Posted on 12/02/2004 8:10:17 PM PST by moonpie57
Prisoners of War / Missing In Action
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"What about Spiecher, and what about Matt Maupin? This flag not only represents those in Vietnam, but all conflicts."
Exactly.
Typical Hanoi Kerry spin!
Wait, is this a**clown trying to say the generic POW/MIA flag applies to Viet vets only?
Tell him "We still fly it in Florida because we don't have a living Scott Speicher, or his remains to respectfully bury. And we won't take it the F down until then. So stick your request where the sun don't shine."
My reply to "editor@newhavenadvocate.com":
About the question:
"Why do we fly the Vietnam POW/MIA flag when all the veterans of that war have been accounted for?"
I am a Vietnam Vet, not a grunt, but I went there so others wouldnt. Two of my college fraternity brothers are on The Wall and a third spent five years learning how to walk with just a cane.
Why should we keep flying that flag? Mark Openheimer offered a single reason.
Let me offer a few to keep it flying.
1. It is a personal memorial to those who never returned.
2. It is a memorial that is THERE, at you place of residence, to remind you daily of the cost - in human futures - of your individual freedoms.
3. Remember that the POW/MIA flag was NOT something that the government designed nor initially approved of.
4. The POW/MIA flag reminds us of those who had no idea of how to win the war or to stop it.
These political cowards fed us into a war because they were unwilling to pay a POLITICAL price for saying I dont know what to do about Vietnam. The human cost of those eight words was how many American and Vietnamese lives? How often does Mark Openheimer want to pay that butchers bill?
If flying that flag reminds our current and future leaders of the political stupidity and cowardness that caused Vietnam then I say fly it from every flag pole every day!
Emmett A. Redding
Major, USAF Retired
This really makes me steam as I display this flag in my business every single day.
Living in Cambodia, I've had the opportunity to make friends with a number of soldiers and other specialist with the Joint Task Force whose mission is to find and bring home the remains of our soldiers lost during the Vietnam conflict. These same missions are also happening elsewhere in the world. To me, "You are not forgotten" means precisely that, full respect and accountability for those who have never came home, whatever their status might be.
thanks for posting that.
The POW/MIA flag flys at our house as well.
Always will. As long as there is one service member unaccounted for, we will keep that flag flying. And if the day ever comes (I pray it will) that all ARE accounted for, I will celebrate with unending joy the lowering of that flag.
God Bless America
"Living in Cambodia, I've had the opportunity to make friends with a number of soldiers and other specialist with the Joint Task Force whose mission is to find and bring home the remains of our soldiers lost during the Vietnam conflict. "
My husband was over there with JTF. He said it was the best mission he ever undertook. He proudly helped recover four MIAs. He had his retirement ceremony at the Wall South under the name of one of the men.
Did you read this POW thread?
Please correct me if I am wrong, but this statement is blatently untrue.
While Kerry & McCain did indeed state that there was no evidence that there were still POW's in Vietnam - the fact remanins that these people are still missing - fate unknown.
Oh yeah, one more thing: "It's also the flag of today's soldiers, who--like Vietnam veterans--run the risk of being abandoned by their government. President Bush is paying them too little, forcing them to work too long, and lying to them about the reasons for his decisions." Is this guy for real??
Is he REALLY comparing the two? Soldiers who served in Vietnam were comparatively "well paid"? Didn't work as long? Weren't lied to about the reasons for being there??
I'm glad there was an idiot alert to this article. Otherwise I might have assumed that the author was rational.
Right. Another "bush evil-- America evil-- we only love our soldiers when they shoot their officers" type...
Nope, no bias here, folks, just keep moving.
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