I’ve discussed my military service in the past. The primary motive was not any particular patriotism, but simply my character. Soldering is in my soul, and more now than ever, despite being physically unable to serve for the past 25 years.
In fact, when I signed up I already knew some details of just how untrustworthy the US government can be, and the military in particular. The leadership of the military is chosen for their willingness to engage in idolatry, not because of any leadership virtue. Indeed, those truly capable have been kept from leadership positions since I can remember. There aren’t many people above the pay grade of E-7 that I would follow anywhere, and I’ve met maybe three officers I would follow, out of probably hundreds I’ve encountered. But it was in my soul to serve, so I put up with it. When I left, the Army was trying hard to get me to stay, despite already having serious trouble with my knees.
I was good cannon fodder. The military still needs good moral servants to die doing the job right.
Granted, much of what I experienced was based on entering the service right after we left Vietnam. That was a stupid war, and we had no business ever getting involved. However, it was profitable for certain groups. The profit motive behind the war is a critical reason why, to this day, we have never pressed the Vietnamese government to account for all those troops they kept as leverage after hostilities ceased.
If you have the time and inclination, this long article will explain some of the details of that massive betrayal. In particular, the author singles out John McCain as a traitor who violently struggled to hide the fact we left some 500 troops behind and still alive when we pulled out of Vietnam. While I didn’t know too much about McCain back when I enlisted, I did know that we had left some there. I knew I risked something like that happening to me; I knew my leaders would not hesitate to leave me behind in a situation like we had in Vietnam.
But again, I served because it was my nature do so. This is the proper motive for anything in this life: We do it because that’s what God made us to do. And I still wish I could serve, but I cannot imagine a situation where that would happen. Still, it’s what I would do best if I could.
Do you reckon any of them are still alive? They would have to be anywhere from their mid 60’s to 70’s. I read an interesting account, written in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse. The article was by a foreign journalist, who reported speaking with a former US POW who had been freed and chose to remain in Vietnam because he had been “adopted” by the locals in the area where he labored. The only reason it stuck with me was because, I was suffering from the “Rush Limbaugh” strain of the Conservative Virus, at that time. Due to my condition, it was inconceivable to recognize that an American would voluntarily live the life of a Vietnamese peasant.
Odd Facts Known by Few.
My cousin worked in Vietnam in the late 90s/early zeroes, met and subsequently married a Vietnamese woman.
His older brother served in the 1st Air Cavalry (as it was then known) in 1971, killing Vietnamese.
According to the long article, most of the remaining POWs were executed some time ago.
Egad! I couldn’t make it to the end, my discustation system simply ceased working. I can only handle so much crap before I get too pissed to go on. Makes me think the article I read back 25 years ago was probably crap too. Disinformation makes me dizzy. Little Johnny Mac was one of those deaths you hear about and say “Finally, the B’s dead”. Never liked the guy, not because of politics or anything, I just thought he was a jerk.
Yeah, it was a long read.
I wonder if a lot of gross things are going to come to light now that he’s gone. Maybe some stuff already has (didn’t check that linked article out yet), but some of that sort of thing can take time to leak into the Internet’s consciousness.
McCain has a long record of hostility to the POW/MIA support community. The linked article sums up his career in the respect.