The Blog from the Core - More Vietnam Veterans Contra Kerry

More Vietnam Veterans Contra Kerry

Joe Crecca, a POW in Vietnam, writes at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer today.

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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 United States.

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, "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.

These demonstrations for peace had the exact opposite effect of what they purported to accomplish. Instead of shortening the war the "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 "peace movement" would have rallied behind the commander in chief to accomplish our mission and then withdraw.

Many fewer names would be engraved into the black granite of the Vietnam Memorial if these 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 more than a hundred million people couldn't have been all bad. But 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, but it took others 20 to 25 years.

Some, like 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 people will reconsider their support for 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.

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Power Line also blogs today a message from another veteran:

As a Viet Vet (USAF 460th TAC Recon Wing, 16th and 12th TAC Recon Squadrons July 4, 1967 to Feb 12, 1968, home base Tan Son Nhut), I have been interested in the postings on John Kerry's service. The more so because I was in VVAW with Kerry for 1971 and 1972....

And John Betts writes today to tell me he has blogged a photo of John "F" Kerry with "Hanoi" Jane Fonda. (Kerry is in the background, but, then as now, he's quite distinctive.) Just Your Average Catholic Guy also blogs Kerry's Vietnam stance irks veterans, a letter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jan. 29.

(I must admit, I'm surprised that one can find so many anti-Kerry columns by Vietnam veterans in mainstream-media newspapers; I guess they're trying to get them out of the way, so to speak, early in the race.)