FYI, the following letter was sent today by National Commander Morin to the Los Angeles Times in response to the editorial below it.
Letters to the Editor 260 Words The Los Angeles Times
Where will they come from?
Paul Whitefield’s not-so-Swift attempt at satire on Jan. 21 perhaps generated a few chuckles around the Los Angeles Times editorial desk. The Vietnam War veterans he ridiculed and stereotyped, however, are not laughing.
Whitefield’s “modest proposal” to send Vietnam War veterans to fight in Iraq borrowed its title from Jonathan Swift’s 1729 essay recommending that the Irish butcher and eat babies to reduce poverty. He further demonstrated his lack of originality by summoning yet another time-worn reference to Francis Ford Coppola’s fictional misinterpretation of the Vietnam War in “Apocalypse Now.” Two clichés, and we weren’t even past the headline which read: “Modest Proposal: Apocalypse again - call up the Vietnam vets.”
Apparently everything Mr. Whitefield knows about Vietnam he learned at the movies. His insensitive, inaccurate and insulting string of generalizations about the men and women who fought bravely for our nation during the Vietnam War, more than 58,000 of whom gave their lives for their country, adds nothing to our nation's critical debate over troop numbers in Iraq. And to dismiss Vietnam War veterans as a bunch of toothless, revenge-hungry “geezers” who “fought in the only war the U.S. ever lost” is a stretch of satire so wrong-spirited that it would appall Swift himself.
"Where the heck are we going to get 21,500 more soldiers to send to Iraq?" Whitefield asks. Most Americans know the answer. From the same source that has served our nation since its birth and serves this nation today in the armed forces - men and women far less cynical about the blessings of liberty.
Paul A. Morin National Commander The American Legion
MODEST PROPOSAL Apocalypse again -- call up the Vietnam vets Where else can Bush get 21,500 trained soldiers for his 'surge'? By Paul Whitefield, PAUL WHITEFIELD supervises the editorial pages' copy desk. January 21, 2007 LISTENING TO President Bush's speech on Iraq earlier this month, my first thought was: "Where the heck are we going to get 21,500 more soldiers to send to Iraq?" Our Reserves are depleted, our National Guard is worn out, our Army and Marine Corps are stretched to the limit.
Then it hit me: Re-up our Vietnam War veterans and send them.
They're trained. They're battle-hardened. Many already have post-traumatic stress disorder. Also, some have their own vehicles - Harleys mostly, which are cheap to run, make small targets and are highly mobile. I'll even bet that lots of these guys still have guns (you know, just in case).
OK, some vets are a bit long in the tooth (or don't have teeth - because of Agent Orange?). Or their eyesight isn't what it was. Or their reflexes have slowed. But with today's modern weaponry, how well do you have to see?
Too out of shape, you say? Listen, if Rocky Balboa can step back into the ring at age 60, all these Vietnam War vets need is a little boot-camp magic and they'll be good to go. I mean, who doesn't want to drop a few pounds?
Don't want geezers fighting for us? Well, let's face it, our young people have greater value right here. Most of us want to retire and collect our hard-earned Social Security, and we need those youngsters here, working and paying taxes - lots of taxes.
Finally, these Vietnam War guys are hungry for revenge. After all, they fought in the only war the U.S. ever lost. And they didn't even get a parade. So this is their chance. We can throw them that big parade when they come marching home.
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