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Please Don't Miss and
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Sunday, 04 March 2007
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Will you welcome us home now?
Contributed by Bill Faith [Much of this is cannibalized from I wrote back during Kerry War 1, when I was a little healthier and a little better able to express myself. Maybe it will be new to most of you. I've added links to two "older" Russ Vaughn poems; will that buy me some forgiveness?] I've been amazed, and humbled, by the number of people who have told me recently, in emails, comments on my blog posts, and messages attached to donations, "Thank you for your service." To each of you: You're very welcome. I didn't do a lot, but I take pride in what I did and the fact that I was willing to do even that much. A clarification before I continue: As Russ Vaughn pointed out , heroes don't brag about it. That being the case, I'd be remiss not to point out that not everyone who doesn't brag is a hero. I'm not. Some of us just don't have all that much to brag about. We did our jobs and came home. Period. For every vet like Russ or 1stCav who've actually been on the pointy end of the stick there are several like me. Personally, when I arrived in Viet Nam I shuffled papers for six months before I volunteered for duty with the potential of becoming a bit exciting. I didn't volunteer out of heroism. At the time I had a very sincere death wish, due in no small part to the activities of John Kerry, Jane Fonda and their sorry ilk back in The World while I was away. I didn't get my wish but I haven't forgotten the reasons for it. The day I arrived home from Viet Nam I walked the breadth of the University of Illinois campus, in uniform and blackened by the Asian sun, primed and cocked, hoping some sorry S.O.B. would have a problem with it so we could "discuss" it. No one was that foolish, but the silence was deafening. There were no parades when my generation came home from the war. We snuck back into society quietly, afraid to attract attention to where we'd been, for fear of the consequences it might have for our families. I had a brother in college and a sister in Middle School who didn't deserve to be scorned because I'd done my job when duty called. A lot of others had similar circumstances. I was one of the lucky ones. I came home standing up and my family, at least, made me feel welcome. Too many came home in coffins or on stretchers. Too many came home to find they'd become outcasts within their own families, shunned by parents and siblings, and even children, who believed what the anti-America crowd said about them. When you meet a Viet Nam vet, or discover that you've known one for years, by all means say "Thank you for your service" if you're so inclined. But if you only say one thing, please say "Welcome home." We were robbed of that, and it still matters. Will you welcome us home another way? 2 November 2004, which a lot of us remember as " ," was a good start and much appreciated. Now we need your help again. The same anti-America scum that stabbed us in the back and spat on us when we came home, and their intellectual offspring, think they're going to use The Wall as an assembly point for an "anti-war" rally on 17 March and we've seen recently how much respect they have for our national symbols. There will be enough vets on hand to protect The Wall from harm, and I know some of the ones who'll be there will be willing to do to accomplish . My biggest fear at this point is that the situation could end up turning ugly if some leftist idiot doesn't understand the length's some of my fellow vets are ready to go to if they have to. The solution? We need to be represented in such overwhelming numbers that the anti-America crowd can't get anywhere near The Wall. Be there! If you can't be there, at least help spread the word to any and all who care about this country and the memory of my brothers who fell defending it. Will you do that for us? Please? Eagles up! Bill Faith |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 4, 2007 at 02:22 PM in , , , , , , , , | Comments Posted by: 1stCav Well said Bill! Thanks. Posted by: 1stCav | Mar 4, 2007 1:48:17 PM |