Musings of the Chronologically Challenged™ Fourth Generation

 
Today didn't start out for me as "Bash Kerry" day, but some blogs I visited brought the still-festering enmity of Vietnam vets against Kerry to my attention. An outstanding one of this genre came from Vietnam vet Joe Crecca, via link from John of Argghhh to Jennifer's A Collection of Thoughts.

Kerry Discussion: Thoughts of a Vietnam POW
From the mailbag, Ex-POW Joe Crecca shares his thoughts on John F. Kerry:
by Joe Crecca
29 Jan 04

The rigors and hardships of being a POW aside, I remember the so called "Peace Movement" and "Peace Marches" and "Rallies" that were taking place back home in the U.S.A. Our captors were more than willing, within their means, to provide us with any and all anti-U.S. and anti-Vietnam War propaganda. Without a choice in the matter, we listened to the "Voice of Vietnam" broadcasts by "Hanoi Hannah" and were shown newspaper and magazine photos and articles about those opposing the war back in the States.

One of the peace marchers' standard slogans was to, "Bring our boys home now and, alive." The warped thinking of such people was that by demonstrating against U.S. involvement in Vietnam, they'd be shortening the war and reducing the number of American casualties. These demonstrators would also try to make one believe that their efforts would bring POWs like me home sooner. They were utterly wrong on both counts not to mention the detrimental effect their actions had on the morale of our troops and our POWs.

John F. Kerry was not just one of these demonstrators. He was leading them.

Therefore, these so-called demonstrations for peace had the exact opposite effect of what they were purporting to accomplish. Instead of shortening the war, the so-called "Peace Movement" served only to protract the conflict resulting in a vastly greater number of Americans killed and wounded, greater economic burdens and longer periods of incarceration for Americans held captive in Vietnam. The war would have been over much sooner and with a much more favorable result if those in the so-called "Peace Movement" would have instead rallied behind the Commander-in-Chief to accomplish our mission and then, withdraw.

It is inescapable to think of the so-called peace movement and the anti-war demonstrators without also thinking how many fewer names there would now be engraved into the black granite of the Vietnam Wall if these same people had supported our efforts instead of trying to derail them. After all, fighting against a political regime that up to that time had murdered over a hundred million people couldn't have been all bad. But, John F. Kerry thought and acted differently. How many more names on the wall can he take credit for?

After the war ended, some of the war protesters hung on to their anti-war postures for a while. Some of them realized the errors of their ways almost immediately while for others it took twenty to twenty-five years.

But some, like John F. Kerry, have not realized there was anything wrong with what he did. Instead, he hopes we will see him as a courageous Vietnam veteran. I do not. He hopes we will admire his bravery. I do not. I remember him more for his misdeeds upon his return from Vietnam.

However, in the present political arena, he evidently has succeeded in gaining the support of some well-meaning but misled Americans. Given his past record, it is just astonishing that he has garnered any support from our nation's veterans.

I hope all will reconsider their support for Senator Kerry in light of his actions which were so detrimental to our Vietnam combat soldiers, sailors and airmen - many of whom are not here today to tell you themselves.

Thank you for considering my views. Please share what I have written with your fellow vets....

Joe Crecca
Vietnam POW
22 NOV 66 - 18 FEB 73

Posted by Jennifer at 04:59 PM

[Finding Jennifer's blog for the first time, it seems I have fallen into a gold mine of insight and wisdom from our veterans. Guess I haven't been in the right place at the right time before, but I'll not lose Jennifer again. Don't know how she gets so much information together in one place, but THANKS JENNIFER.]


AND THEN BETSY ASKED

"What is the chance that this news will get out into the major news media on TV?" The proverbial snow ball comes to mind.





posted by HCL at 9:46 PM