War Protesters

Again we go thru what many generations of Americans endure, the court of public opinion.

I was branded a "baby killer" in my day, I did what my country by law of the time required, and was and will allways be seen in the light of public opinion a "baby killer" by many of my generation, and now as history is revised, by future generations.

I show none of the hatred toward those who accuse me, and in many cases convicted me and those like me in thier court of public opinion, yet many of my generation will immediately to this day recoil from me when they find out I was in Vietnam, they after all these years still many show that hatred bred all those years ago.

Our War Protesters do serve a function in our society, yet many if not all have ever seen a war thru a soldiers eyes, they feel they can judge todays soldiers, sailors, airman and marine along with us veterans by what our media tells them, not by what we as veterans of war quietly put into our closet of memories we care not to open again.

I am disappointed in the Smitty's attacks on the soldiers and again the "baby killer" brand again placed by agenda on those who like myself are only doing what they as volunteers under the laws of our country are sent to do.

Did we brand our Grandfathers, murderers, or baby killers as they bombed German and Japanese cities and killed upwards of 50,000 civilians in one raid (research the civilian deaths of Hamburg,Dresden, Hiroshima, Nagasaki)no then they were seen as heros, fighting the evil Nazi, or Japanese.

Only recently has this trend of treating the individual soldier as a criminal based on a political agenda been seen as correct.

For all who feel safe and who use thier protected rights here in America to protest, a right many Americans have in the past died to protect, just take a moment during thier protest to realize that somewhere else in the world someone else wants to protest thier governments actions, and thier governments soldiers are sent to ensure they do not exercise that right, while we American soldiers still stand guard to ensure and protect your right to do so.

So until the day comes where American War Protesters point their anger at all who see war as an answer, from North Korea, to Radical Islam, to Communist China, as well as many other wars and nations who use war across our world, we veterans will continue to question your morality, is it a true anti war protest, or just an anti American protest based on a political agenda.

Opinion brought to you by a convicted by the court of public opinion "baby killer" of a war long ago and far, far away, and in the eyes of many of his generation sentenced to life.

oldsoldier wrote: I am disappointed in the Smitty's attacks on the soldiers and again the "baby killer" brand again placed by agenda on those who like myself are only doing what they as volunteers under the laws of our country are sent to do.

Explain this comment before I earn my first strike for flaming you very, very thoroughly.

You're in a dream world. I AM PROTESTING Saturday, but it isn't the soldiers, it is the war in Iraq itself. I am also one of the guest speakers. I am supporting my brothers by making sure the government doesn't get too comfy with the daily body count as long as the Halliburtons and Carlisles get rich. You evidently value following your political party's agenda more than the troops.

I wrote this letter, it should explain my position pretty thoroughly:

Editor, the Gazette:

March 19 marks the second anniversary of the war in Iraq. The country is as divided about the war as it is about many political issues. Some people have agreed with the war from the start. Others of us have protested.

The war is not a political debate. Let us be united in one wish, to get it over with and bring our soldiers home. Top level government officials from the CIA to the Army have said we are no closer to ending this quagmire than when it started two years ago. We need to send a message to the president we will not tolerate another Vietnam.

On March 19, Circleville Friends (Quaker) Worship Group and People for Peace will read the names and hometowns of the 1,500 Americans killed in Iraq from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pickaway County Courthouse in Circleville. I am a former Army captain who served in a combat zone, and there will be numerous veterans at this peaceful protest, right along with true pacifists. If you are afraid of some stigma of protesting, you could not ask to be in finer company whatever your political leanings. I ask you to support the troops and honor the fallen in this peaceful demonstration.

goodsmitty

Edited by goodsmitty

I think that the war in Iraq was a worth while war, although now that they have their own goverment i think that we should pull out most of our troops and keep a small reserve to watch over the country and build up THEIR military. I also believe that you werent a "baby killer" OS you are and were a very brave man that answered the call of duty and stood up for our country and our countries rights and beliefs. In my eyes OS you are and will never be called a "baby killer" or a man that went in to the military to kill kill kill. Just last week my science teacher said that I am going in to the marines when i get out of highschool so i kill people for the fun the kill. That really really made me mad and got me in deep trouble. But no, you arent a "baby killer" you answered the call of duty and protected your right to speak freely, PROTEST, and do what ever you damn well please if you want to.

