a reply to:
swanne
As a US veteran (4 Yrs/Hon Dschg) who became aware that my compliance (In 1966 the draft existed.) in serving was a kowtowing to effing crazy people,
I have become unafraid to use the systems that enslaved me.
These are systems that YOU support.
Why did I become so disenchanted with the 'honor', 'tradition' and substance of our military?
Glad you asked.
In 1967 I was stationed in Georgia where I became a friend of an Air Traffic Controller. He had returned from Viet Nam. He was able to go into Saigon
(Ho Chi Minh CIty) nightly and was dating a woman whose mom owned a hotel. They would sit on the roof and watch the evenings' fireworks and sip Mai
Tais.
The owner took an hour, EVERY day, to join them for her hour of relaxation. One night she was interrupted by a manager. She abruptly stood and
departed. She returned shortly.
My friend asked about why she allowed for this. She stated she had to pay off the Viet Cong. My friend became upset as he ranted about the evil of
these folks, that they wanted to ruin her and that the USA was spending trasure and blood to maintain her little empire.
Her reply, "Where is the Officers Club?"
"A couple blocks away."
"Were they ever bombed?"
"No."
"Did you ever consider why?"
So the war (Police Action) that McNamara (Sec of DOD then) admitted publicly was based on BS, which killed my friends and inconvenienced the crap out
of me, was BS even in it's execution.
So don't honor me. I accept your payoffs.
Honor yourselves and stop letting these psychopaths tell you it's GOOD that we kill. That we MUST kill. That all of your monies are needed to support
KILLING.
That they do not send their own to participate is cause enough for you to run from them.
As to my fellow veterans, some of you are worthy individuals. I've met you by the thousands. As a group we may be better than average in SOME things.
If you still think that your service made you a better person-then you must have been a serious mess prior to entry.
We were on fools' missions.
Your world, that you helped to create through compliance and complicity, is a freaking mess.
While we as individuals may be alright, as a group, we do not deserve to be prideful. Our Oath has been turned against us and used as a device to
justify the current regimes.
"They died for you." No they didn't. They died screaming and regretful. They didn't plan on being planted and subsequently praised. They just
couldn't escape it.
(I know about genuine heroes and some DO exist. In general, when you speak to them, they will tell you circumstances dictated what eventually gave
them the bravery accolades. Every one of them that I interviewed were scared poopless but didn't see much in the way of options.)