Ron, you brought back allot of memories - some I wish I could forget. ‘72 was a long time ago but from time to time it revisits me. There is nothing about war that is fair, nor about patriotism. War is a real life game of survival with dire consequences in which there is only one rule for the combatant, kill or be killed. Iraq like Vietnam IS NOT about national security. It never was. It is about oil, wealth, hidden secrets and lies.

The sad part is we the citizens of this Nation have allowed for it to happen. We hold part if not a large portion of the blame by our failure to demand the President and Congress to work in the interest of us and not themselves. We are failing each other by not speaking up. By not demanding a government free of lobbist, free of elite politicians, free of irresponsible representation. The government and Nation we fought for was at one time of the people, for the people, by the people. Suddenly, I don’t recognize the country I walked into war for.

War is hell, and while I probably agree and disagree with Mr. Kovic on various issues I do agree with the senselessness of the Iraq occupation and the waste of the all this meaningless suffering. It was not a neccessary war or was Iraq responsible for any attacks against us. Iraq did not possess any WMD as Bush claimed. So we were lied too. What else is new ? Now don’t misunderstand me, there are times that we must fight to preserve our nation and way of life but I don’t see that as the litmus test in most of our conflicts since WW2. The american public is being submersed in a myriad of smoking mirrors and questionable foreign policy built on a foundation designed to support the elites and their profits while simultaneously discarding the constitution and the system of checks and balances that require congressional approval for war.  I am a veteran having served in the army and I see very little if any patriotism in anything that this administration has ever done.

Dear Mr. Kovic,
I have read your book & seen the movie and I have to say that I was deeply deeply moved by your story. You are an inspiration to millions of people. Not by being a hero. But by simply speaking out & telling your story. By speaking the truth, when so many people (including the government) wanted to sweep all veterans under the rug & not let them be heard, unless it was strictly pro-war. It is people like you though who never stopped speaking the truth. And we need more people like you.
I was in favor of the war in Iraq in the beginning, thinking there was no other way to solve the problem. I still have to admit that even though there might not have been WMDs, I’m still glad to see Hussein out of power....but at what cost to our nation?? It is time for this war to END...before any more young or innocent are killed or maimed. It turned out to be just another senseless war, like almost every war throughout time has been.
Anyhow, thank you for serving your country. You gave up alot to protect us, more than any young person should have to give up. It’s a shame it turned out to be a war that solved nothing. But may your story (& stories like yours) never be forgotten. 
God bless you Ron Kovic. May you live a long & happy life.

Sincerely,
Jay Mucci

I was born in New York and later lived in Long Island while attending Nassau Community College. True that Massapequa and many other great suburbs and towns were once such a great symbol of all that is great with America. Families dined together, the air was crisp and neighborhood friends connected regardless of personal circumstances. Life even if challenging was good and most of us always had that sense for optimism and looking forward towards a brighter future. Today, that sense of hope and optimism for the future is fading especially since we are not truly aware of the hold by outside interets of our economics and congress. Our media is not being honest to the People. Thank you Ron Kovic for being that symbol and inspiration that regardless of time passed and or changes have helped to remind us of all of that which has been so great about us both as a Nation and as a People. Thanks for the time in educating us and just know that we will never forget the sacrifices nor the dreams of all our Vets and soldiers who have served.  In your name and of those who served for noble causes we will once again do our best to try and take this Nation back, back like to those beautiful breezy optimistic days in Massapequa.

Please see my blog post on the 40th anniversary of Ron Kovic’s injury at

http://riversidepr.typepad.com/riverside_public_relati on/2008/01/a-salute-to-vet.html

Hey, thanks for your service to our country! Your article sceams “look at poor me!” I hate that people get hurt in wars.... But that’s what happens when the ONLY thing that these people seem to understand is destruction of ANYONE who does not believe as they poddo. America is not perfect,Bush is not perfect...Will we ever have a perfect President? I doubt it..The media would never let any such thing happen. I hate that the Democrats seem to have “tunnell vision” in hating the present administration. Hopefully this same attitude will lose them the election AGAIN this year. At least this election may force someone to come up with a plan.....

I have been looking for you Ron Kovic. In 1990, I came to Redondo Beach with my 6 year old grandson. I had an idea for a new movie,however my words were weak, I said, “Back To The Future”. That is not what I meant, but that was then. Now, I have a definite idea and you would listen I believe. My grandson is now 23 years old. I have two other grandsons, both 18 years old! We are moving towards a great disaster of which I can’t ignore. We must stop George Bush now. Please write to me. I have a CD of my story. Both of my daughters have been in California prisons for non-violent crimes due to their dad’s suicide! Please help us.  Sincerely, Maureen Morrow

you got to stop reading the far left blogs,Give your info and i will send you a ticket to hugo chavas, of fidal castroes place to life your paranoid life.you got to quit smoking the pot.

I wonder how it feels to go to war and fight it for ages and sacrifice yourself for the war and health in that WAR and return to find your life really changed negativly owing to the PDSD and the tortures and massacres witenssed and later to FIND OUT THAT PRESIDENT LYNDON B JOHNSON LIED.

And years later you find out that the same scanario is bieng relived with a now different name called George W Bullshit and its the same kind of lies and seems you been born in a WARMONGER LIAR NATION.

Ron,,,,Marine,68,Nam...........Somehow I was one of the lucky ones.....I came home educated myself, became a super success and a millionaire....However there has not been a day in 39 years I dont wake up with a terrible feeling and pain....I, like you knew about iraq and had the knowledge to know you can not defeat an enemy assulted and from our knowledge of the nam that it was unwinnable...I salute you my brother, with most humility,,,,,,,,I can only say Semper Fi,,,,So sad our country is headed by men who stepped down when it was their time to step up....Such cowards,,,,,,,,,,,,Billy

Ron, I read Born on the Fourth of July when it first came out and since then, have celebrated your birthday of that date as I followed your activism over the years.  You are still incredibly articulate and your words are still incredibly moving.  There is little one can say that does not sound facile, hollow or clicheed but I just want you to know how much of an impact your work and your story has made on my life and that of so many others.  Your spirit is a shining light amidst all the darkness in which our country now finds itself and I want to thank you for sharing your journey with us all.

