pyroguysr's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.swiftvets.com/ DECEPTIONS I have to bring this to everyones attention - even though I think there are only one or two people even reading these diaries anymore (whether it was because of my political rants or because people on the net have short attention spans is a matter of debate). I went to a site that I found interestingly droll... a site for "Pagan Republicans." On there, I found this: http://www.swiftvets.com/ You should go there. Cut and paste it to your address bar and go there. Read it. Even if you merely breeze through it or look at the pictures, go there.
Having read through that site myself and having said that, I need to give you a little background on lil ol' me... I volunteered for active duty in the U.S. Navy on February 9, 1972, exactly 10 days after graduating mid-term from high school. I was 17 1/2 yrs old, so wet behind the ears that I could have been considered an endangered wetland, green as a field of corn in August and in awe of anything outside of my own parochial world. I joined, partially out of patriotism, partially because it made my old man proud, partially because I wasn't ready for college, partially because I thought I'd get drafted anyhow and partially because I thought the Navy uniforms were "cool." While in boot camp, you are given what is called a "wish list." It's a list you make up of what sort of assignments you'd like. I had been told by a neighbor to sign up for the "Gator Navy," (anphibious forces... boats that shit Marines) but I wanted excitement and adventure. Yes, I'd read one too many action novels. I signed up for riverboat duty. When my company commander noticed it, he called me into his office. "Kus," he said, "Do you have a death wish?" I blinked, not quite understanding. He then proceeded to explain to me just what it was that I had volunteered for. He didn't make it pretty. In fact, he was fairly graphic about it. I was talked out of trying to be assigned to these "Swiftboats" and convinced that my neighbors assessment was the more sane of the two. "The Gator Navy travels more, visits more countries and generally has better duty!" he told me. I owe my life to that Chief. He's in his 60's now. I hope he's still alive as well. What was it that I'd tried to volunteer for? Riverboats, called "swiftboats" at this site, were high-powered, fiberglass-hulled gunboats (the precursor of the fast cigarette boats on Miami Vice) that patrolled the rivers in Vietnam. If you watched "Apocalypse Now" it was the boat that Danny Glover commanded and took Martin Sheen upriver on. The average crewmember of these boats had a life expectancy of about 8 months out of a 1 yr tour of duty. That fiberglass hull wasn't very good at stopping bullets, rockets or anything other than a fast-moving fly. I did argue with the Chief, though. I "wanted to kill commies." (Ah, that was my lovely Catholic School upbringing coming out!) Thankfully, this man DID talk me out of it and talked me INTO joining the "Gator Navy." I got to see quite a bit of the Asian side of the world, learn the cultures of 7 different countries, pick up 3 of the languages and stayed well offshore during my two tours of duty there. When my friends were heading off to Bloomington, West Lafayette or other college campuses, I was being flown overseas to that place called Vietnam. About a third of the way into my FIRST tour of duty, I decided I didn't like the Vietnam war but - I'd volunteered, so I sucked it up and tried to wait it out. When I arrived back in the States, I found it more dull than being overseas. At least the girls overseas were friendlier to military people, so I went over again, less than three months after arriving back in the U.S. During my second tour of duty, I became disillusioned with what we were doing over there. I read a lot of disinformation and misinformation that "appeared" to confirm what I was witnessing. Like a certain person running for office, I became an anti-war activist and an active member of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. I still don't trust all the reasons we were over there, but I found I didn't trust the ambitious, power-grabbing folks that ran the VVAW either - especially after meeting many of them over the next several years. I found most of them to be snobbish, elitist, college graduates that patronized the folks around them. I never liked those types so I didn't bother to keep up my membership after 1978. One thing I do know... a majority of the folks that were in the Army (and some that were in the other branches because they didn't want to BE in the Army), those folks didn't want to be there, but saw that they had a job to do and they did it. All they really wanted was to get their hitch over, done with and get back home before they got their asses shot off. It's all any soldier wants. Getting a Purple Heart doesn't always mean you're a hero, it means you didn't pay attention to what was happening around you. It means that you and your command messed up. It means you got hurt, probably unnecessarily. Most veterans I know would give up their Purple Hearts just to be rid of