Many Americans were proud of Vietnam soldiers
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Janet Wise
Published: September 13, 2008
I usually do not respond to letters to the editor, but feel I must respond to one Sept. 6 by Ellen DeSerres (“Lieberman is confused about his political party.”) There was one statement speaking of “John McCain coming home from Vietnam to such acclaim while other soldiers came home to derision.”
I am the product of a military father (retired Navy); I was raised in the ’60s and ’70s. Our family, as well as thousands of other families, was proud of every single military person who came home from Vietnam.
It is the same mindset of the ultra left-wing liberals today that had contempt and mocked our soldiers. The same ones that spit on our soldiers, that burned — and still burn — our American flag, that are not proud of anything American, that protested violently at the Republican National Convention and the same ones that broke into a recruiting office in Washington, D.C. and trashed it.
So, please, do not put me or thousands of other proud Americans in the same category as ones that did feel derision for our soldiers. Those same people felt the same contempt for all soldiers, including John McCain.
Even today, when I see a woman or man in uniform I go up to them and thank them for their service to this country.
I was taught to love this country, stand for the national anthem, with my hand over my heart, say the pledge to our country and mean it and be proud to be an American.
Janet Wise
Culpeper
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( copper ) on September 16, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Wonderbread, you better see what the Democratic Party stands for and is made of before bantering on in defense of them. You are thinking of the old Reagan democrats, not the modern day Christian hating, gun hating, people who do spit on and protest even at our Servicemen’s funerals. They are un- American and you need to open your eyes and see that Party for what it has become!
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Posted by ( copper ) on September 15, 2008 at 8:33 am
Right on Mrs Wise!!!!!!!!! You are correct, our Veterans never get the credit due for all they have done for us. Thank all those who served and sacrificed so that we may live in Freedom!!!
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Posted by ( buddy ) on September 14, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Janet, you may think by wearing a tee shirt with the American flag on it, having your hand over your heart over singing the National Anthem and belonging to the Republican Party makes you the only Patriot in the country. You are way off base. Liberal, left wing democrats also love this country and fight and die for it.
Mr. De Serres, Ellen’s husband, served in WWII while she worked and supported her children. Her son spent 2 tours of duty in Viet Nam, he has many metals of honor including 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronz Star , Air Medals with V Device with 47 Oak Leaf Clusters.
Since you usually thank service people and their families, perhaps you can thanks Ellen and her families for her patriotism and service to our country.
Ellen De Serres has earned her right to her opinion.
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Posted by ( wonderbread ) on September 14, 2008 at 7:49 am
Ah, again we hear the same kind of knee-jerk, pat reactions. One side lumps all of those who make one comment about a veteran into the same container - then you throw in the gasoline and light a match. Why is it just because someone points out that the men who returned from Vietnam were not welcomed back (publicly, with parades and ticker-tape) with open arms, that means it was a commie-pinko plot against them and all others who fought bravely for our country? Of course you were proud of your father and any other family member who suffered in the jungles and heat against the Vietcong! But, the establishment of the day did not bring back those soldiers with the same pomp and circumstance as they had a generation before. That’s history! And yes, there were protesters - and they took out their anger from the top leaders to the commons soldiers who came back. BUT - many more decent, hard-working Americans and their families were NOT “liberal” (you favorie ‘bad word’), hippie, flag/bra burning protesters who spit upon the veterans. Be proud of your dad.
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Posted by ( rjma ) on September 14, 2008 at 6:37 am
Good grief. She wasn’t saying you treatrf the returning Vietnam veterans with derision. But their homecoming from an unpopular war was generally not as appreciative as other more popular wars such as WW2 and the first gulf war. But that was not their fault. The demonstrators at the two conventions were a tiny minority of a tiny minority. Even most of them were non-violent.
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