I honor you and your curage and all the brave men and women in the service and i pray to god that we will have none of them killed in action. You have the right to protest the war, please protest the war\, but never never call our brave soldiers "baby killers" for protecting your rights and our freedoms that we have in the United States of America.

MT. Vigilante wrote: Old soldier, I would just like to be the first to thank you for serving your country. My generation needs to be more thankful for what  men like you ( and in many cases women) do so that we can enjoy freedom.

MT. Vigilante wrote: <P =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4>Old soldier, I would just like to be the first to thank you for serving your country. My generation needs to be more thankful for what <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>men like you ( and in many cases women) do so that we can enjoy freedom. My father is over in <?:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region&g t; fighting right now and every time I see protesters saying bad things about our troops it makes me sick, they are all ungrateful and undeserving of the blood that has been shed in order to protect their freedom.

i have nothing but respect for veterans and for soldiers, however, just because you are a U.S. Soldier does NOT make you free from punishement because of YOUR individual actions, ex Torture of Prisoners. Just like in Nazi Germany, following your officers commands does not make you any less responsible IF you did something wrong.
And just because you protest the war doesn't mean you dont support our soldiers or hate them. I also don't approve of any other nations going to war for unjust reasons, I would protest if I was in Britian, or China, etc. etc.

OS, I agree with u 100%

People claim that D.C. is full of nothing but hipocrites but infact We are all hipocrites because certain wars are celebrated and revered as heroic while others are looked upon as unjust and immoral.

I am not Anti-War nor Pro-War...I am Pro America.

-I'm Out

What kind of idiot hates the soldier for a war they disagree with? Soldiers follow orders. I blame the politicians. I disagreed with the war in iraq, but once we were in it, of course i was all for the soldiers. The sooner done, the sooner they can come home and avoid being blown up by some religious fool.

Whats the point of protesting anyway? Nobody listens, or you get locked up for some nonsense charge (Republican National Convention)

You know, that story is obviously intended to show how stupid pacifism is, but it actually does a pretty good job of doing the opposite. 

The problem is that the people who need to understand the place of pacifism will never be able to extract that lesson from this story because they are too locked in their mindset, which is too bad.

Thor wrote: Why Military Force Is Sometimes Needed. Here's what you can do when you happen upon one of those stupid, naive, idiots that just can't seem to understand why force is sometimes needed: 1) Find the person involved in "no retaliation" type discussion. 2) Engage him in brief conversation, then ask if military force is appropriate. 3) When he says "No," ask, "Why not?" 4) Wait until he says something to the effect of, "Because that would just cause more innocent deaths, which would be awful and we should not cause more violence." 5) When he's in mid-sentence, punch him in the face as hard as you can. 6) When he gets back up to up to punch you, point out that it would be a mistake and contrary to his values to strike you, because that would, "be awful and he should not cause more violence." 7) Wait until he agrees that he has pledged not to commit additional violence. 8) Punch him in the face again, harder this time

Excellent idea my friend. Let their "non-agressiveness" protect them from getting knocked on their asses!

And OS, as I've said before, I have nothing but respect for you and any soldier (past, present, and future) that serves our country. I've got best friends in the Marines and the Air Force who are overseas in Afghanistan and Germany, respectively, and I pray for their safe return every day. But if they do not return, they will have died with honor.

So to OS, and any other vets/soldiers: Thank You.

I agree with Clark and Enos, however I do not see a reason to thank every troop that I come across. There are plenty of other people out there perpetuating freedom and safety, as well as education among the citizens of America. So thank your teachers and police officers...unless you're the type that just complains about them for doing their jobs. So why can't I complain about the job of a solider?