associated physical and mental pains that come with it - or even to get their lives and limbs back. But they are still proud of the service they did for their country! Now, as for me back then, I was just an immature little pipsqueak of an upstart that loved to get under peoples skin, poke fun, satirize and otherwise, make light of dire situations. I had no ambitions beyond that. My dad was an oilworker at the local refinery who worked a lot of overtime to pay his bills and raise his kids. I was just a dumb Polack kid and, compared to many of my friends, my family was rather poor. We weren't starving by any means, but dad worked hard to keep us afloat. Yes, I was just a little snot. I wrote for the ships official newspaper AND I wrote the ships "underground" newspaper. It wasn't much of a hidden fact. I mean, I hand-delivered the damn thing to two officers, one of them being my division head! Hell, the Captain even read it (and let me know that he did! He found it "amusing" by the way). It was more of a "National Lampoon" than a political forum, even though I was beginning to get involved in politics. (You know what they say: "If you aren't a communist/socialist/liberal at age 20, you have no heart; but if you're still a communist/socialist/liberal at age 40, you have no brains) I was well-liked by most people, other than the few ambitious crooks I knew (namely, my division officer, CWO2 Ingram, who was - as rumors from crewmembers of the USS Duluth had it - eventually arrested and given a BCD for grand theft of government property) and LCDR Stanley who, I'm sure, marched on into obscurity in his Tennessee hometown (He was also in league with Ingram, but I don't know that they were ever able to prove that). OK, I've digressed enough with my personal sob story. Now for the crux of the matter: Most of our soldiers didn't hate the Vietnamese people, but there were a lot of self-serving assholes out there that would do or say stupid things - sometimes these folks got put into positions of power. Read that site! According to his "band of brothers," someone that is now very important was a loose cannon back then - and is still one. He shot at civilians wildly, wanting to make a name for himself, trying to get himself wounded so that he could get a medal, further his ambitions and run for government office. And now he freely admits that he committed atrocities and war-crimes! He wanted to be perceived as "a hero" by the voters back home, not because he WAS one, but because it would look good on a campaign resume. I think I disliked that type more than anyone. These types were the "ugly Americans." They were the snobby kids of upper middle class and rich parents. They were the kids that had an agenda of their own, willing to do or say anything to further that agenda without regard for the others around them. They were selfish, not selfless. (In the 80's and 90's, when we weren't really fighting a war, we called these annoying, I'm-only-in-it-for-the-money asshole types "sports figures" or "Yuppies.") But, in Vietnam, they were only there to make life miserable for everyone around them. They didn't want to be there... nobody did... they did it only because it would give them the chance to gain power and prestige when they got out. They were ambitious, to the detriment of all those around them. Anyhow, this is a long-winded way of saying that most of the folks that served in our military back then AND now are just honest, everyday joes that are trying to keep from getting killed or injured, make things work for everyone, trying to really help the other everyday people out there caught between two gangs vying for power. They are good people. Sometimes they get manipulated by folks that have their own personal interests ahead of that of their platoon, division or group. Reading through that other website, it's just a long, drawn-out way of me saying that I believe John Kerry was one of those "me first" ambitious assholes. Can any of you liberals out there tell me how it is you trust a billionaire who married (weasled his way?) into that Heinz pickle and ketchup fortune (and whose company has one of the worst labor relations records out there) AS WELL AS a millionaire, ambulance-chasing trial lawyer who is one of the folks responsible for healthcare costs being so high? How can you say these two - with a combined net worth of over 1.5 BILLION dollars - represents the interests of the "common man"? And then tell me how a person that is only worth 1/3 of that (which is still pretty substantial, I'll admit) is a minion of big oil and big business? Are you people stoned??? Can anyone say "pulled the wool over their eyes?" One of these days you folks are going to open your eyes and actually do some research before you go spouting off your hate-speech about George W and you'll actually become informed. When that happens, I will sigh with relief. It will mean that people actually care enough to be informed voters. *steps down off his soapbox* Oh, and I had a GREAT day! *grins* Miss you, L! 11:18 p.m. - 2004-08-03 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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