Spitting on Veterans

NY Sun ^ | February 6, 2007 | SETH GITELL

[neverdem]

Anti-war sentiment is moving dangerously close to a place America must never go — putting our anger on the soldiers that have been fighting the four-year Iraq war.

Some of this takes the form of minimizing what happened the last time American GIs returned from an unpopular war — Vietnam. Liberal commentators, such as MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, are diminishing the hostile treatment Vietnam veterans garnered when they returned from Vietnam.

On the air on Thursday, Mr. Olbermann disparaged the old report of Vietnam veterans being spit upon when they came home: "And, oh, by the way, there is not one confirmed case, not one, of Americans spitting on veterans returning from Vietnam."

Washington Post blogger William Arkin, meanwhile, went so far as to lay a condition for America's "support" of veterans. "These soldiers should be grateful that the American public, which by all polls overwhelmingly disapproves of the Iraq war and the President's handling of it, do still offer their support to them, and their respect," Mr. Arkin wrote. "Through every Abu Ghraib and Haditha, through every rape and murder, the American public has indulged those in uniform, accepting that the incidents were the product of bad apples or even of some administration or command order."

Let's state the obvious. First, Mr. Arkin's words are slanderous. To pluralize Abu Ghraib and Haditha and "every rape and murder" is unconscionable. True, there have been some misdeeds, acts as in Vietnam, where there was a William Calley, who was convicted in the murder of 22 Vietnamese civilians at the My Lai massacre. But in Vietnam there also was helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson who stopped Calley from killing even more innocents. The bulk of the American soldiers cannot be held responsible for the isolated wrong.

And, as for Mr. Olbermann, the point is...

[PzGr43]

>"And, oh, by the way, there is not one confirmed
>case, not one, of Americans spitting on veterans
>returning from Vietnam."
>

If you read autobiography of the times, there are plenty of mentions of being spat upon, insulted.

When you have citizens of the United States actually collaborating with the NVA intelligence services, to confirm information revealed under torture from downed US airmen in the Hanoi Hilton I think it is safe to expect that something like spitting at returning servicemen is not beyond them


--

"And then I realized...like I was shot...Like I was shot with a diamond...a diamond bullet right through my forehead...And I thought: My God...the genius of that."

[mitch5501]

"These soldiers should be grateful that the American public, which by all polls overwhelmingly disapproves of the Iraq war and the President's handling of it, do still offer their support to them..."

Prick

[Grizzled Bear]

After being bombarded by lies and hatred from the media and certain politicians isn't amazing to see pure, honest innocence and love?

When I am fed up I think of those kids. It gives me hope when I get discouraged about the future of our nation.

[RavenATB]

"When I am fed up I think of those kids. It gives me hope when I get discouraged about the future of our nation."

I agree, but I take as much or more faith when I see the uniformed heroes coming back from the chit-holes over in the sandbox. I used to think that the coming generation of adults would be the least of American generations. These young heroes have given me more hope and faith through the last five years than I could have ever anticipated. There's not one s-o-b in the Congress that I'd take in a fight as a substitute for any Marine or Army two-striper in Iraq today.

I was in Mount Horeb, WI about a month ago, and I ran across four Army Guard enlisted troops in one of the local bars. They were up there on a weekend skiing vacation, and there wasn't much snow to speak of, so they were recreating on bar stools. They walked up to the bar and were talking together about their time in Iraq, and they ordered four shots of Quervo. I stopped them, told the bartender to put the garbage away, put my wallet on the bar and told the bartender to keep pouring Cabo Wabo until my cash ran dry.

I'd never met any of them before, but when I told them I was A/D, too, it was like we were family. I told them I couldn't have been more proud of them if they were my own sons. It was one of the best moments in my life.

[Grizzled Bear]

I was speaking from an Military member's point of view of returning home. There have been times, when hearing keep hearing the BS from the MSM, I wonder what the hell are we fighting to defend.

You know as well as I that it's the kids, like the ones I described. Also; people you don't know who see you coming back from deployments and simply say thank you.

I know there are dirt bags who spit on our Veterans (literally and figuratively). It's important to remember our supporters outnumber them by far.

[RavenATB]

"It's important to remember our supporters outnumber them by far."

I hope you're right...

[Grizzled Bear]

I'm sure that I am. They just don't get much media coverage.