AMERICAN DAY OF COMPLICITY
I've been thinking about Viet Nam lately (I've been reading David Horowitz's "Radical Son"), and I've decided that those of us who were formerly leftists need to declare our own American Day of Complicity. It would be a day similar to Yom Kippur, when the Jews have a Day of Atonement, and reflect on their individual and collective sins.
But this day would be specific to those of us who worked to end the war in Viet Nam, whether we rioted in the streets, accused returning vets of being war criminals, rooted for the Viet Cong to win, or, like me, just signed petitions and parroted the jackass opinions of the Fonda-Hayden-et al crowd. We would spend that day reflecting on how wrong we had been, the misery we had caused (to both our own soldiers and, ultimately, to the people of Viet Nam), and what we could do to make sure that the record was corrected in light of what we had learned since those days.
This Friday, April 29th, marks the 30th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. It would be fitting to set that date as the annual rememberance of our failure to support an ally, which led to a great human tragedy.
Below is posted the scene at the US embassy at that time.
In the words of the Jews remembering the Holocaust - NEVER AGAIN.
But this day would be specific to those of us who worked to end the war in Viet Nam, whether we rioted in the streets, accused returning vets of being war criminals, rooted for the Viet Cong to win, or, like me, just signed petitions and parroted the jackass opinions of the Fonda-Hayden-et al crowd. We would spend that day reflecting on how wrong we had been, the misery we had caused (to both our own soldiers and, ultimately, to the people of Viet Nam), and what we could do to make sure that the record was corrected in light of what we had learned since those days.
This Friday, April 29th, marks the 30th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. It would be fitting to set that date as the annual rememberance of our failure to support an ally, which led to a great human tragedy.
Below is posted the scene at the US embassy at that time.
In the words of the Jews remembering the Holocaust - NEVER AGAIN.
Comments
Signed
100% Disabled Viet Nam Vet
It was their country, it was their war, the United States should never have gotten involved in such a mess.
Americans who died there did not die for "their country", they died for South Vietnman.
I am only glad that some Americans saw the war for the mess it was and chose to avoid it.