Thank you for sharing your story.I watch the movie that depict your experience with war.I was deeply moved.God Bless you.

I am glad to see you are still keeping up the fight and I hope that you will keep the pressure up on the V.A.  and make sure they take care of us who have served our country. If it wasnt for guys like you, I think there would not have been any investigations into the V.A. They do not care about us, they use us, no matter if your in the Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy, Army, or the Marine Corp, active duty or reserves, our government has turned our backs on us and are not doing a damn thing to take care of us. I feel, as many out here, we were being used and now they have not owned up to their part of the bargain. I think if people REALLY care for the people who have served, then they need to call up their congressman and congress woman and make then do what is right and take care of the veterans and especially those who are coming back from the Iraq or the Afghan War.

Ron, I will pray for you and if you are ill please do not forget to leave us and future generations of Americans a video message. If you could have someone do a recent interview, and a question and answer segment so that you could educate others about your views on todays current events. This will serve as a time capsule for many are doing this in the event are country is totally lost then info. saved will serve as testimony to future generations.

Ron Kovic will always be my hometown hero from Massapequa, NY. When I was in high school, I did a book report on “Born on the Fourth of July” and had the honor of getting it into Mr. Kovic’s hands who praised my efforts. Ron..I hear you are ill and I’m praying for you.

Well, the Vets usually go through stages of recovery. The first is denial that they may or not be kind of sick, then there is grieving, later facing the reality of the “Shell Shock” or the true nature of an injury or pysc. trauma of a War and then self-realization. Here the Vet may say to himself, “This is B.S. and what up with my arm or leg etc., and why can’t we just do things better or more effectively in OUR SOCIETY etc. Here is the point where if his needs are not being met and symptoms continue Anger sets In and then ACTION takes place after the anger stage. The Vet studies-researches- and then with KNOWLEADGE organizes but we have a more controlled media so harder to voice out. Research please first then take action. There is a link called US Republic and follow the dots on this page then Lets all do something here: Our entire country’s future is at stake.
http://www.stopthenorthamericanunion.com/TwoPeas.html

Yes , Keith thanks for serving. Just down the road you may wish to ask leaders exactly, What is it that we are truly fighting for and for whom, the American people or for Corporatocracy? Not every country wishes to have a McDonalds nor make high interest payments to the banks. Many of our own policies abroad is what made many of these countries poor anyway just view excerpts of the new book by John Perkins, The old Game of Empire or The Economic Hitman. Either way countries are able to fight their own wars and maybe we will lool like Africa or the Middle East after we go broke for the Never Ending Wars fought for the Never Ending Peace.  We have a war on the streets of America which is poverty, lack of sound healthy education and drugs. I am always proud of our soldiers but we have a war here in America and that is the war on our Minds and of our economy.

Everyone in the Military today wants to be there, thats why they join. I am leaving for the Marine Corp this next year and I do belive we need to fight for peace. It is good for you to be active and support of our Troops but do not down talk this government. If you feel they’ve done wrong, goto Africa or the Middle East and see what’s going on there and be happy that we are fighting for thoes who are not so lucky.  -Semper Fi and god bless you

Have you ever spoken at Kent State 4 May 1970 commemorations?

I was arrested with you there 12 July 1977.
Will be visiting/possibly speaking there this year.

The times feel so much like April-May 1970, escalating a useless war.

Take care of yourself

I read comments below that had asked for individuals that may be able to go and organize a Washington rally or organize a march to voice the concerns about the war so here it is:http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_24093. shtml
Individuals of diverse backgrounds and social concerns often will come together to reach out and help those in harms way etc. Les has a background and college degree in psychotherapy etc. and has been concerned for many years on social issues. Even if many of us may NOT agree with all his views expressed in other political issues, we often do share information on issues that affect society. I had a study on the effect of an over-vigilant society on the human mind by a phd. professor teaching in Australia that in essense said that human beings are like a seed-they need to grow from the inside out etc. naturally but a society that restricts the human mind etc. from the outside and takes away freedom, opresses or silences opposition or criticism-could have a damaging effect on the nature of man and the mind. Anyway, this is how I know Les Blough as a person that has shared information and research. I do not have a phd. so when I read a challenging scientific or political study I ask or send for views or analysis when needed. We at times may dis-agree but we do have our care for society and of our country very much in common. Today, I received this story of a gathering in Washiington and I thought some here would like to know about it.

Excellent dialogue and comments. I wish I had more strength to organize activities that would help improve Vets current circumstances (specially financial) and living conditions. etc. What many of us could also do is Pray and have faith and positive thoughts that events for all concerned will be good. I pray everyday and do my best to think positive. God willing I become more financially able you bet I would do my very best to support our soldiers both active and our Veterans. I do Pray and ask for all to join in prayer.

Heard you on Randi tonight bro. 

The “Use Once Throw Away” policies of the bastids who sent us and continue to send our children into the blood baths must be stopped.

They fill their pockets and gain power while those of us foolish enough to fall for their BS and the innocent pay in blood.

First off, I have to say it’s refreshing for those of us on the other side of the pond to see that there are Americans who have pushed past the smoke and mirrors used by Bush and his lunatic cronies and can see the reality of the situation. 

Iraq is a lost cause with no tangible objective in sight.  The issue we have is that both our governments (amongst others) have created such an awful mess in the name of outright greed, that a unilateral and immediate removal of all UK and US involvement would be tantamount to war crimes, as the ensuing mess and bloodbath would be just beyond human limits.  A slow withdrawal is a right start and a programme for educating self-governance within the reasonable parameters of local law, culture and basic human rights is what we should facilitate.

The UK has not got things always right (far from it), but we have started this re-deployment and are sending troops to Afghanistan where the Taliban are still acting in their own interest to feed its own greedy agenda at the expense of local schools, hospitals and general social wellbeing.  Even Blair has a conscious and before he leaves office, he has seen the true nature of his contribution to the current state of affairs in Iraq and so has started to try to undo this - albeit under the auspices of a positive political message, but then again we never expected him to say ‘I was wrong’.  Nevertheless, the UK public is not so daft not to read between the lines and we’d rather see action under PR spin than prideful inaction. 

