Re: The Summer Of Love/Vets

Marcella Ruland (mruland@erols.com)
Fri, 29 Aug 1997 17:53:56 -0400

At 12:38 AM 8/27/97 +0000, you wrote:
>
>My analysis of all of those complicated and complex issues is:
>1.America's participation in the Viet Nam War was wrong.
>2.America's policy makers who got us in the War were wrong.
>3.American's soldiers who fought in the War were wrong.
>(Once you buy into #1 you have to buy into #2 & #3 because #1 could not have
>happened without them.)
>
This is where I, and many others, disagree with you.

My father was in the Navy during the Vietnam War, in fact, his ship served
an observer function in North Vietnam in the late 1950's. Although he was a
dentist, and therefore normally a non-combatant, his general quarters
station was fire control officer on the forward gun turret. I have and
never will see my father as a potentially wrong and evil man for serving
during time of war; if ordered to combat area, he would have gone as a very
loyal sailor who had worked his way up from enlisted ranks and loved
(loves) his country.

Those who serve, serve for many reason. During my own naval career, I
learned that it was the military person who usually hated war the most,
because we knew the costs.

Marcella Ruland
formerly LT USN