Experts: Blumenthal tried relating to fellow vets (Experts? Really?)

AP ^ | 5-23-10 | JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN

[itsahoot]

In Texas Vietnam Veterans News, Volume 22, Issue I, Winter 2010. Portions of which got in my craw. Something fierce. And it has to do with the ubersoldiers. Something I just made up for the fakes that prance around and pretend they are vets and heroes. When they’re only mousy wannabe warriors without the consequence of ever serving in harm’s way.
In the “Who Claim to Have ‘Been There” department, it’s written in the issue:
• 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 (census figures).
• During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in country was: 9,492,958. (Those who actually served in country amounted to 2.7 million)
• As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. This is hard to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between ’95 and ’00. That’s 390 a day.
• During this census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not.
Stats such as the above make the hairs on my neck rise up. In my mind the pulpy and tacky idjits who claimed to have served in country are no better than those who would steal butter from a man that’s got hot pancakes coming.
But let’s read on. ‘Cause the Grim Reaper is closing in on the ones that did serve.
“Of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam; less that 850,000 are estimated to be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veteran’s age approximated to be 54 years old.
“So if you’re alive and reading this, how does it feel to be among the last one-third of all the U.S. Vets who served in Vietnam? Don’t know about you, but kinda gives me the chills, considering this is the kind of information we are used to reading about WWII and Korean War vets.
“So the last 14 years we are dying too fast, only a few will survive by 2015 … if any.
“If true, 39 VN vets die a day, on average. So in 2,190 days from today, you’re lucky to be a Vietnam veteran alive … in only 6 years.”
In my book, by the numbers, those are sobering statistics. And I salute the ones that served.
However, through the years I have met a number of supposed GIs that hid in imaginary root cellars, worked the bolt on M-16s, popped rounds as a door gunner, and rescued comrades in arms, yet stateside became legends in minds befogged by grass and other opiates and alcohol. Of those that boast with questioned-credibility, I only say, “Show me your DD-214.”
For those of us that can display a DD-214, at the oddest of times, we’ll recall the camaraderie of card playin’, horseplay, R&Rs, sights and smells of a strange little country … along with the horror of war … down the road.

[RVN Airplane Driver]

You really don’t have to see their DD 214...usually less than a couple of minutes of conversation is enough to reveal if they are phony’s or not....usually asking them who they were with and where were they at will do the trick!