Dear Soldier: - Democratic Underground

SoCalDem

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Thu Aug-07-03 12:51 AM
Original message

Dear Soldier:

Edited on Thu Aug-07-03 01:17 AM by SoCalDem

Dear Soldier,

Fist off, let me say how proud of you I am.. You went in harms way and acquitted yourself admirably.. There is one thing that bothers me a little. We hear all the time, thanks to our gung-ho media, that you all respect and admire our current president more than anything..

The presidency is an office to be respected, but you are probably aware that sometimes people get into office that should not command respect. The media loves to tell us how the morale was at an all time low during the Clinton administration, because you did not respect him. Undoubtedly, the message that he was a draft-dodger must not have set well with a military person. Did you ever research that claim and find out what the truth was??

If you are unfamiliar with the draft system that was in effect during the Viet Nam era, I would advise you to do a little research.. A brief explanation is this:.. Young men were issued a number that coincided with their birthday. Clinton had a very high number and would never have even BEEN drafted.. The time he spent in England, was NOT as a draft dodger, as Rush Limbaugh and others would have you believe, but as a RHODES SCHOLAR.. Remember too, that he had NO rich and powerful Daddy to pull strings for him.. Did he use that scholarship as a deferment?? You Betcha.. Like millions of other young men of that era, he did not want to go to Viet Nam.

Are you familiar with the term “Chickenhawk”?.. You might want to google that phrase someday when you are surfing the web.. You would find out that the very ones who are ordering military strikes all around the globe and who are so fast and loose with YOUR lives, ARE chickenhawks. These are the ones who overtly AVOIDED service when it was THEIR time to go, and yet, have NO difficulty sending you and your friends to fight.

George Bush was “leapfrogged” over thousands of young men who were on a waiting list to get into the Texas Air National Guard.. He was assigned immediately, and you can bet your life that some unfortunate guy who did NOT get that slot, ended up in Viet Nam.. While Bush was at the TANG, he stuck around long enough to learn to fly an OBSOLETE plane that would have ensured that even if the unit had been called up, his lack of training in current aircraft would have “protected” him.. At the very time that the TANG started requiring drug testing in the physicals, George decided not to take the physical, and was grounded.. Shortly after that he decided to take time off.. About 18 months time off… DURING A WAR.. What would happen to YOU if you chose a similar tactic??

People join the military for many reasons. Some people like guns.. Some people like adventure.. Some people have a hard time finding a decent job back home that will give them the benefits that a military career can offer.. There are probably as many reason to join up as there are soldiers..

It’s true that we have a volunteer military, and that’s a good thing, but are you aware that reserve and guard units are being used to provide “cover” for the politicians who KNOW that our military is stretched thin and getting thinner every day? The politicians know that if they really did what was necessary and ordered a draft again, they would lose their cushy Washington DC job..

There are forces at work that most people do not even know about, and it pains me to see our military being used as a security force for a few power hungry corporations. The same corporations who were awarded (without bids) the billions of dollars in contracts for the “clean-up and reconstruction” of the middle east wars, are the SAME corporations who DID BUSINESS with the corrupt leaders that you were sent to depose. These companies are also the ones who benefit from making the weapons that you are using to force the corrupt governments into submission. These companies win on BOTH sides.. They build it, they supply it, they build the bombs that destroy it, and THEN they get more contracts to build it up again. These are deals made in secrecy, because if the media ever covered these deals thoroughly, the citizens would rise up.

The USA needs a strong military, and we are lucky to have dedicated people like you protecting us, but remember also, that once your time is up in the military, we do not treat veterans that well.. Sure we turn out for parades and the politicians give lip service to all the wonderful “programs” they intend to enact for you , but when push comes to shove, you are on your own.. The shots that they insist you take, may permanently damage your health, but by then they will not care about you..

The Viet Nam Era soldiers were injured by Agent Orange, and the Pentagon, just kept stalling and stalling, and more or less called them goldbrickers and liars.. The military approach was to wait until most of them were too sick to continue the fight, or they were dead.. Lots of these young soldiers came back with damaged DNA and their babies were born with lifelong and devastating birth defects..

Today’s soldiers are exposed to depleted uranium in the field and when handling munitions.. The military scientists say it’s “safe”.. Does exposure . daily, to radioactive materials really sound like a safe practice? Do the generals and top brass handle these radioactive materials?? Probably the biggest risk they take is from a paper cut while shuffling requests to rotate home..

The same is true for Gulf War Syndrome. They are reluctantly admitting that it may actually be the reason for health issues, but you can bet your life that they will still try to disallow your disability claims for as long as they CAN.. For you older soldiers nearling retirement, you DO know, don’t you, that if you are released with a disability, the amount of money you receive for that service-related disability will be DEDUCTED from the military pension that you have earned in service to your country?

One issue that is rarely given the credence it deserves is post traumatic stress, too. Soldiers see the most horrific things and when they get home, they are expected to pick up their lives as if they were just at the hardware store or at the office. Everything you see and everything you are asked to do in battle, will settle in the crevices of your brain, and it will be there ALWAYS. Will your psychological care be available to you when the time comes for you to “deal with” what you have lived through?? Your family’s future and happiness may depend on that care being available.

All I am saying is, don’t be so ready to buy into the propaganda that you are exposed to.. Do some independent research and somewhere in the middle lies the truth..

Soldiers during the 1950’s were told that the nuclear blasts that they were ordered to watch, would not hurt them.. Most of them are dead by now, and their medical claims were rarely recognized as service-related..

Right now you are young and invincible, but you will not always be that way.. Look upon your leaders with respect, but do not confuse respect with blind faith.. They may act like Gods, but they are not..

The people “back home” who protest against war are not the enemy. We are the ones who have seen what happens AFTER the wars or know how devalued the soldier becomes once the war has gone on too long , or is declared over, but soldiers remain..left behind..

We know that you will acquit yourselves admirably and do your best to get home safely. That is our wish for you . It has always been what we wanted for you. . To be HOME.