You guys in US now have a solid and credible chance to put similar pressure on your government.  Don’t sit back and accept you are all too small individually to do something about it - you’re not.  You’re circa 250 million voices and at the moment there is a strong common opinion.  To send more troops to Iraq is simply obstinacy and downright ignorance and an incredulous willingness to make human sacrifice of the people he is meant to look after, at the cost of swallowing some pride. 

You have been lied to and manipulated and whilst we damn other selfish tyrants like Pinochet, Mugabe, Chavez the same problem exists in your own government set by supposed law abiding freedom fighters under a supposed democracy.  Right now the use of the word democracy is nothing more than a label - true democracies listen to the people and act on their general wishes and this is not a description that befits the current Administration. 

I genuinely don’t know the final answer for Iraq, Iran, N Korea, Afghanistan but my first guess is that it starts with understanding and communication before action.  Good luck chaps - we really do share your sentiments here and as an ex-soldier I can understand your fears and concerns.  A lot of you are also ex-soldiers and you are taught not to follow blind orders but to act under initiative.  Apply this training to your civilian lives - regroup and take concrete action against your common enemy.  Sadly enough on this occasion it’s not in Baghdad…

Ron ... Great article. I always appreciate your writing. Sorry I didn’t get to meet you about 13 years ago when we last spoke. That was after Randy Shilts’ death in 1994. I appreciated so much that you attended Randy’s memorial service even though you had never met him. We two have lost so many dear friends over the years--friends like Shelly Ramsdell and Jack McClosky--and the VA just seems to get worse and worse, doesn’t it? I would swear that fully 1/3 of the homeless men I see are vets. I think a country can be judged on how it treats its children, its veterans, and its poor and by that standard America has been failing badly for years, particularly since the early 80s. I hope that your singular voice is heard far and wide on the issue of vets care. This is shameful. Linda

Dear People:
Can somebody with connections:
1. Organize a march on D.C. akin to that scene in Forrest Gump for Veterans’ rights ? (Sorry for the seemingly trite reference, but the visual works.)
2. Organize a petition demanding funding for VA benefits/upgrade of facilities/sending the wounded to trauma centers closer to their homes/increasing the benefits to the catastrophically injured and mentally ill?
3. More housing for mentally ill vets. (Hud could turn over some unsold properties for the effort...)
I am just a still disabled vet from the first Gulf war-I can’t do too much. (Still on doxycycline on and off.)
I see some of the returning vets when they come to the VA hospital in my area. A lot of them are messed up and alienated.
PLEASE HELP.

U no what those pics r sad and depressing i hate the war!!!!! #32695 is right the people don’t care that they are wounded they want 2 kill the people who gave their life for us. Thats NOT RIGHT !!!!!!! Well peeps all i say is why in the hell would they let them die. Who cares if its cheaper.

i don’t think we should be over in iraq. we went over there on false pretenses.  bush made a mistake i get that..but the war was started and it didn’t need to be.  we are trying to westernize other countries to be like us and i don’t think that is right.  we are trying to make them have our government when our own has problems meaning lying to the public. and when our “information” we got to go over in iraq was wrong that should’ve been the end of it when we found no wmds. because we went over there under false pretenses.so i don’t get why we want other countries to be like us when we have our own problems.  i am against the war and bush as well. i don’t think he’s a good president.  a 2 year old could do a better job then he is.  we are sending more troops into iraq for what.  basically for them to be killed..there is so much violence over its not even funny. and the main resason why there is is because they don’t want us over in the first place trying to solve there problems when its no of our business.  this war has been going on for 4 years and how many deaths are there and still going..how many americans have died and vise verse. it just needs to end..and the bush administration just needs to say that they made a mistake and this is what we are doing to fix it. but that’s not going to happen.

Re: #47164 Theresa,

In Prof. Marjorie Cohn’s piece the bit that makes most sense to me is:

“United States dependence on Middle East—and soon Caspian—oil—has led our government to engage itself in heavy-handed, and deadly, interventions,” immediately followed by, “The development of a sensible U.S. energy policy would obviate the perceived need to dominate other countries.”

And although like many contributors here I’m also a mere average citizen, nevertheless it’s plain to see now, as Rich ( #45093 ) also states below, the US admin has outright lied from the outset - it’s been about “oil” from the very start and 9/11 provided the much needed excuse Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & Co. were looking for to declare war on Saddam Hussein, (even though there’s no doubt the former Iraqi dictator was indeed a nasty piece of work in his own right) and so remove him. But when we hear Bush say solemnly this war’s about establishing a “democratic government” in the Mid East, that all of a sudden the US admin’s concerned about the democratic free-speech rights of Iraqi citizens, for answers to this absolute nonsense (considering they’re curbing the civil liberties of their very own US citizens) then refer to Dr Michael Parenti’s talk given October 9, 2002 at the St. Andrews Wesley Church in Vancouver Canada. Quote (from Part 2):

“And you look ... at the Middle East, and you see this terrorism emerging, .... Well, these countries have been the object of state-sponsored terrorism for generations. And the global system of US global imperialism has destroyed democratic and popular reform movements in Pakistan, in Turkey, in Syria, in Egypt, in Saudi Arabia, in Kuwait, in Yemen, in Iran, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan… Popular democratic movements in country after country, destroyed. And so what do the young people have left? People who look and see their societies being destroyed, their cultures being undermined; they move toward a religious totality, they move toward an apocalyptic confrontation. They decide, they must, attack the demon, who’s doing this. Lacking a class analysis, they think in terms of national units; it’s not the United States, it’s not the Americans who are doing this to them, ‘it’s the ruling interests in America, who are doing this to them,’ ...”

The Dr. Parenti piece is called “Terrorism, Globalism and Conspiracy” and the above abbreviated quote is taken from Part 2. You can get the whole of it here (worth downloading and keeping): http://www.workingtv.com:80/parenti.html

When you ask, “What can WE The People do on our own to make our lives and country better?” Well Ron’s sentiments posted Jan 9, 2007 ( http://www.truthdig.com/interview/item/20070109_ron_ko vic_tipping_point/ ) “Ron Kovic: Surging Past the Tipping Point” are correct for mine. Sending more troops will be a disaster resulting only in more unnecessary casualties on both sides of an unwinnable war, therefore exercising one’s democratic right to peaceful protest against the president’s ‘new’ plan would appear the way forward.

