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Leaders do not understand the ravages of war

Tuesday, July 24 at 12:00 AM

This Speakout has not been edited.

How embarrassing, here I am a 70 year old, decorated Vietnam Veteran walking around Johnson Lake with suddenly having uncontrollable tears coming down my face. I hope that people passing me think it is sweat.

I just had just had a flashback to a time in 1969 during my second tour of duty in Vietnam when I made my first trip to a Catholic Orphanage. The situation started with one of my Seabee buddies trading me a case of steaks and several cartons of dehydrated shrimp for a few bottles of booze. I asked the Seabee what in the world would I do with dehydrated shrimp. He suggested that I take it out to one of the orphanages. He could not do so as the orphanages were off limits to his group.

One afternoon a few days later I got a jeep and went out to this Catholic Orphanage. It was a small unguarded compound located in some scrub trees about three hundred yards off the water of China Beach. Upon entering the compound the over powering stench of pseudomonis, feces, urine and death were sickening.

There were three little Vietnamese nuns running the place. They were overjoyed at my gift of shrimp and also my offer to help. I was overcome with horror and sadness at the scene unfolding before me. There were little boxes that looked like drawers from a very cheap dresser. These boxes were on shelf’s stacked four deep and lined the walls, also they were stacked back to back in the middle of the rooms. In the boxes were babies age 6 months and up. These little babies were covered with flies, feces, urine and pus draining from wounds, such as amputations, chest and belly wounds.

On my first visit to this orphanage there were three German nurses from the German Hospital ship located in the Da Nang harbor. These wonderful human beings were washing, changing dressings, feeding and giving their love to these babies. Most of these babies had been thrown away, deserted or their families had been killed. Many of these babies were half Vietnamese and half Caucasian or half Vietnamese and half Negro. Many were blind and many had cleft palates.
Many were starving for nourishment and medical care; all were starving for love and attention. Worse yet, none was wanted.

As a father of five children and four grandchildren, I try to give all the love and attention that I can muster for my babies.

What set off this flashback and sad memory of Vietnam was a scene I recently viewed on the news of little Iraq children starving and being untreated in a horrible makeshift orphanage in Iraq.

Our current administration leaders have never seen the real ravages of war, that makes it easy for them to believe that war is righteous and sterile. War is madness and enough to make me cry.

READER COMMENTS

Dravur: Your extreme reaction to this gentleman's posting ("time to get a life") is downright nasty. I'm sure that you get his point, but you seem to think that war is clear cut, and people are freed from tyranny in all wars. This is not the case, hasn't been, and, in the case of Iraq, just wrong. So what? So..... Sounds like you have some issues to deal with.and I think that you're the one with a pantload! ....

Posted by lanrome on August 6, 2007 04:07 PM

As a veteran myself, I have to agree that war is terrible, and as always the non-combatants of the country being invaded take a majority of harm. Using that rationale, I guess we should have not dropped the atomic bombs on Japan and killed, maimed, orphaned, etc all those people either. Unfortunately we still live in a world where innocent people are hurt when attempts are made to get rid of the people that are already causing them harm.

Posted by Dave on July 30, 2007 10:18 AM

Dravur --In answer to your "so what": we need people to remind us of how terrible war is. I don't think the author of this article is saying that only veterans should be able to wage war, or that civilians like Clinton and FDR are incapable of understanding its true nature. Instead, as you will see if you take a little time with his last sentence, the author is attempting to explain why this administration takes war so lightly; and he's painting a picture to help those of us sheltered in comfort get over our deadly delusions.

Bravo, Leon! Thank you for defending our country.

Posted by Daniel on July 28, 2007 11:45 PM

CORRECTION: Solely due to his criminal negligence and shirking of his sworn duties, FDR allowed the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor - 2500 siants dead. The same holds true for "W": 9/11 3K saints dead; NOLA-Katrina 1,500 saints dead; and WAR CRIMES - Iraq-NAM 100K saints dead due to WMD lies, Judeo-Chrisitian evangelical goons, and oil thefts.

Additional "W" war-crimes include him unleashing chemical weapons (white phosphrous munitions-WILLY PETER) on unsuspecting Iraqi citizens. The "WILLY PETER" we used in Vietnam, burned through both skin and bones (Vietnamese). Next, he turned loose Rx drugged and crazed troops (mind-altering PTSD suppressors) on unsuspecting Iraqi citizens. Therefore, the "W" Hitler-wannabes (Lott, and lard-a$$es Cheney/Hastert), should tried in an international court of law and sent packing to meet their "Maker". Where's Michael Vick?

Posted by 40acresandmymuleandvetbennies on July 25, 2007 07:52 PM

What a pantload...
People of all types understand that war is heck. According to your logic, Clinton had no right to go to Kosovo, et al, Roosevelt had no business in WWII as they had no experience. Time to get a life.

Yes, we do understand that war is not fun and bad things happen during war... Good things as well, people are freed from tyranny . So, yes, you may have seen some bad things, as I have. So what?

Posted by Dravur on July 25, 2007 03:49 PM