Investigate the Winter Soldier Investigation

American Thinker ^ | October 09, 2007 | Denis Keohane

[vietvet67]

It's being called ‘Winter Soldier Syndrome.' The phrase refers to slanders of American soldiers and Marines made by people who also make fraudulent claims about their own military experiences. Michelle Malkin writes:

"Winter Soldier Syndrome will only be cured when the costs of slandering the troops outweigh the benefits." She is right up to a point, but it is more serious than that. It is not just the perpetrators who are causing the problem. A large and sometimes influential part of our society has been enabling and protecting these attacks on those who risk their lives to defend ours. This has been going on for almost four decades.

Winter Soldier Syndrome uses the same mechanism as racial and ethnic bigotry: tarring an entire group because of the misbehavior of a few. To understand why this is happening today, we have to understand how this came about, and why.

On April 5, 1971, Republican Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon, an outspoken opponent of the War in Vietnam, issued a statement calling for Congressional investigation of the claims made at the Winter Soldiers Investigation (WSI). The WSI was an event arranged by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). Over three days, from January 31 through February 2, 1971, depending upon sources, between 106 and 200 men who claimed to be Vietnam Veterans delivered testimony about widespread and horrific atrocities committed by themselves and other American troops in Vietnam. Hatfield had been given a complete text of those testimonies and requested that it be placed in the Congressional Record, which it was.

[bert]

” I loathe the military” Hillary Clinton

[Doctor Raoul]

Today’s attempt to “Winter Soldier” this generation is called “Collateral Damage” and Wesley Clark is up to his eyeballs in it.

[benjamin032]

Until we (Conservatives) learn to hold the same kind of organized “information” campaigns as liberals we will never win this debate. When the Veterans For Freedom and Truth (a fictional/hypothetical organization) comes out and demands to be heard by Congress we will be ignored. Even if it were to happen it would at best be down-played. Imagine the powerful statement made by thousands of veterans speaking for the continuation of our presence in Iraq. What impact, if properly reported on, would that have. The problem is, most of us don’t feel the need to be in the spot light as much as Hanoi Jane and Vietnam Veteran John Kerry, who was in the Vietnam War by the way. No less than 6 members of my immediate family have deployed to one or both theaters of this war, and each of us is proud of our service. Let’s see that on CNN, then we’ll all go skiing in Hell.

[Loud Mime]

The Founding Fathers are screaming at us to do the right thing. We need to put these modern tyrants out of power.

[popdonnelly]

An investigation like this will not be done by a Congress controlled by Democrats. Any investigation will have to occur outside of Congress.

[Lucky Dog]

... Veterans For Freedom and Truth (a fictional/hypothetical organization) ...

In fact, there more than a few, real, veterans' organizations that could "step up to the plate." For example, consider the VFW, the American Legion, etc. Rather than try to create, yet, another veteran's organization, why not use those "on the ground" already?

All this is required is for the leadership in these organizations to take a stand and call for their membership to "show up." Of course, the MSM would have to cover it for it to be effective, a highly questionable proposition.

A secondary consideration, which I suspect would actually be the primary reason, that none of these organization will step forward, is whether or not such a stand would politically hurt their advocacy for other veteran causes.

Nonetheless, the concern for supporting a majority of their member's viewpoints, integrity and patriotism out be the driving motives for these organizations. Until it is, I doubt creating another veteran's organization will hellp much.

[benjamin032]

Lucky,
I agree with your second point completely. Those bodies are lobbying organizations for veteran’s benefits, regardless of political affiliation. As a VFW member I agree with the concept, I would want our benefits advocated for regardless of political opinions.

By nature conservatives are not the rally and demonstrate type. It is hard to be dignified in the face of such hysterical rhetoric.

[Lucky Dog]

I'll support it if you will...

I am not currently a member of any organization exclusively for veterans except MOAA.

However, I qualify for membership in any of them including VFW. Additionally, I would join if any of them if they would step up to the plate on this issue.

[benjamin032]

Me too, heck I’d like to take part in a “Support Freedom” march. Can you imagine the chaos that would cause with the counter-march? Man that would be fun.

[USMCVet]

I'm glad that somebody remembers the BS artists of the Winter Soldier Investigation and John Kerry's part in that garbage - but the writer leaves out the most troubling part of that piece of history.

The WSI and the VVAW were sponsored by an outfit called the People's Coalition for Peace and Justice (PCPJ) a Communist Party front organization led by people like Irving Sarnoff and Dorothy Healey. The aims of the PCPJ and the other organizations like them were to give North Vietnam victory and they were in close contact with Hanoi throughout the Vietnam War. Jane Fonda was a member of the PCPJ, as was David Ifshin and others that went to Hanoi as part of the "People's Peace Treaty" delegation.

The unwritten part of the Vietnam War history is the treasonous activities of groups like the PCPJ and the New Mobe and their manipulation of the so-call peace movement.

The VVAW was only a bunch of hapless tools to be used by the pro-enemy activists and most of them were wanabees that just liked wearing parts of their uniforms and getting attention.

Those same groups exist today and have the same motivations (except for the part Moscow played). Pay attention to who may be funding, supporting, and guiding these "antiwar veteran's groups".