DISQUS

albert soifer · 11 months ago

I just, a few minutes ago, finished your book; which I read with great interest. I found myself initially caught up in memoire as I served as a , at the time, combat reporter with the USAF from 1962 through 66 including a stint inThailand during Rolling Thunder and all that implies. We were short of everything except mangement or missmangement. The COC I was a part of was young, bright and often confused but we did the job despite the chaos around us. Having rehashed my eventful youth, I was appalled at the tale of ineptitude and downright stupidity of what you faced. But I was beyond appalled at the cowards and idialogues who, like the Gulf og Tonkin, are still sending our best to die for these dangerously silly ideals that have no basis in fact and for the most part are simply fiction.

It truly hurts to read that 40+ years latter we still can't tell the truth to ourselves or even to make up a good story that is plausiable on it's face. george McGovern's line that he is 'sick and tired of old men sending young men to die in their wars." is truer today then 40 years ago. I don't know what to say that in any way explains what has happened. I can't explain the characters in play or their roles, "Divine Comedy", maybe but more of Kafka's dream.

albert soifer · 11 months ago

I am very glad ur out in sight and available. I wish u well, I pray ur voice is heard and your writtings read. Maybe if people like me had stayed the course and told the world the truth this mess may have been avided. On the nigh I was separated from the USAF at McGuire AFB in New Jersey, I was advised by rolly polly sargent to change to civies as wearing my uniform home could be dangrous. My pride ws between the job I had done, the thought of a brother who drove a landing craft at Inchon, a brother who flew 28 combt missions over Germany and a father who sat in German POW calmp in 1916-1917, each came home wearing their uniform and I was going to do it as well. And yet here we be. A one star General is told by a LT Colneal that a part of her prison his off limits to her, a prison were an untraind sargent is the OIC when he isn't fornication and civilian contractors are deciding what constitutes torture..Save them God for they know not what they do. Some where ther ar 10-100-1000 of us that can write on permanent book that outlins the mistake SO THE NEXT GROUP OF brigh youth won't have to hear the McGovern . Rossmiller, your are doing god's work, not as a parishiner but a vooice. What the Islamist have taught us , intllectually, is that book is holier than the Gun ang voice of the street is more important tnat a gun'

The die to go to GOD, we kill them for that end. They kill us to get a photo op on tying yellow ribbons on trees. A bad trade off and we still don't get it. Maybe you save us. Maybe rational though, evidance building, logical though and taking the other side seriously can make some to take notic,.

My bones are now tired, it's been a long time since K Rations and M16 hat didn't work. WW!! boots that rotted in the heat and charm and beauty of Thailanders.. so Ican sit, smile and remember. But AJ you made smile the wrong way, I wanted to cry, I want to take my PH and DSC and send them to someone who would understand, but I am not sur a person existas. Keep writing, keep talkin and most of all heed MCGovern,

quietthought · 11 months ago

How do we convince everyone that the time has come to simply ask the world for forgiveness. Humiliate, prostrrate, offer to fix the window, put back their stolen cookies or simply promise to never speak to them again but that time is now. We musr apologize to the entire world and beg forgiveness. Otherwise our national soul wills wsim with the fishes.