Distorted Vietnam service has a long history
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/06/01/anti-vietnam-wannabe/
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
BY J Karl Miller
What a difference a few years makes. Throughout the 1960s, '70s and
most of the '80s, Vietnam veterans were portrayed as unemployable and
uneducated hicks, felons given a choice between prison and military
service, war criminals, youngsters brainwashed to believe they
performed a patriotic duty, or dead-end kids with no other options.
It was unwise to advertise one's veteran status, particularly in the
academic atmosphere; however, with the release of Sylvester
Stallone's "First Blood" and Chuck Norris' "Missing in Action" series
of movies, it became trendy to acknowledge or to fabricate Vietnam
service. Camouflage fatigues, jungle boots and scruffy, unkempt
appearance were the new "cool."
As the years went by, the "veterans" became younger and more heroic
you seldom met one who had not been Special Forces, Marine Recon or a
Navy SEAL. Were there no cooks, clerks or logistics personnel? In his
1998 book, "Stolen Valor," former Army 1st Lt. B. G. Burkett, a
Vietnam veteran, exposed and documented the cowards, counterfeits and
wannabes who "robbed the Vietnam generation of its heroes and history."
Not all of the fictions entailed posing as heroes by unauthorized
wearing of uniforms and unearned medals, false claims of Vietnam
service or fabricating combat experiences. Antiwar organizations
showcased a collection of actual and phony veterans to fabricate
tales of atrocities and exaggerate virtually all the myths of the
"Vietnam existence." Two prime examples of these charades were the
January 1971 "Winter Soldier Investigation" in Detroit by the Vietnam
Veterans Against the War and the "60 Minutes" June 1988 documentary
"The Wall Within."
That each was a sham, concocted by antiwar activists to cast the
military in a poor light, is well-documented in "Stolen Valor" and
other exposés. A typical impostor was Al Hubbard, executive secretary
of VVAW, who claimed to have been a captain wounded by ground fire
while flying a transport aircraft. In reality, he was an Air Force
sergeant who had never been in Vietnam. Many had never served in the
armed forces.
"The Wall Within" featured six "typical" Vietnam veterans whose war
stories included command-sanctioned rapes and murders,
behind-the-lines enemy assassinations and the resultant horror of
having to live with combat-induced post-traumatic stress disorder. Of
the six, three had actually served in Vietnam, and only one had seen
combat. An interesting sidelight to the "Wall": Dan Rather and CBS
were provided evidence that the six were pretenders; nevertheless,
the show went on.
Finally, when it appeared that we had seen the end in denigrating
Vietnam veterans along with a marked reduction in counterfeit heroes,
out of the woodwork appears David Blumenthal, Connecticut attorney
general and Democratic Party primary candidate for Sen. Chris Dodd's
open seat. He claims to have served as a Marine in Vietnam and to
have experienced the less-than-civil reception of that conflict's
returnees. The record reflects otherwise a 1970 enlistment in the
USMC Reserves and service in a Civil Affairs unit in Washington D.C.
Mr. Blumenthal has admitted that he "misspoke," that when he said he
served "in" Vietnam, he meant "during" that he was "unaware of
those misplaced spoken words." The local and national party apparatus
have joined in support of his candidacy; however, it is difficult to
ascertain the effectiveness of this damage control. There is a bond
of brotherhood among combat veterans they close ranks rapidly
against impostors. Few people respect one who misrepresents military service.
Perhaps Mr. Blumenthal can rationalize a difference between
"misspeak" and prevaricate (lie) or the lesser-included offense (fib)
in describing his service as a Marine. However, the stark experience
of combat among the "mud, the blood and the tears" of war cannot be
confused with planning drills and Toys for Tots drives.
Some will argue that this artful deceit is overstated one must look
to the "whole man" concept instead. In reality, it is evidence of a
serious character flaw, an apparent lack of integrity in one being
considered for election to the Senate. Moral relativism does not
inspire trust and confidence.
--
J. Karl Miller retired as a colonel in the Marine Corps. He is a
Columbia resident and can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
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