Letters to the Editor

• Our Vets And The Right Wing Crimes

  [Read the article: Bulletproof politics]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  Nixon, Ford and the Repubs bailed on the Vietnam vets, now Bush and the Repubs will and are bailing once again on our vets.

  I am SCREAMING MAD that the wealthy get tax cuts while our vets get ignored and left to dangle in the wind. To hell with the 8100 families that control America. Our vets put their lives on the line by going to war, the lives and comfort of their families, they get maimed many for their entire lives and ask for very little. But they get far less than just compensation for what they have given to protect our country.

  Remember that it takes three generations before vets families recover from the damage caused by war and the endless fear of never knowing when your going to die. For many/most vets that fear is locked in their psyches for a very long time.

  The vets experiences not only do damage to them but also results in damage to their families. Some/many vets and their families never recover.

  My Dad was a merchant seaman during WWII serving on board Liberty ships which carried munitions, fuels, tanks, planes in wooden crates. This was considered by many experts to be the most hazardous duty of WWII. The life of a Liberty ship was 21days and after that they were on borrowed time. Dad served for three years aboard them, wondering when the nazi torpedo was going to end their lives.

  My Dad and our family (I am 63yrs old in three weeks) are still carrying the damage done by his war time experiences. Mom has never gotten over it she had to face my birth without him and is angry to this day, even though she completely understands why he could not be with her and share her fears of giving birth. Mom's thinking may sound a bit irrational but that is exactly what war and all it's related fears does to both the vet and his/her family.

  My brother, sister and I are the first generation after my parents war experiences, I never had children(wonder why) my nieces and nephews are the second generation and their children will be the third generation. All of us show lifelong after effects from my parents war experiences.

  My brother was a Marine Sgt. in Vietnam, who never saw direct combat during his year in country but everyday there was incoming and sniper rounds to worry about. He lived each day never knowing when the incoming mortar rounds or sniper bullets were going to find him.

  I can see the effect it has had on his life and that of his children. As a psychologist the effects are obvious to me. Like my Dad, my brother never talks about their wars. My brothers war is my war even though I never left Ohio I also never forgot the entire year of worry that we all endured, waiting for the shoe to drop. Then there was about six months of worry for my cousin who also served a year tour in Vietnam. Since their time in country overlapped somewhat we were spared approx six months of worry.

  In my case 'holding my breath for 18 months was something I never got over as I never stopped holding my breath and still am.

  That my friends is the often never ending ripple effect of war. I was born in 1943, am almost 63yrs old and the ripple is still going on in me and I was not even over there. Again the effects of war is in us and my brothers and sisters children, there are no grandchildren yet, I wonder why.

  I hate these damn wars. I am beyond hate when the war is illegal and for Bush's fanciful whims and for the Repub parties desire to stay in power. That is a completely criminal use of our troops. But to deny them proper equipment and proper medical, mental and family care is way beyond criminal and is a totally unforgivable abomination.

  Bush and the Repubs are not at all pro-life they are only pro-birth. After that the life of families, children and the lives of our vets and their families and children is of no consequence. All they care about is money and political power. And any Dem who votes for the Bush/Rethug agenda is equally guilty.

  Well, once again I have run on.

  It is our responsibility to see to it that our vets and their families are as fully protected as possible. Lest they also become the homeless who live on the streets just as do so very many Vietnam vets.

  LET NO ONE in any way decry or diminish the military service of people like John Kerry, Max Clelland, John McCain, Jack Murtha, Tammy Duckworth or so many others.

  The scum like Jean Schmidt(R-Cinn, Oh.) and so many/most of the Repubs ought to be screamed out of congress and have their homes picketed 24/7/365 until they are out of congress.

  Also all those Americans who voted for the Rovian Rethugs who do this should have to spend the rest of their lives doing community service for our vets and their families and should be forced to visit veterans hospitals as part of their lifetime of community saervice. Then quite possibility they will not be so quick to support war presidents who claim to be christians or even claim to be Jesus Christ as Bush does.

  Wake up you Repub dummies of the religious right christian fascist fundies.

  Permalink Sunday, October 1, 2006 01:43 PM