Re# 45929 Interesting link from law professor comments and the caspian oil info. This has been discussed in many other articles, books and publications in other countries to include ours. I believe that most citizens are smart and know that some facts or given information does not add up. What we must ask ourselves is: What does it all signify? What is the true goal for all these events? How will some of these irresponsible acts across the globe affect us? Is it really necessary to go all out? What implications will all this create for our families and future generations? What can WE The People do on our own to make our lives and country better? Could we encourage self-reliance and responsible entrepeneurship? Could a concerned entrepeneur form some sort of -The Peoples Corporation-and have this co. kick corporate butt and fight to keep business and productivity and creativity for the US and its citizens. What could we do as citizens to change things for the better without depending on the present mostly corrupt system. Any suggestions?

If I may I’d like to recommend a book that sheds considerable light on 9/11, the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan followed by Iraq; it’s ‘House of Bush, House of Saud’ written by journalist Craig Unger which exposes among other things, “The secret relationship between the world’s two most powerful dynasties,” i.e., the book’s title of course.

Very broadly speaking another reason for toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan has everything to do with, “...Caspian oil, landlocked between Russia, Iran and former Soviet republics, ...” presenting, “...formidable transport challenges. Afghanistan ... strategically located near the Caspian Sea. In 1994, the U.S. State Department and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency sought to install a stable regime in Afghanistan to enhance the prospects for Western oil pipelines. They financed, armed and trained the Taliban in its civil war against the Northern Alliance.”

The article, “THE DEADLY PIPELINE WAR: U.S. AFGHAN POLICY DRIVEN BY OIL INTERESTS” is written by Professor Marjorie Cohn of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law . The rest of it can be read here:
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew41.php

By now it should be painfully obvious to all Americans, except to the diminutive number of loyal diehard, that the conflict in Iraq was conceived and executed through deliberate deception and outright lies. Our fight was and still is with al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban who offered them sanctuary in Afghanistan. This was the enemy responsible for the attacks on September 11th; vaporizing 3000 people. Not Iraq. Not Saddam.

Ignoring the warnings of those who counseled them to the contrary, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and a host of civilian and military advisors manipulated facts, distorted the truth, denounced their detractors as traitors, and convinced America that the “central” war on terrorism was in Iraq.  A little background is needed here.

The August 6th, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing titled “bin Laden determined to strike U. S.,” prepared by the CIA and delivered to the president vacationing in Crawford, Texas, warned of possible hijackings and other attacks on American soil. Bush ignored it.  Although the PDB indicated that the FBI reported “patterns of suspicious activity” in the U.S. “consistent with preparations for…attacks,” then NSA Adviser, Condoleeza Rice dismissed the document as “historical” with no “new threat information.” The PDB, and the 9 / 11attacks which happened on their watch, suggest otherwise.

Seven months before the pre-emptive invasion of Iraq, a British foreign intelligence officer, having met with American intelligence in Washington, reported to Tony Blair that President Bush desired to topple Saddam Hussein through military action and that limited American intelligence and facts were being “fixed around the policy” to build a case for war. He also reported that there was little discussion regarding the aftermath of the military action.

Nearly 3000 American servicemen and woman, and untold thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since the invasion of March 2003. The “war” these men declared would last mere weeks is now in its 44th month with no foreseeable resolve on the horizon. It has been anything but a “cake walk,” and the Republicans, in part, have lost their control of Congress over the protracted occupation of Iraq and subsequent loss of life and treasury. 

Under continuous barrage by retired military leaders voicing their lack of confidence in him, Rumsfeld was finally shown the door immediately after the humiliating Republican mid-term thrashing this November 7th. But this alone will not salvage our nation’s tarnished reputation nor justify the deaths of 9 / 11, or of our soldiers in a fraudulent and illegitimate conflict. Those men and women in the administration responsible for misleading the American people and the world into the invasion and occupation of Iraq, allowing bin Laden to escape and remain free to this day, must be held accountable for the death and misery wrought on our soldiers and Iraqi civilians.

There are certainly issues in our country which may be more pressing and critical than an impeachment process, but at the very least, shouldn’t a small fraction of the time, effort and money spent on investigating President Clinton’s sexual indiscretion be spent investigating those responsible for the disaster in Iraq? And if impeachment is found to be warranted, let the chips fall where they may.  The dead from the WTC attacks and Iraq wail for justice to be served.

Ron, I haven’t seen you in years but think of you often during the course of this useless war in Iraq. Thank You for putting the human face on the suffering which envelops the survivors. For those who take issue with what you have said, let them try to walk a mile in your shoes. Semper Fi!

And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Written by Eric Bogle

Now when I was a young man, I carried me pack,
and I lived the free life, of the rover
From the Murray’s Green Basin, to the dusty outback,
well I waltzed my Matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen, my country said “Son,
it’s time you stopped ramblin’, there’s work to be done.”
So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun,
and they marched me away to the war

And the band, played “Waltzing Matilda”,
As the ship pulled, away from the quay
And amidst all of the cheers, the flag waving
and tears, we sailed off, for Gal-ip-ol-li…

And how well I remember, that terrible day,
how our blood stained, the sand and the water
And of how in that hell, that they called Suvla Bay,
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
Johnny Turk, he was waitin’, he’d primed himself well,
he showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shell
And in five minutes flat, he’d blown us all ta hell,
Nearly blew us, right back, to Australia…

But the band, played “Waltzing Matilda”,
When we stopped, to bury, our slain
We buried, ours, and the Turks buried theirs,
Then we started, all over again

And those that were left, well we tried to survive,
in that mad world of blood, death and fire
And for ten weary weeks, I kept myself alive,
though around me, the corpses piled higher
Then a big Turkish shell, knocked me arse over head,
and when I woke up, in me hospital bed,
and saw what it had done, well I wished I was dead;
never knew, there was worse things than diein’…

For I’ll go, no more waltzing Matilda,
All around the green bush far and free,
To hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs,
No more waltzing Matilda for me…

So they gathered, the crippled, the wounded, the maimed,
and they shipped us back home to Australia
The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane;
those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
And as our ship pulled, into Circular Quay,
I looked at the blanks, where me legs used to be,
and thanked Christ, there was nobody waitin’ for me,
to grieve, to mourn, and to pity…

But the band, played “Waltzing Matilda”,
As they carried, us down the gangway,
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared,
Then they turned all their faces away…

And so now, every April, I sit on me porch,
and I watch, the parade pass before me
And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march,
reviving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, old bones stiff and sore;
they’re tired old heroes, from a forgotten war
And the young people ask: “What are they marching for?”
And I ask, meself, the same question.

