Posted on 11/03/2004 10:08:03 AM PST by doug from upland
(Note: This was written in August as a prediction. I was really hoping that I wouldn't be eating crow. After I heard the early exit polls, I was almost physically ill and did not watch TV, listen to radio, or FReep until late at night.)
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Nov. 3, 2004: Vietnam vets - finally, you heroes have come home
You were spit on. You were called war criminals. You were called baby killers. You served your country and came home to abuse and to be shunned by your countrymen. Many never came home at all.
There were lost limbs, broken lives, broken families, alcoholism, drugs, homelessness, despair, and even suicide. You could not understand why you were so hated. There was no parade welcoming you home. There was nobody to offer you their seat on a full airplane. There was no one wanting to shake your hand and say, "God bless you, soldier. Thank you for what you have done for our country." Never have some of us been so ashamed of our country because of what was done to you.
Yesterday's crushing electoral defeat of Senator John F. Kerry has finally brought some closure. The repudiation of one of the chief architects of bringing together the forces that heaped shame and indignity on you has finally shown the whole world what many of us knew all along. You served honorably. You were heroes.
In desperation, Kerry made a few weak attempts of hinting at apology. It was far too little. It was far too late. It was far too disingenuous. And it angered and lost the support of the most vile of those on the America-hating far left.
For the service Kerry actually gave in Vietnam, he has our gratitude. His refusal to open all the records during the campaign still leaves us wondering what his service really was and what medals he really did earn. Apparently, he is never going to let us know all of the truth.
Three decades ago, Kerry stabbed you in the back. He did it then during demonstrations, public statements, and sworn testimony before Congress in which he lied about fellow comrades in arms. The damage he did was considerable. He caused men to die. Many of you were tortured because you would not repeat his lies and admit to your torturers that you were war criminals.
During the 2004 campaign, Kerry shamelessly did it again. With people like James Carville and Paul Begala, the Hollywood elite, a failed far left network called Air America, newspapers such as the NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES, media surrogates such as Chris Matthews, and an endless supply of the slimiest attorneys, he attacked the swift boat vets who actually had the courage to come forward and set the record straight. Kerry's hitmen, and they were that in every sense of the word, tried to blackmail them into silence by creating "Brown Books" that looked into their personal lives to find financial and marital trouble. Seldom in the history of this great nation has a presidential candidate stooped so low as did John Forbes Kerry. To say that he got down in the gutter is to give him credit for too high an elevation. He was below the gutter. He was in the sewer with vermin.
The more we learned about Kerry, the more Americans didn't like him. That is why he tried so hard to suppress UNFIT FOR COMMAND. That is why 527 groups spent over a hundred million dollars trying to do damage to President Bush, why a billionaire spent a fortune, and why a slovenly so-called documentary filmmaker created one of the great works of propaganda ever produced.
The political tsunami finally hit shore and washed away Kerry's campaign when all of America finally learned that Kerry was a hero on both sides of the war. Yes, they saw his place of honor in Vietnamese Communist War Remnants Museum (formerly known as the "War Crimes Museum") in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The communists who killed over 50,000 Americans celebrate Kerry as a hero.
We can never make up for what this country did to you. We can only ask your forgiveness. You were the forgotten heroes. No longer. You have been vindicated. With heavy hearts, open arms, and tears in our eyes, we say to you all, welcome home, heroes. Finally, welcome home.
"Welcome home and thank you for your service."
God did bless us all by giving us these brave people who defended us while on "active duty" and once again by fighting for us during this election. What heroes!!!!
A special "thank you" to all the veterans who once again have saved us from being overrun by socialists.
Thank you, Doug. A very well written tribute to a generation of men (and women) who were subjected to physical and mental abuse both in Vietnam and when they returned, largely due to the efforts of one John Forbes Kerry.
This is an emotional day for me. I choked up when I heard Kerry conceded. As others have said, this is VV day for us (notice how it forms a W!) and we will enjoy the parade.
I am a Vietnam era Vet. and while I thankfully never had to go there I have several family members and friends that did. Some are scarred for life and some never came back. So I am thanking everybody that had a part in defeating the lying trial lawyer traitor POS that is JFnK. It really warms my heart that Americans had the decency to overwhelmingly reject such a hateful and evil man.
PD PING
Your tribute to the vets brought me to tears!! I'm 39 and was a child during Vietnam so I don't remember how hard it was for those returning. I didn't even know that much about Kerry's anti-war stuff until I saw a documentary on his life (he must of been proud of it because if was 1/2 of the show). I did ask my Uncle, a vet, about Kerry and he got red faced and started shaking. He had a very bad time after he got back (alcohol, breakdown, etc.) God bless you Uncle Edwin, and bless the vets!!!
It is truly appreciated.
redrock
That was outstanding Doug...
In case you missed this.....
Thanks, don't remember seeing it before.
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