Posted on 05/01/2005 8:53:50 PM PDT by CHARLITE
STORIES ABOUT spat-upon Vietnam veterans are like mercury: Smash one and six more appear. It's hard to say where they come from. For a book I wrote in 1998 I looked back to the time when the spit was supposedly flying, the late 1960s and early 1970s. I found nothing. No news reports or even claims that someone was being spat on.
What I did find is that around 1980, scores of Vietnam-generation men were saying they were greeted by spitters when they came home from Vietnam. There is an element of urban legend in the stories in that their point of origin in time and place is obscure, and, yet, they have very similar details. The story told by the man who spat on Jane Fonda at a book signing in Kansas City recently is typical. Michael Smith said he came back through Los Angeles airport where ''people were lined up to spit on us."
Like many stories of the spat-upon veteran genre, Smith's lacks credulity. GIs landed at military airbases, not civilian airports, and protesters could not have gotten onto the bases and anywhere near deplaning troops.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
It really is such a great letter. I worked with Scott Swett and his veterans against Kerry group throughout the campaign. He's a great man. He emailed a copy of the letter to Bruce Kesler, whom some of you know. Bruce forwarded it to me, and I was very glad to have it to post right under this "zotable" Globe article. It's a terrific reply to Lembcke's whitewashing piece.
Incidentally, he said the same thing on his email to Bruce. "I'm not holding my breath that the Globe will ever print this," he said.
Hanoi Jane and Hanoi John slandered the thousands of U.S. servicemen who served in Vietnam as war criminals, rapists, murderers.
They are responsible for the spitting--they created the propaganda which motivated it.
They should be in Leavenworth for treason, as they actively gave aid and comfort to the enemy in time of war.
Comrade Lemke is recommended reading on the CPUSA site.
I dunno, I always wondered about those stories. Spitting on a young, fit, fighting male sounds like more courage than leftists generally display.
Exactly. Well said, Phil. Not enough emphasis is placed upon this irrefutable truth. Jane Fonda, John Kerry and the VVAW group which included the author of this denial piece with the help of Uncle Walter at CBS all set up the climate for the abuse of our veterans when they returned from their nobel, heroic and thankless tours of duty.
Swiftie Kerry ran over there, trained out of harm's way for the first month, so actually only saw 90 days of "real" duty, and from what I've learned, he ran away from trouble whenever he had a chance. The only time he presumably pursued the "enemy" was that one incident when an already severely wounded teenager was fleeing Kerry and our triple Purple Heart winner shot the kid in the back.
I'm sure that nobody spat upon John False Kerry upon his triumphant return to the States.
Correct.
The libs did lots of things, including telling my me and my elders sisters that my dad (USAF Vietnam) was shot down.
I have a VERY personal recollection of this event.
Also, as a Gulf War vet (me), coming back to college in Boston --- while I did not get spit on, I certainly got things like "Gee, you don't seem like you enjoy killing babies," doors that close suddenly, dirty looks, etc.
Liberals. So tolerant.
Thank you for your service, Kelly. from a VietNam-Era vet.
Bump!
If they don't print it you get $5.00.
Well, okay.
Where do you plan to get the $100?
IMHO your doubts are unfounded. The Servicemembers involved were under strict orders not to retaliate - especially while in uniform. The Pentagon was so cowed by the anti-war protestors and their allies in the MSM that no fight - no matter how justified - would have been portrayed in a fair manner.
As recounted in the letter above the documentation of "spitting" incidents is legion. Including the testimony of members of this forum.
It is like taunting a tiger in the zoo. The bars that prevented retaliation were the discipline that the soldier/sailor/airmen/Marine had inculcated in their training. By not fighting back against the smelly hippy he kept faith with his brothers-in-arms still in harms way.
Regards,
TS
It's a win-win. If the Boston rag prints your outstanding letter you win. IF they print the letter I get $100 bucks from you and I win!
If they don't print the letter you still get $5.00.
What could be better?
;-)
TS
Excellent letter. Thank you. I will happily pay you the five bucks if they print it.
Outstanding!
TS
I think I would have preferred being spit on. At least I would have had a throat to wrap my hands around. Far worse than spitting was the assumption we were somehow damaged goods, had committed routine war crimes, and the unwillingness to treat any of us as normal men, home from a war and wanting to get on with our lives.
Now I'm confused. I thought I was betting they wouldn't print it.
The Boston Globe? Isn't that the paper that stoked the fires of hate against US citizens and military when they published discredited "prison abuse" photos AFTER THE FACT that were sourced from an internet porn website?
Can you tell I was a dim in a former life?
I hope they do print the letter!
Z
There weren't back alley abortions. Who went into an alley for such a procedure? They were conducted in offices without disclosing the procedures to the public.
Revised wager -- I'll pay you a hundred bucks if they print it, so you can pay off The Shrew.
You mean that picture of her sitting on the gun thats the front cover of her new book?
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