Posted on 01/31/2012 9:52:29 AM PST by SZonian
A few weeks ago, we warned against an increasingly prevalent narrative in news: That war Veterans are violent, unstable, and dangerous. I explained why that simply isnt the case, and how those aspersions can hurt Vets and deepen the divide between us and civilians.
Thursday, the national media moved a step closer to establishing this unfortunate characterization as conventional wisdom in the newsroom. USA Today, a national newspaper second to only the Wall Street Journal in distribution, published a story with a headline brimming with violent imagery:
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.va.gov ...
Excerpted out of ignorance, so hold the flamethrowers please.
Here's the link to the USA Today article in question...http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-01-24/police-training-combative-veterans/52794974/1
The blogger does a pretty good job of dissecting this narrative, but USA Today should also hear from the veterans about perpetuating a stereotype.
“Excerpted out of ignorance, so hold the flamethrowers please.”
_______________________________________________
Bookmarking this excuse for the Blog Pimp Buster.
Question: if you knew going into this thread it was excerpted in ignorance, then does that mean you will post the ENTIRE blog in reply?
Thanks.
Blogpimps R us.
As I understand it, only about 5-10% of veterans saw combat. The rest performed back-office duties.
Yeah, my posting history is replete with pimping blogs.
It’s how I supplement my income, I get a kickback for every one I post here.
On 1970s TV, the psycho was always a Vietnam vet, always, on 60 minutes, Dateline type shows, the same.
Have you noticed that the 10,000,000 Vietnam era vets never showed up as sitcom Dads or as Grand Pa? WWII, Korea, those were, and are, just fine, for dad, or grandfather.
Everybody Loves Raymond could have Granddaddy sharing a fox hole in Korea, but sitcom families have never had lovable, cuddly, Vietnam vet grand fathers and dads.
I might, it depends on how “nice” you ask.
USA Today, as a “newspaper” is excellent as fish wrap - Just like the NYT, WaPo and a bunch of others. All are best used as garbagecan filler.
I am a vet with PTSD. I, and the majority of my fellow vets who have been diagnosed with PTSD have NEVER been involved in a domestic dispute with our spouse; have NEVER robbed a store, bank, or individual; have NEVER committed murder outside of war (and ONLY within the limits of what the rules of engagement allow!), but we are treated like this by the DBM.
And people wonder why we are angry and have PTSD!!
If this makes you as angry as it makes me, CANCEL your newspaper subscriptions and stop watching local and network news!! It only encourages them and puts more money in their pockets to keep pushing their uber-liberal agenda!!
Yep, just more of the same.
It’s a damned shame too. The vast majority of veterans return and blend right back into society as normal, productive citizens.
Rarely, if ever, does one hear about how much they contribute as a result of their service.
Troops to Teachers is one that comes to mind.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, I agree with your assessment of USA Today. It’s “news” for idiots and all that, but they have a HUGE circulation.
Hotels, airports, etc. Their message gets spread far and wide.
And that’s a large part of the problem here. They’re complicit in perpetuating the “myth” about veterans.
Thank you for your service and I wish you and all the others like you all the best in dealing with your PTSD.
The reality of the average Vietnam vet, aside from being a volunteer (70-75%) and unbeatable on the battlefield, is that he was better educated, and better adjusted and successful than the average non-vet.
This was based on percentage of intact marriages, home ownership, education level, average income, etc.
The book “Stolen Valor” is the best book on the Vietnam vet.
The current veteran story will be an improvement over the already successful story of the Vietnam vet, so the media is just doing their usual creating of a falsehood and imagery, to use in their narrative and propaganda for the next 20 years..
Sometimes our life resembles a comedy, and I'M a loveable & cuddly Vietnam Vet, or so says Mrs. BN. ;-)
I don't mean to be rude and I know that you have the best intentions by thanking me for my service. I'm a Vietnam vet and we were treated so badly when we returned that thanking me for my service has no meaning whatsoever to me.
Another FReeper has the answer, courtesy of her Vietnam vet uncle. Instead of thanking us, please just welcome us home. You won't believe the tears that brings to this old man's eyes.
There are "back-office duties" and back-office duties. In Vietnam, clerks, nurses, medics, etc., were in the camps in-country. They may not have gone out on patrols in the jungle, but they were subjected to the same shelling and rocket attacks as everyone else in the camp.
Does that disqualify them as "combat vets"?
There might be some problems with the blog in relation to the USA Today article, but I think the concept is solid. The government and the media consider veterans potential domestic terrorists. One need only consult the Homeland Security publication the Obama Administration had to withdraw. The withdrawal was prompted by veteran groups getting attention for an implication that all vets were potentially a latter day Timothy McVeigh.
Political obfuscation accompanied withdrawal, and no verbal or written statement rejected the document in detail. I maintain this mythology has become part of the culture of the left. The excruciating title is Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, and here is the link.
This country has come full circle since Vietnam. I was popularly regarded as a deranged, drug addicted, baby killing, fascist, pig. It seems the truth was presented in a History Channel show that the helo pilots reference. Here is the link to that.
Statistics about the Vietnam War (scroll down and hit words beside History Channel logo)
http://www.vhfcn.org/
Now my son who became a Marine rifleman holds popular distinction as a despondent, mentally challenged, chemically dependent, cold blooded, killer. And if you find that characterization inaccurate consult, John Kerry, Jack Murtha, and the VA answering machine.
Well, who am I to begrudge a veteran a simple request...
Welcome Home soldier.
FRegards,
SZ
I was thinking of a guy whom the media characterized as a ‘ticking time bomb’, who had actually spent his time in Iraq as a bureaucrat in a secure base. Sure, the base could have been attacked, but it was pretty secure overall.
Thank you, kindly, my FRiend.
It’s good to be home.
We were never welcomed bck after our tour of duty was completed other than by being called nasty names, spit on and denied jobs because we served in ‘Nam. It wasn’t the most fun time in my life.
Sounds like we are birds of a feather. I was Navy aviation flying aboard P-3s and later working on EA-6Bs, 1967 - 1974. Like you, I am very familiar with how we were treated. It is the primary source of my PTSD.
Welcome home, my brother! Welcome home!
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