I think you're right. What can one do?

Very depressing, the extent to which manufactured propaganda is creating the reality we must live - instead of enquiry, dialogue, truth, humility.

Dana Blankenhorn for President

I've been following your essays at this site for some time now and I'm so impressed with the clarity of your message.

Hubris thrives on falsehood and we all have to take the truth to the American people - every day - on our own personal way.

I have no problem with Howard Dean proposing that we must try to make things right in Iraq, because he presents this thesis as part of a discourse for us all to engage in. This is simply the democratic process as it should be. As long as he makes his case in good faith and based on the truth as he sees it - rather than lies and submerged agendas - his opinion is point of debate. We need more of this.

Dana, thank you for your clarity.

Del Miller

Hello. I am getting an early start of planning my High school Veteran’s Day assembly very soon. I am interested in hearing your story, weather you were in combat or if you are a friend or family member of someone who was. You can e-mail me personally at calico9034@yahoo.com. The purpose of this future assembly is for the students to understand what their parents and grandparents went through at their age. As we struggle through what is happening over seas now it is important for the generations to listen to one another. Thank you, I hope to hear from you soon. -AN

It is very sad and disappointing to know that there are so many Americans that are easily led to believe some of the outrageous lies this current administration has fed to us.

It is unfortunate, that in our country it is how you look and sound that wins confidence rather than what you say. I was disturbed recently my the comments made from Former Governor of Georgia, current State Senator Zell Miller. He is a weazel that opposes people thinking things through and loves the idea of acting impulsively on ideas without knowing the ramifications of these decisions. Anyone with common sense would know that very throughly planning would have been needed to tackle anything in the middle east. However, Bush convinced everyone that the war with IRAQ would be quick...now they have changed their minds to confuse the american public by saying we never said this would be easy. I believe the Bush administration felt so confident that their intelligence was so good that they would knock out Saddam and Bin Laden in one bomb. Instead they have driven their enemies into hiding. Our country has lost sight of strenghtening America by keeping quality jobs in our country, providing a good education system, protecting our children esp. those in fostercare that are underfunded and our seniors. I hope that we continue to not be intimitated by the threats of bush cronies and question their intelligence and decision making policy skills. If the Government had planned out this war like they should have we would have more support from our key allies and the UN. Since they chose to go in alone and insult the other countries, our children will be stuck with the enormous tax bill that will continue to erode the quality of life in the US for the middle and lower class Americans,

I believe that this so-called "Vietnam Syndrome" is indeed one of fear. I agree, however, that it was not cured by the Gulf War in 1991. Some people in this country are afraid to go to war unilaterally, even when it is clearly in our national interest to do so. Some people insist that a war we enter into must be quick, even though we have spent many years in Kosovo and still occupy Germany. And some people demand that we must have a so-called "exit strategy", even though one may not be possible under the circumstances. These are all by-products of the Vietnam War, plane and simple. In 1991, President George H.W. Bush did not want to invade Iraq because he did not want to get stuck in a quagmire. So he held back at a time when it was more necessary than it is today to oust Hussein. This fear was based on Vietnam War Syndrome. So we, as Americans, want to get out of Iraq now, even though it would not be in our interests, or the Iraqi's interests, for us to do so. And the allegation that we moved unilaterally is nonsense. I'm not exactly sure of the number, but I believe we had the support of 40 countries as part of this "coalition of the willing". France almost never supports us when our national interests are at stake. The German chancellor was elected on an anti-American platform. And Russia, a country that supports the nuclear ambitions of radical countries, is simply not reliable. Why do we need their support, or the support of the U.N., to do what's right. The problem we have now is that the pretext for going to war was erroneous. So people call President Bush a liar. But I'm not that convinced. Saddam Hussein himself did nothing to prove beyond a doubt that he did not have weapons of mass destuction. In fact, he acted as if he did. Some say that he did not want to look weak in the eyes of America, other islamic countries, and his own military. Up until the very last moments before the invasion, Hussein was instructing his generals to use chemical and biological weapons, if necessary. This intelligence has proved to be indisputable. So I believe that President Bush thought that he was truly justified in attacking Iraq. And I think that he still believes that the attack is essential to winning the war on terrorism. I think that the move is actually damaging to our national interests because it is creating a whole new generation of terrorists who are now further galvanized in their desire to destroy America and Israel. But I don't think it is in anyones interest to just cut and run. Moreover, I am especially concerned about the impact the war on terrorism is having on our civil liberties and human rights here at home. The CIA is sending people to Syria to be tortured. The Patriot Act has caused an unconstitutional suspension of habeas corpus and due process rights for American citizens. And companies like Axciom Corporation (which by the way employed Weslie Clark) is keeping databases of personal information on all Americans in the style of "big brother". The government wants to use this database to investigate Americans in violation of our privacy rights. So there is no simple answer, but I think that we need a president who can walk that fine line between protecting us physically and protecting our rights at the same time. This was done in 1787 when our founding fathers wrote the constitution, and I think it can be done today.