But the band, plays “Waltzing Matilda”,
And the old men still answer the call,
But as year follows year, more old men disappear,
Some day no one will march there at all.

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
Who’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me?
And their ghosts may be heard,
As they march by that billabong,
Who’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me…

this article is to long and doesnt give people the information they need

DEAR RON K. IVE LOOKED UP TO SEVERAL PEOPLE IMPORTANT IN MY LIFE.SUCH AS MY FAMILY WHO I LOVE DEARLY,ESPECIALLY MY MOTHER WHO I ADORE.YOU HAVE BEEN ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN MY LIFE. HOW TO APPRECIATE THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY. I SAW YOUR STORY WHEN I WAS 11YRS.OLD AND HOW IT TOUCHED ME WITH TEARS ROLLING DOWN MY CHEEKS.EVERSINCE THEN IVE TRIED TO LOCATE YOU . NOW IM 27 YEARS OLD AND HOW IT WOULD BE AN HONOR TO MEET YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN A HERO TO ALOT OF PEOPLE WHO DONT BELIEVE IN THE WAR SUCH AS MYSELF.I WISH THE WORLD TO GET BETTER BUT UNFORTANETLY ITS GETTING WORSE.WE ALL HAVE TO STICK TOGETHER AND FIGHT.

Dear Ron - I don’t know if you’re reading the comments, but I wanted to mention to you that I’ve had “Born of the 4th of July” on my reading list for many years; and I finally picked it up this weekend.  And I’m so angry and sad that it only took a little over 30 years for young men and women to be snowed by a lying government, and to excitedly trot off to a ridiculous, humiliating war again.  How do we nip that desire in young people in the bud, before they have to learn the hard way?

I was glad to read this article by you, 38 years after your wounding.

RE:  39792 Theresa Neilsen

I think you are right on with the Corporation of the United States of America.  I don’t understand it very well, but it seems this theory has been put in place to in essence dismantle the Constitution and the Declaration of Indepsndence.

The problem is that anyone of any official capacity by attempting to dismantle the Constitution is by definition committed Treason to the oath they took when they were installed to their capacity.  All oaths swear to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies both foreign and domestic.

It sounds to me like a white collar treacherous attemp at fraud.  It looks like that is exactly what has happened and still no one has adaquately challenged this because the Constitution is supposedly the cornerstone of all American Law.

This Business therory is exactly why vets have not been adaquately taken care of throughout our history.  They attempt all efforts at deniability including the divisions between service connected and non service connected.  There are probably as many vets listed as non service connected that are truly service connected as their are listed as service connected.  It is just an easy attemp not to properly look at the facts.

Sammy Williams:
What planet did you come from? This is a good conversation with meaning and substance. Try again Sammy.
Come out of your foxhole and lets see your true feelings…

Rumor has it that when the District of Columbia, was formed our system of government became like a Corporation. Our government needed to operate this way in order to deal with some business issues. For example like when the federal Reserve was formed in 1933, look up definition=semi-public-semiprivate(nonsense you really cannot be both) You are either dressed or undressed, you are either Public or a private business. This was to circumvent around our Constitution which states that only OUR Country goverment can COIN their own money. Problem=Foreign interests own part of the semi-private portion of our money Federal Reserve system. Research on google the forming of the district of Columbia. So, WARS are normally funded by Banks and like in Hitlers days, would also tend to fund both side of a war. So, that in itself is a conflict of interest and one of the many reasons that Our Country is Getting engaged in these type of conflicts. As a business person myself I do understand why our government had to do certain things, however not at the expense of our future. A system of Checks and Balances is the best form of government. Our problem is that if we continue to act mostly like a Corporation with corp or prior Corp executives running it (i.e. Dick Cheney-prior Halliburton-Bush-prior Oil man etc) then all bets are off in LOOKING after the people and the well being of the Republic. The main thing for a business as taught in Business schools is Profit. Our country is practically being lost to the “Corporatocracy”. For example when our ports were going to be sold to UAE, Panama Canal(now has China running ports on both sides of it), Toll roads sold to other countries etc. and reason for most americans fearing the “North American Union” uniting airspace with Canada and Mexico. Eventually this centralization of commerce, could lead to centralized banking-government dissolving slowy our Sovereignty-Our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Scary but true. Look it up.

Stephen Rose:
Well written! I love my country also but hate politicians! They go in as political servants and come out rich.
There are noble causes all over the world but Iraq is not one of them. Just look at the innocent being slaughtered in the Sudan-ven with the UN there…

I think we would be better off spending money on birth control and a non-violent pill.

#33145 by B.E. Lantz

“So long as society holds to views voiced on this blog, we will invite our enemies to attack us.  We were viewed by UBL as weak, indecisive and unwilling to defend ourselves in his comments to his cohorts, which is what inspired him to 9/11.”

Please, please, please stop this silly argument.  Can’t you and those who continue to spout such stupid garbage come up with something better? 

There is a big difference between fighting a war to protect one’s country and invading a country for George Bush and his ilk.  Nothing about Iraq justifies the death and maiming of a single American soldier.

And why are you posting on this site?  You should be fighting in Iraq, which anyone with an IQ of 50 knows was not involved in 911.  Some of these soldiers are on their third or fourth tour because there are not enough of them to rotate through Iraq.  Why aren’t you and yours do your patriotric duty.  Could it be the same reason that none of the useless Bush and Cheney family offsprings have seen fit to do their duty?

