The Moving Wall

[Gimpy]

Just sent the following letter to Westfield State College and the Easthampton Gazette. More coming later!

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To whom it may concern,

I recently read excerpts from an op-ed piece written by a professor Mike Engle for a local newspaper in Easthampton, Mass. His statements regarding his perception(s) of the Moving Wall ceremony honoring military personnel killed during the Vietnam War held in Easthampton last week have left me disgusted, disappointed and angry as hell.

He states,

"The unhappy truth is that there is no way to separate the deaths of all these young people from the nature of the war that took their lives, along with those of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese. But that is precisely what was being attempted - to honor and memorialize the dead without talking about or dealing with how and why they died. The result is an unsuccessful attempt at historical amnesia. The cold, hard fact is that the Vietnam War was a crime against humanity.", end quote.

It's my understanding that Mr. Engle is a professor of "history" at a local college. If so, then I must say that his "version" of that "unhappy truth" he so comtemptously relates to is no more than ANOTHER "crime against humanity"! One problem of the so-called "academic" minority is that THEY have the ability to "teach" (and preach) their "version(s)" to a large number of our impressionable and unknowing youth. When "versions" such as Mr. Engles are perveted and convoluted with their OWN less than "objective" viewpoints of which he appears to have limited, conclusive and expert "evidence" to base his assumptions on are published, it is nothing more than a "crime" in itself!

Hell, ALL WAR in and of itself can be described in one way or another as a "crime against humanity"!

For him to suggest that there should be "discussions" at functions such as these to "deal with how and why they died" is nothing but HOGWASH and clearly an attempt on his part to "politicize" his apparent "socialist" leaning version of his OWN "historical amnesia"!

Just WHO IN THE HELL are YOU---Mister Engle---to tell ME, or anyone else for that matter (UNLESS you were THERE), H-O-W we should "deal with" those young heros and HOW they should be honored and/or remembered!

I do suppose YOU would have some "honorable" words to share with us all at the funeral of Jane Fonda however, HUH?

Steve Johnson
A Company, 2nd Battalion, 60th Brigade, 9th Infantry Division
Vietnam 1967

[phuloi]

EXCELLENT JOB,GIMPY!

[Keith_Hixson]

Leftest Intellectual an oxymoron?

Keith

[Andy]

I loved the letter. Have you ever spent any time in a court room? Really, it was well done.

Just a note on my own situation. Got a call from an aid to Senator John Kerry. Seems the senator was shown my newspaper article. He asked his aid to ask me to send him a request for assistance and a release for my medical records. According to Mike, the aid, Kerry was mad as hell. This can't be a bad thing.

You all stay healthy,
Andy

[DMZ-LT]

Way to go Andy ! Just read your newspaper article and have written to Mr. Crowley thanking him for the article and the start of finding justice. Kerry on your side can't hurt - then again neither can the support of the brothers here, which you know got you covered. Still pissed about the" Viet Nam war was a crime against humanity " but that's another story . You got a lot of covering fire - now we all got to keep movin till we reach the objective of fairness and justice. Joan says hey to Chris. Proud to " know" you. Welcome Home to all the brothers !

[Gimpy]

You're right, this HAS to be a "good thing"! It's my understanding that Senator Kerry is in a "pissing contest" now with VA Secretary Principi over the fact that he (Prinicipi) has directed all VISN's (Intergrated Sevice Networks) to STOP all inductions and recruitments of newly eligible veterans for the VA helath care system due to the "budget crisis". Looks like he's going to help you and every other veteran he can. Good luck and remember us when you've got your name in "lights" old friend.

Thanks for the kind words about that letter regarding M. Engle. I'm not through with that jerk yet!

[xgrunt]

with the President's secretary[at the college] and was told the Prez was on vacation. I explained the reasons for my out rage over the remarks in the paper and wanted to know if that was what he was teaching his students. It is a state funded school. She took my name and phone number and said the Prez would return my call. We'll see. Andy it really sounds like things are going your way and I'm really glad for you. With Kerry making a run[possibly] for the Presidency in 2004 being on the vets side is not only the decent and proper thing to do but BOY that could be some voting bloc he could win to his side. Take care, my friend.Frank

[sfc_darrel]

Principi can use the same authority to tighten access, probably for veterans not yet in the system, starting with Category 7 vets, those who are not poor and have no service-related ailments. He also wants to prioritize care among current enrollees, by "triaging" enrollees so those who are service-connected disabled move to the front of appointment schedules.

