Saturday, November 19, 2005

LETTER FROM A VETERAN'S DAUGHTER

This letter says alot about the Republican veterans who turn their backs on one of their own to back a lying, deceitful president.
From Buzz Flash:

No More Band of Brothers B.S.

By Marjorie L. Swanson

It was surprising during the Swiftboating of John Kerry that so few military people stepped forward in his defense. John Kerry served his country and for that he deserved respect and admiration. You didn’t need to agree with him, you didn’t need to vote for him, but as another member of the military you certainly should have respected his service.

Instead, a shameful campaign was launched to denigrate this man’s service and the medals that he received for that service. Any vet who voted for Bush after those shameful actions needs to never open his mouth again about any of this “Band of Brothers” B.S. Band of Brothers only if they agree with you? You find more loyalty in a rock band. Some brothers. Must come from a dysfunctional family.

Now another veteran has stepped forward and spoke his piece. Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania served his country all his life. Below is part of his personal biography.

U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha has dedicated his life to serving his country both in the military and in the halls of Congress. He had a distinguished 37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990; and he has been serving the people of the 12th Congressional District in Pennsylvania since 1974.

He learned about military service from the bottom up, beginning as a raw recruit during the Korean War. There he earned the American Spirit Honor Medal, awarded to fewer than one in 10,000 recruits. He rose through the ranks and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. In 1959, Captain Murtha took command of the 34th Special Infantry Company, Marine Corps Reserves, in Johnstown. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for Vietnam in 1966-67, receiving the Bronze Star with Combat "V", two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He remained in the Reserves until his retirement. He was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal by the Marine Corps Commandant when he retired from the Marines.

This tough old marine is now under attack by a bunch of people who never bothered to serve in the military of their country but are all too willing to let others fight and die.

If the people in this country who have served, as Congressman Murtha served, allow another veteran to be smeared by the lies and innuendo of a bunch of loud-mouthed cowards who never bothered to serve themselves, then the term "Band of Brothers" needs to be eradicated from the English language. If you do not stand up for your own, what possible unity do you represent?

Marjorie L. Swanson
Proud Daughter of One Who Served
Kenosha, WI

6 comments:

granny said...

Hey Ed, I can't remember where I put the post about FEMA and your state's tornado and I can't remember when it was.

I know you can find it, if you are around your computer would you put the link here or at dead or disabled on my blog.

I am so pissed.

Grandpa Eddie said...

Granny,
It's on it's way.

granny said...

Got it, thanks!

Maybe you could dig up those pics of the Secret Service refusing to let a former congressman and triple amputee Vietnam vet deliver a letter to Crawford.

Oh hell, I wish I knew where to find all the smears they ran against John McCain's Vietnam service.

Aren't a quarter of our homeless population veterans?

If you read my Dead or Disabled post, you might start to realize that we will have to make some more cuts to military housing allowances and close a few more Veterans hospitals soon, and the college money they promised our troops ran out so long ago that I know of a young lady here who had to re up because the funds were,'t there after she finished her first term.

Did you hear that bastard scold us because he doesn't think we have made enough sacrifices for his trumped up war to enrich his war profiteering social class?

I did not say friends on purpose. I don't think that he has any. He has social peers and paid puppetmasters.

Grandpa Eddie said...

Granny,
The guy is still a Congressman, and no I'm not sure where you could find those pics. Try Googleing it, that might give ya something.

I'm not sure what the percentage of homeless are vets. I do know that alot are Veitnam vets and the number increases daily with Iraq vets.

If that little weasel dosen't like the sacifices the troops and their families...as well as the rest of us...have made, maybe it's high time he and his family started making some sacrifices and got their kids to enlist and help him out in Iraq.

granny said...

Ed,
It's Max Cleland who is not a Senator anymore, Saxby Chambliss took his seat in one of those funny elections.

The weasel has not made a single sacrifice that I am aware of and I want to talk about that.

It is true that he is an arrogant ignoramous who treats people like rubbish and he has staffed government with people who do not respect this country or the people who made it what it is, but I think we are missing something something if we put too much emphasis on that.

I don't understand what it is that causes some people to have that enotional need to run to his defense. Well, I do, but I can't seem to type it out. It's almost as if half of this country is afflicted with Stockholm syndrome.

I want to be able to communicate that we have sacrificed more than lives, money and our immortal souls with this war. I would like it if the other sacrifices we make--shortchanging our children,our seniors, our workers, our infrastructure, our military readiness and our environment would come to mind every time anybody thinks about this war.

I think that almost everybody who have already decided that this war is wrong for so many reasons can waste years playing offence and defense against the greatest propaganda operation in the history of civilisation or we can start helping the people who haven't made that decision see that every photo op cost us a thousand textbooks or a thousand boxes of diapers or a hundred hungry working families.

I think that the weasel's use of the word sacrifice was very significant and that it triggers an emotional can do for the greater good reaction in a lot of people, especially the ones who are still standing behind this war's false premises.

What do you think, am I on to something or not?

Grandpa Eddie said...

Granny,
I don't think you're on to something, I KNOW you are.

I've been thinking the same thing myself and wondering if anyone else had picked up on it.

The thing is that the sacrifices that the people ...working stiffs and poor...have been making, for the most part haven't been voluntary. Most have been forced on us by the Bush administration and the Republicans in Congress with the blessings of Corporate America, the Christian Right, and the ultra rich who were given huge tax breaks so they wouldn't have to sacrifice as much as the rest of us.

I think it's time I did a big post on this subject. I may refer to your comment, and if so will make note of that in the post.

More people need to wake up and realize that this war has caused much more damage to this country than they think.

Thank you so very much, Granny.