupled with her decision to give me a C, instead of an A, or even a B, was based on the fact that I was speaking favorably of the sacrifices that were made by the men that served in South East Asia. You see; I’m pretty sure that the term ‘baby killers’ was constantly in the back of Ms. Carter’s mind as I delivered my report to the class. I’m sure that she found it very upsetting that I was not only misinformed (in her opinion), but that I was almost indoctrinating the classroom into a different view of recent history, this was certainly not the history that she tried so hard to teach all of us. After all, she knew that the men I spoke nobly of were ‘baby killers’, because John Kerry said they were. But, I never met a ‘baby killer’, quite the contrary, I met a number of respectable gentlemen, men that served their country, and came home to accusations that were leveled against them by one of their own.
-snip-
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The rest can be read by clicking here.
Right Goths salutes the Swift Vets.
Regards, Ivan
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Tony
Lt.Jg.
Joined: 01 Jul 2004
Posts: 119
Location: Jacksonville, FL
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| Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting perspective - as a child in the 70s - I received many of the same biases about Viet Nam in my education by my teachers who were only a short time away from whatever college campus had hatched them. It took me until 1990, as my Cruiser sailed into the Persian Gulf right after Saddam invaded Kuwait - to realize that I had several Viet Nam vets serving with me and there was nothing at all wrong with them or what they had done - they were honorable good men and I was glad they were there.
Rest assured - the only bright shining lie that my sons (age 5 and 9) will be learing about, is about the myths and misinformation that have been spread about Viet Nam and the men who served there. Oh...and I pity the granola head teacher who tries to tell them different - he or she will get a visit from me right after I stop by the principals office to ask about what kind of trash they're trying to shovel onto my kids ... 
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USN 1983-1992 |
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