"Our demand has exploded," said Principi, a combat-decorated Vietnam veteran. "They are knocking our doors down."

One reason is the open enrollment which can lead to free or deeply discounted medications. Another factor is that the VA has transformed itself in recent years into a community-based health care system with more than 850 clinics across the country, thereby broadening access to care.

Even as the overall veteran population falls, down five million since 1980, demand for VA healthcare soars. In 1995, VA hospitals and clinics treated 2.5 million veterans. Last year, the number patients hit 4.2 million. Total veterans "enrolled" in VA healthcare is 6.6 million and rising. Not all of them have sought or received VA care. In fact, gaining access takes more than a year in some areas, Principi said.

Still, the wait can be worthwhile, for the pharmacy benefit alone. Once seen by a VA physician, veterans can get prescriptions filled for free if they earn less than $24,000 or have service-connected conditions. All other veterans pay a $7 co-payment for a 30-day supply.

"You could be the wealthiest of the wealthy," said Principi. "And believe me we have millionaires who come to the VA for healthcare. They don't want to pay $500 to $600 a month for prescription drugs."

In a letter to Rep. Lane Evans (D-Ill.), ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Principi said more than 132,000 veterans are on waiting lists just to request physician care. Once appointments are set, waiting times of six months or more are common.

Because all veterans now have equal access, many of those most deserving, the combat-disabled, are just part of the crowd, often waiting months for VA care, like everyone else.

The problem is open enrollment.

"It's an oxymoron," he said, because it limits, rather than improves, access to care for many disabled vets.

[ArtySgt]

Andy, Damned good to hear you are getting some attention. Shame it had to come to this to get it thow. Good luck and God bless you.

[Andy]

DMZ-LT: Thanks for writing Dan Crowley. I think I mentioned his dad was with the 4th Division and the kid is very pro-vet. He e-mailed me today to say he?s received numerous phone calls and e-mails, all pats on the back. Chris tips his cap to Joan, same mud, same blood. And by the way, pride - being proud of knowing others, that?s a two way street.

Gimpy: In the paper tonight there is an article regarding Kerry and Principi going toe to toe over veterans care. It?s possible Kerry is looking at me and those of my ilk as ammo to go after Principi and ultimately G.W. An interesting note in the article, Congress has okayed a 417 million dollar increase in money to the VA. G.W. is now asking that amount be increased to 1.5 billion. Could it be that things are looking up?
By the way, I?m not sure Prof Engle is just a socialist, honestly I think he is a pacifist, Marxist. Just my opinion.

Frank: Last year around this time a professor John Ellis of Mt. Holyoke College for Women was suspended for one year from teaching at that school. You may remember the story. He taught what was considered the ultimate class on the Vietnam War. He claimed he was drafted, became an officer and spent a year in Nam with the 101st and saw it all. Then came home to ?lead? the anti-war movement. Ellis even received a Pulitzer prize for a book he wrote. Turns out Ellis was drafted but spent his enlistment in far off New York State. What was so unusual about Ellis is that he was caught AND punished.
Remember Abby Hoffman and Tom Haden? they have been guest speakers at several area colleges including the U. of Mass. (That was put on by the history department of course.) 25 years ago I had a professor at U. Mass who said Mai Lai was a common occurrence. We got into a few loud discussions about the conduct of the war and his sources of information.

There are a lot of professor Engle?s around here and most of us have come to expect their diatribes. What set me off was his timing and his using the Wall as a back drop for his agenda.
I still recall my older son taking a class in 7th grade about the mid-1800s in America. He got an ?A? on his Civil War test and knew all about Harriet Tubman but when I asked, had no idea who General Longstreet or Pickett were. I expect that in 20 years when they change American currency, Susan Anthony and George Washington Carver will be on the 5 & 10 dollar bills.

Stay healthy,
Andy