I have served my country (UK) and was extremely proud to do so because I do this for the people that I love.  In saying this, it is impossible to expect us to make any headway in creating a peaceful world if we continue with the current agenda.  Since the army I have consulted to government and while there I learned one thing - the motives and personal agendas of senior government officials and civil servants is phenomanally influential in what decisions are taken.  Whether it be taking bribes (it is often called lobbying), hiding bad decisions due to pride or simply bad judgement we are massively at the mercy of many idiots.  Moreover, our politician’s sense of self induldged belief means that we talk but never listen.  Therefore they never understand.  Bush and Bin Laden have one thing in common - they are both delusional.  They both believe they are right and the other is wrong.  How can this be?  They come from opposite sides of the planet with totally contrasting (but no less fascinating) cultures and completely different perspectives of life.  Until they attempt to identify with each other, even when they don’t agree, they will never learn what gets each other out of bed in the morning, what drives them to take the decisions that they do.  Neither is right or wrong.  Both are fueled by personal agenda, personal pride and personal ambition.  This is a recipe for disaster.  Just because a loss of a limb or life is government sanctioned doesn’t make it justifiable.  No matter what Bin Laden claims in the name of Allah, I can assure you no religious leader that understands the bible, koran or torah would ever claim the violence is justifiable.  It’s not.  It’s moronic.  It says ‘I am not intelligent enough to find common ground.  I do not want to work in the interest of anyone but myself and that your wants and needs as a citizen of this planet are less important than mine’.  Forget religion and boarders, they are meaningless.  While we sit here and claim, ‘I did this for...’ in the name of whoever we justify our violence in the name of think of this - the planet never started with a boarder and as far I know there is not any evidence showing the human race started with one religion that was more righteous than the next.  It started with the basics of survival and in the early days we learned that if we worked together our chances of surivival increased.  Somewhere along the line this became distorted and we figured out that if we collaborate together and pick on the weak, we get more - even though we don’t need it.  It’s about time we went back to basics.  Simple.

Please note, I am not a ranter or a self proclaimed tree hugging do-gooder.  I am a guy with two kids and a girlfriend I love.  I have a good job that is well paid and I am grateful for this.  In return I try to give something back, some charity every year, seperate glass and paper in the rubbish etc. but most of all I try to foster postive relationships around me that in turn help me have a decent life.  I do this by listening to what others have got to say and if I don’t agree, I do not reach for a bat and beat them until they accept my point of view.  Instead I persist in trying to understand why we disagree and this itterative process of discussion generally works if the person I am talking to shares a similar mindset.  Believe me, this approach makes for a simpler and more enjoyable life.

Ron:
Loved your article - but why don’t Americans ever ever ever mention the dead and wounded Iraqis?????????
Harry

In 1991 I was paralyzed on my right side and medivaced from
a 3rd world country.  Although I was not in the war, I have
some understanding of what this is you are going through.

Because of my experience, I have devoted a lot of my life to trying
to reach out, with some of the things that helped me.  I made
a website with what you might call, carrots and celery healthcare.  http://www.21stcenturymed.org
Its some quick, helpful selfcare that I spent most of my savings
studying for my own health, and now I share it wherever I can.
Its also helpful because medicine is expensive, but also, our
feelings, our experiences, create such strong feelings, and the
things I learned and put on that website are also helpful for
feelings.

All the best to all of you…
Cindy

Hi Ron:  Saw you in US vs John Lennon.  You look great.  Haven’t seen you since I visited your place somewhere down by Santa Cruz.
You look like you have found some peace. It is great to see.  I wish you the very best.
This war is killing all our men.  What are my grandchildren going to do?
Peace to you dear one.

I will always support our troops.  I cannot support this government’s war.  What I want to know is:  Where are this generations war protestors, demonstrators, peace-niks, artists, musicians, etc., what have you?  Why is this nation not screaming out and protesting in the streets about this vile war?  It is not that much different than Vietnam… have we as a nation, as a people, really learned nothing from that experience?  Does it take more deaths, more maiming, a draft?

Message to P.Tillman
Your brother will forever be a symbol of what is Great and Noble in our Country. We wont forget him, and perhaps it was God’s will to call on him early so the rest of US could Learn a symbolic message. Your loss is also our Nation’s Loss and we feel your pain more than you may know at present. Trust me if we can find missing important documents from the libray of Congress, future generations will find info. on your handsome patriotic brother.

Dear Ron,

I thank you for your courage and for sharing
your experience.  Your words are enlightening and
send a strong message for all of us - and I for one
will heed your words.  You have touched my heart and
I will do my part whenever and wherever I can.

Astrid Myers

I have been wondering when the issue of Wounded would finally get some attention. The true cost of any war cannot be summed up based only on those killed. The totally horrifying results of war must include some thought be given to those who come back physically or psychologically wounded.

For each of the wounded who will suffer for years to come there are family members, lovers,spouses, children and friends who will suffer indirectly as they help their loved one cope. There is also the cost based on economics. The financial burden is great. The funds needed to support our wounded could have been put to other uses if we hadn’t insisted that they sacrifice themselves to someones perceived notion of a threat.

Viet Nam is the best example ever. Thousands of American kids died and tens of thousands were wounded to fight a supposed deadly enemy. Today Americans can take vacations to Viet Nam.

Our men and women in the service should never be used in any pre-emptive way. If they are willing to serve our country, surely we should only call on them under the direst of circumstances. The cost is just too high.

God bless those who serve.

Comment #32827 by Egor on 10/23 at 8:40 pm:

Egor, I would respectfully ask you to refer to the recent information that has come out about Pat Tillman, your hero, particularly the fine essay by his brother. If Tillman is truly your hero, you should find out much more about him, including his critical stance on the invasion of Iraq, and how his noble volunteering to go to Afghanistan was manipulated by the government so much so that the facts surrounding his death by friendly fire was covered up egregiously by his unit. I think that Pat Tillman would expect you to become familiar with the facts on all levels. Try reading one of his favorite authors, Noam Chomsky.