I have no idea of what the syptoms of the vietnam syndrome is. I also, have to do a report on it so if someone could please tell me what the symptoms are I would be very pleased. Thank You!

I am a viet vet (1st Cav - 68/69) that is applying for disability benefits due to epilepisy. Can someone tell me what post war syndrome (PWS)entails? I have been told that my dreams of dead bodies of the viet cong along the road being prodded by vietnamese children, and or our basecamp (I was a clerk) being mortared or attacked with satchel charges (along with other "bad" memories might be considered as PWS which would entitle me to VA benefits. Please feel free to email me with info at "owlvee@hotmail.com" with any information. Please include "Post War Syndrome" in the topic line so I can distinguish from spam and junk mail. Thank you

Edited by author 02-17-2004 10:52 AM
I Think that the war in Iraq is absurd and, in response to the comment "we have allies backing us" Is one minded. our
allies are simply people that dont want to get blown up. and having allies still dosent make up for the the fact the main people getting killed are Who? americans. Bush
Dosen't have Vietnam syndrome. Bush has the i want iraq's oil and i cant get it unless i oust saddam hussein and
assimilate iraq's culture and in the process get revenge on him for nearly assasinating my father Syndrome. when will people start to see the wool thats being pulled over there eyes bush is a wolf in sheeps clothing and our soldiers are just lambs to his slaughter. the war is noting more than a impeccabley timed plot to divert our attention away from the crackpot economy and the Preventabillity of 9/11

I am a high school student that has a great desire to learn about people. Right now, my English class is discussing the Vietnam War... and I was wondering if (maybe) there is anyone out there that would be able to help me learn some things that text books can't teach me. I would like to know what life was like for those who were stuck here in the States while their loved ones were far away fighting for our freedom. If there is anyone who has a story to share, please e-mail me at akj2003@yahoo.com
Thank you, so very much.
Amanda

Edited by author 04-07-2004 10:20 AM
In regards to the "vietnam syndrome" I am reading a short story "Stop the Sun" by Gary Paulsen. I couldnt find it on the internet to give a link, but in the story the guy that has the syndrome, has occasional temporary blindness. Also in one instance of the story; he was at a shopping mall with his son, and "his father was sqirming on the floor on his stomach. He was crying, looking terrified, his breath coming in short, hot pants like some kind of hurt animal." My email is the_bird_man03@msn.com if anyone would like to talk to me further about this! --Peace!

So the government says my seizures are not associated with the chemical Agent Orange, (alhough I had over a hundred hundred hours flight time over and round Vietnam, even sitting next to the barrels in which the chemical were contained). And after less than only five minutes of total evaluation, with two days time spent at the Veteran's Hospital, they were able to determine that I did NOT have Traumatic Post War Vietnam Stress Syndrome. I just wonder if anyone could tell me what DOES a person call waking during the night, screaming, their body sweating, with nightmares of hearing helicopters and airplanes firing machinegun bullets, being able to see the red tracers coming down in the middle of the night, keeping you and death together and apart at the same time, for example. How about running in your dreams to avoid incoming rocket and mortar rounds the enemy is chunking at you from miles away? Even every time you see a small child bringing a terrible flashback of children overseas, making being around your grandchildren almost impossible. Even going to church being impossible, bringing back horrible memories of the Sundays spent in the jungle. How can one call having such horrible memories of 364 days flashing in and out their mind not traumatic? Remember now, this didn't happen yesterday, it happened it 1968. And it isn't like I didn't recieve the Bronze Star and other Vietnam Awards fighting for a cause many didn't believe in to start with. Please submit me an instant cure here at military.com or help me with info as how to get my VA disability along with my SSI at owlvee@hotmail.com

 I think that the war in Iraq, is bull. I have a lot of close family friends and relatives in Iraq and I'm scared ti death for them. I also think Bush will win the election which scrares me that maybe the war in Iraq will never end. The soliders have done a lot and Bush is never happy so who is to say that he will finally get his priorities straight and send the troops back home???

Yeah well thats about to change in about 2 months we will start pulling out of Iraq and just like Vietnam it will be another war nobody will want to talk abotu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!