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dear oldvirginian,

Your response is sound.

As a Viet vet, I can tell you, that any kid from the upper middle class on up, had in their corner, a parent willing to bend the Selective Service law, as they could. If they could not bend the law, they found a voice, if there was one, in an old military acquaintence, lobbying that little Johnnie be found a nice quiet stateside niche, in a do-nothing field, preferably at one of the many ‘stationed till they retired’ bases.

Now, in that same vein, because of the ‘little Johnnies’, I worked with a once-retired-and-then-reactivated-by Congress senior master sergeant, while at the base in SouthEast Asia.

I want every politician, at every level, to have their sons, and now daughters, too (since it is the law, only), to serve in the military, in the theaters of operations, and not stateside, and suffer the horrors and losses, as John Q. and Jane Q. Public have done throughout the years of this nation, through their selfish whims and desires for war.

Me? 635th Combat Support Group, Royal Thai Naval Airfield U-Tapao, Rayong Province, home of the B-52, 1971 - 1974, rode the fence on the back 40.

Lastly, Pfc., Andrew Chowka, USMC, 1969, The Wall. My neighbor, my friend.

Thank you for your reply.
And thank you for your service.
As I was declared legally blind in one eye, I was disqualified from service, even though I attempted to join.

I grew up around WW2 veterans and knew more than a couple veterans of Korea and Vietnam.

I heard stories of the pampered sons of officers and politicians who would blow through a units area in a week or two to get the much valued “field command experience” that would look good on their personnel file.
The battle tested vets would suffer the ignorance of the pampered class (usually Academy grads) while trying to stay alive.

It happened in WW2, Korea, Vietnam and no doubt Afghanistan and Iraq.

I have read that the first Iwo Jima flag, the small one, ended up on the wall in a senators home.
Regardless of the men who died there, a politician wanted the trophy. Like he actually had something to do with raising it.

I blame Hollywood as well.
Remember when Sgt Alvin York, Audie Murphy, Admirals Halsey and Nimitz were portrayed as heroes?
I do.

Instead we now have deserters, homosexuals and other deviants held up as “heroes”.

We have lost our moral center.
I hope there are some good officers left.
A few who so love the service they will hold on and suffer while they must for the opportunity to save our military and it’s history later.
To restore the training and traditions that are the hallmarks of a war winning military.

For every pampered child of well to do parents, there are a hundred men and women who will do the hard work, suffer the pain and win.

I really believe it is darkest before the dawn.
Right now it is pretty darn dark, but hopefully the light of dawn is not far off.