On the eve of the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th month, the time signifying the end of WW1, I scanned through some of the postings by fellow vets, and I am angered and saddened by the pain that war has inflicted.  However, even without being in an active war, being in the military is no OSHA-approved activity.  I was on an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean during the Viet Nam war (1964-65) as a communication officer with Carrier Division Four, and we had people killed and injured in the damnedest ways: 

An off-duty marine gunny sergeant was standing in a catwalk during aircraft launching, admiring the seascape.  The shear pin that releases the steam-propelled shuttle to launch an F-4 threw off a piece of the pin that hit the gunny in the head and killed him on the spot.

A marine A-4 got blown overboard by the jet wash of an F-8 Corsair because of a green flight-deck petty officer who didn’t deploy the jet blast deflector behind the F-8, which would have prevented the accident.  He was not recovered.

Another marine pilot was lost while taxiing up the flight deck after landing.  The elevator in front of the island was lowered, and when the pilot was signaled to slow his plane, the left brake failed while the right one caused the jet to pirouette over into the space above the elevator.  He punched out on the way down and his helmet left a mark on a cherry picker (hoist) after he was blown out of the cockpit and into the air.  His helmet was the only thing recovered.

As I wrote, not exactly OSHA –approved.  These were all accidents that happen all-together too often in the military, resulting in people just and dead or maimed as in combat.  Being is the military is a dangerous occupation for many, even without an active war.

Me, I was one of the lucky.  I only got in one situation, being dropped by winch from a helicopter to the fantail of a destroyer underway in a heavy sea, where I was close to being injured, and got out of it without harm.

Semper Fi to my Marine buddies and other vets

This from Wikipedia
Acinetobacter is frequently isolated in nosocomial infections and is especially prevalent in intensive care units, where both sporadic cases as well as epidemic and endemic occurance is common. A. baumannii is a frequent cause of nosocomial pneumonia, especially of late-onset ventilator associated pneumonia. It can cause various other infections including skin and wound infections, bacteremia, and meningitis, but A. lwoffi is mostly responsible for the latter. A. baumannii can survive on the human skin or dry surfaces for weeks.

NEEDS MAJOR REWRITE

Since the start of the Iraq War, over 300 cases of A. baumannii had infected U.S. soldiers in the Middle East. At least five have died.

Ethanol has been found to stimulate the virulence of A. baumannii.[1] Tests on infected nematode worms dosed with ethanol found that the worms laid fewer eggs and their life spans were only 80% of worms infected with a non-ethanol responsive strain of A. baumannii, suggesting the common misconception that drinking alcohol kills infections is false and drinking alcohol may actually help the infection’s spread.

Treatment
Acinetobacter species are innately resistant to many classes of antibiotics, including penicillin, chloramphenicol, and often aminoglycosides. Resistance to fluoroquinolones has been reported during therapy and this has also resulted in increased resistance to other drug classes mediated through active drug efflux. A dramatic increase in antibiotic resistance in Acinetobacter strains has been reported by the CDC and the carbapenems are recognised as the gold-standard and/or treatment of last resort. Rather worringly is an increase in resistance to the carbapenems which leaves very little treatment option although there some success reported with polymyxin B as well as the use of novel combinations of antibiotics.[2] Acinetobacter species are unusual in that they are sensitive to sulbactam; sulbactam is most commonly used to inhibit bacterial β-lactamase, but this is an example of the antibacterial property of sulbactam itself.[3]

In November, 2004, the CDC reported an increasing number of A. baumannii bloodstream infections in patients at military medical facilities in which service members injured in the Iraq/Kuwait region during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) were treated.[4] Most of these were multidrug-resistant. Among one set of isolates from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 13 (35%) were susceptible to imipenem only, and two (4%) were resistant to all drugs tested. One antimicrobial agent, colistin (polymyxin E), has been used to treat infections with multidrug-resistant A. baumannii; however, antimicrobial susceptibility testing for colistin was not performed on isolates described in this report. Because A. baumannii can survive on dry surfaces for up to 20 days, they pose a high risk of spread and contamination in hospitals, potentially putting immune-compromised and other patients at risk for drug resistant infections that are often fatal and generally expensive to treat.

I had seen the first reference to this bug in an article about the Brit´s medical system which has been putting returning soldiers in the general population of the hospital with this bug then causing an almost epidemic of infections.

Thanks J.K. Sorry about your loss. I wish we’d had a larger difference. Less than 3000 votes. PITIFUL``````Ihope our Dems will Stand-up, Stand-out and Stand-fast!

ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT IN EARLY 2003 I WAS JOINING THE ARMY, IN SEARCH OF A CHANGE,CAREER,A WAY TO EXCELL ETC. THE ARMED FORCES FOR ME ARE A WAY TO GET THE HELL OF THIS POORISH BORISH FUCKING LIFE EXCITING (FUCKING YES ) NOT ! I WAS IN THE M.E.P.S. WHERE THEY TEST YOUR ASS, SORRY FOR MY SPANISH PENDEJOS MILTARY EXAMINITION P FOR I DONT KNOW S FOR SERVICE I WAS ELATED ETHUSIASTIC OF JOINING THE SERVICE. NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS ABOUT TO OCCURE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. I TRIED TO JOIN THE SERVICE AT THE AGE OF 20 THAT WAS IN THE 90S AT THE TIME I WAS GETTING MY GED THE RECRUITERS TOLD ME I NEEDED COLLEGE 15 CREDITS TO BE EXACT.IT WAS A LIE THOUGH I REALIZE NOW THAT WE WENT TO WAR. BOTH TIMES I TRIED TO JOIN I MISSED AND NOW I HAVE THE ARMY BUG AGAIN CAUSE MY PLANS ARE NOT WORKING OUT MY OWN BUSINESS MY ROCK BAND MY WOMAN DOESNT LOVE ME .IM THINKING OF ALL THE YOUNG KIDS DYING,PARALYZED,DISABLED,GOD WHY? THE CHOICES THAT WE MAKE I AM NOT WORTHY TO COMMENT ANYMORE ON THIS SUBJECT,I HOPE NO ONE READS MY MIND,HEART,AND MY SOUL.

Ron:
You got it in January, I got it with 5th Marines in March. Mine was nothing like yours but it still counted. Got me some morf too; that was nice and the round-eyed angels at Charlie Med were pretty cool too, for a few days anyway.
Our anguish over the years has been painful but at least we can feel it. Tonight the traveling wall is in the courtyard next door to my office building. 58000 of our brothers are on it, many of which you and I saw die. One day our grief will come to an end.
Semper Fi, Ron.

According to CDC.gov(Centers for Disease Control) the A. baumannii has been isolated in the lab (Oct. 2006). It is supposedly related to body lice. The disease has also been experienced in France.

Quote from CDC:

Acinetobacter baumannii in Human Body Louse | CDC EID

Semper Fi

I was born with a bone disease that has left most of them lumpy, twisted and/or painful. I might have gone to Nam but of course they would never take me, though I was headed for a draft till I got to the physical exam.

At every twinge of pain (and they have increased over the years) I think of the fate of yourself and so many others of our generation, and consider myself so lucky not to have shared in it.

In this article found through yahoo it mentions that this particular “bacteria” may be linked to the combat “soil” then it says something about the military facilities may not be super clean during the soldiers care etc. I must say that I have read some info. prior that this mysterious flu(parents later found out) has occured in Iraq first. In the story I read the parents questioned the cause of death was for it was not clear then as they requested more investigations it turned out that their young Son (soldier) had died of that flu. I doubt very much that it’s the lack of cleaning areas since the military facilities in my case Army where are extremely clean and sanitary. I raised my 2 kids with military medical appointments and the facilities where always very clean even to the point of being impressive. Fort Carson has a beautiful hospital. The floor always shines etc. This is what concerns me is that most of these problems can be avoided if we investigate and discuss the problems. The initial response is to cover that which seems out of the ordinary. We do need to be concerned although not create hysteria. One Member of this adminitration had stock in Tami-flu Giliad Labs. That concerns me for its a conflict of interest. A flu problem could be profit for others. Not a good thing. Just like there is talk that a prominent other member has stock value in Halliburton at 40 million. Why let go of a war if someone that is a key figure makes profits from it? We declared our freedom from England, however members in our congress are like British LORDS. Too many law degrees and with the “missing 13th amendment” NO one with titles of Nobility should serve in US Congress. We the People are like their “Commoners” subject to whatever conditions dictated by wanna-be kings. I hate to sound like a nerd but just do the Math. http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Injured_Soldiers_Bri ng_Home_Rare_Infection.html

Miriam:
I have heard about the bacteria you discussed in your on-line discussion. Go to CDC.gov. The CDC can be very helpful and keep you updated on new information. Let us know what you find.

Mark Dolce:
You are very insightful! The fact of the matter is that the military has new programs to help vets alleviate PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) now. They didn’t have nay program other than a section 8(psychological discharge) in WWI and WWII and Korea and Viet Nam. Viet Nam brought this aspect to light because more families weren’t afraid to complain and get involved. Prior to that vets suffered high rates of suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction. Talking and listening can do wonders..
Semper Fi

To Pat in Montana.  Congrats!  Looks like you guys did it.  Too bad we couldn’t add another senator to those who will at least ask questions about Bush’s colossal incompetence.  The soldiers and vets deserve better than they’ve gotten from the current “leadership.”

DOES ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?

A. baumannii is resistant to most common antibiotics and, if left untreated, can lead to pneumonia, fever and septicaemia. It has been identified in more than 240 military personnel in the US since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and has been associated with five deaths.

How the thousands of casualties from war assimilate back into society is a scary concept. Where do they go? How do they return and live their lives? What affect war has on their future behavior as citizens, family members, parents, husbands or wives appears to be a lost concern of those who support the ravages of war. It appears easy to send troops to die for a cause but how we treat and support the lives of those who went and return is a moral misgiving we continue to ignore. I have never been in a war. I do not claim or pretend to know of war from a first hand experience. As a child I fantasized about “war games” and set up plastic Civil War soldiers in my yard to knock them down. Somehow this ‘romantic’ concept is perpetrated to adulthood and even taken advantage of by our government. Ever since WW I, we have seen the slaughter of citizens and people in uniform on a scale that precedes our tolerance.  It was “the war to end all wars.” But not so.

A moment of silence for the Veterans of war.
A moment of truth for the Veterans of war.
A moment of remembrance for the Veterans of war.

To J.K.Frazier, Thanks, for the comment. Here in Montana it’s hard to find anyone who agrees that we’re on the wrong track. CONrad burns was really energized by bush’s visit last Friday. What an honor that our president would come to Montana, etc. I commented today that ‘they’ were all having a laugh on Montanans (much like they do the Christian “Nuts.") as the plane headed back to D.C. We are watching your state as well as our own.I still have a hope that we’ll pull it out. Big thing here is the pork ole CONrad brings us.

Yes, this is a spirited avenue to voice our hurt and anger. I love my country and would gladly join my brothers in heaven for freedom. The very sad part is memories of so many who paid the ultimate sacrifice stay fresh in my mind even as an old man.
Our society is now just noticing the corruption that exists in our public offices. The public is sick and tired of higher taxes and politicians who get rich in office.

Go see the movie - “Flags Of Our Fathers.” It will make your emotions work overtime.
Semper Fi!

To Pat in Montana from JK in Tennessee.  I feel the same way about the people here.  we have to change the culture of ignorance that has befallen certain areas of the country.  we need our friends and neighbors to wake up to the cost of too much fox “news,” spin, propaganda, lies, cronyism, hatred, meanness, manipulation, corruption and ignorance.  i am hoping that tennessee will pleasantly surprise all of us by sending harold ford jr. to the senate, instead of another bush patsy, rubberstamp like bob corker.  am not holding my breath, but there is a chance.

Thanks, Mother of U.S.Special Forces soldier; Thanks for the info. I went there and am adding it to my list. The people here in Montana for the most part are Pro-Life and at the same time Pro-War. They do NOT want to see any pictures of wounded anybody. I’m spending the next couple of days with a knot in my midsection. We cannot all be so non-perceptive, here in this great State.