The Moving Wall

[RobH]

Ladies and Gentlemen..... I might suggest that there is a far better way to alleviate the obvious problem that the erstwhile professor suffers from..... While he obviously believes in "revisionist history".....he can be shown the error of his ways..

Gotta be a herd of VietNam Veterans and other Veterans in that ville.... How about having a large number of them sign up for the class...or "audit it". It would provide the "perfect" inroad to allow for the "discussions" he so enjoys.

What could possibly be more fun and fitting than to have a significant number of Veterans.....all wearing some form of Military Insignia....sitting in his classes from day one of the semester.....

Further....you could also consider taking really, really copious and accurate notes...and after you find the error in the "course that he is teaching" you can bring the fallacies to the attention of the President of the University and demand that he force the professor to cease and desist in teaching false history. Also, if necessary....talk to a lawyer about filing a lawsuit to prevent the little marxist shit from spreading his skewed and highly political bullshit on unsuspecting young people.

We had a school teacher down here in FL who was anti-war and was preaching his politics to the students.....and when the parents found out....all hell broke loose. The teacher fought back, but as I recall.....he is unemployed now. And it was all brought about by "the people". It wasn't only parents that landed in the school board.......one rather large number of Veterans of all wars made their feelings clear.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

[vetgirl]

Best idea I ever heard

[RobH]

I have always felt that the best "defense" (not that we need one) is a strong offense!! I have had several :re: occasions in the past 32 years to set the record straight with regards to Vietnam, and the fact that we were NOT "babykillers" wantonly wandering about the countryside like Herod's troops slaying babies.

I wish I was in that neck of the woods.....I could probably engage him in a "discussion" or two that would both frost his chops and set him straight. He can, insofar as I am concerned rail all he wants at the federal government.....but when he sets out to denigrate people like myself and other denizens of this board and all of our Fallen Brothers.....that in and of itself is a whole 'nother ball game, and something I will not tolerate!!

I did not always agree with the politics of the situation there, but by God......I took an oath and swore to do the duty of a soldier, and I did what I was called upon to do by my country. I made a choice and I served my country "Honorably" and I have four DD-214's to prove it!!

Thanks again...

[Boats]

The Moving Wall;

I saw it about three or four years ago here in Chicago Heights, IL. I never went to the one in DC still planning to go one of these days.

Took the wife with me and it was about dusk when we got there the guard had lit several candles and the tables were lined up with several people going over the books.

We had our names (my Bud's and my wifes school friends) ready to go. When we found them we both were overwhelmed by the sudden memories that rushed in. George Yocum my best school friend was listed there and I remembered all the days we would try to sneak his Dad's liquor in his house. His Mom (blinded from giving birth to one of his sisters) could here us removing the top of the cap off the bottle and always yelled "George I'm telling your Father".

George was on perimeter one night and got taken out. His Dad wrote me to ask what had happen? I said I wasn't with George so I can really say. When I came home on leave I went to visit his Dad (whose hair was stone white now) and we talked about the days before any of this VN stuff ever happen.

He wasn't bidder he was sad to loose his only son but proud that his son did his part. How can you ask for more than that to take his only son. My eyes water if I think about it too long. There are many stories we could all tell but growing up with someone only to loose them in a war is really hard at times.

I haven't seen George's Dad in a long long time I don't even know if he's still alive but I miss George and the other's we've all lost as I'm sure one of more them could have made a difference.

I regret many things. People ask me (us) why we went (I volunteered) and why things turned out like they did? I don't know - I just know that George and all the other's that died did so for some bigger reason than I could figure out.

Would I do it again? With great thought I'd say yes because everyone else that I knew went and would do so again. I think its because they were contributing to something I didn't understand made me join and go. Who in there right mind would volunteer for VN? I did. Why? Because that's were the action was and I can't make it any different than that. Yes I'd go back and do it all over again. I doubt I'd make a difference but I'd try.

[Andy]

You sound a lot like me regarding Vietnam and the Wall. Your friend George, try to find his parents. It might be hard but give it your best shot.

My best friend, Jack Rabideau was killed in '67, I got to Vietnam two and a half months later and spent quite a while there. When I got home I couldn't bring myself to visit Jack's parents. After almost 25 years it dawned on me I felt guilty that he got killed and not me. By then it was too late. His father a WWII vet had killed himself and his mother was in a "home" and didn't recognize her own sister. I could have been their surrogate son, or at least a reminder of better times. If they had been angry about his death - at least we could have talked.

In recent years I've spoken to the family members of other home town boys who were killed in Nam. Everytime I've left, folks always say "Thank you". Those two little words ease some of the pain.

Matter of fact, my best friend in Vietnam, who was killed in Jan. of '68 lived in Tenn. Been trying to contact his family for about a year. At least I could tell some humorous war stories and if necessary explain why it had to be a closed coffin. I'm sure my parents and sisters would have wanted to know anything and everything they could.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[Boats]

Andy,

I appreciate your words of wisdom. George's coffin was also closed for reasons we won't go into. You know I tried to find Georges family but they've since moved on and when the girls got married they drop their father's last name - so it becomes almost impossible to find any woman folk.

[Seascamp]

Apparently the Prof thinks too much. If and when he peals back the multiple layers of sheep skin from his eyes, sees the bright light of day, breathes some air other than his own he?ll stop thinking so much. He ought to meander on down to Stone Mountain, Georgia, and have a look at that war memorial. That?s really something to see and he?d probably have a conniption fit over it all and think himself into a frazzle of melted butter.

One of my favorite contemporary movies is called ?Empire of the Sun? and is the saga of a young British boy that got caught up in the Japanese invasion of China. Towards the end of the movie the boy, Jim, kinda looses it and a medical Doctor says, ?You think too much Jim, stop thinking Jim, stop thinking?. So I guess I?d pass that sage advise on to the Prof. But I suppose he?d have to think about that for a long time so it would do no good at all.

Scamp

[Boats]

If the Prof had been there he might be able to have some input otherwise he's talking out of his as_.

[39mto39g]

#2

[WateringHole]

WWII ace pilot Greg "Pappy" Boyington who was awarded the Navy Cross and MOH got some bad things said about him earlier this year at Univ Washington by a few students after it was decided to build a monument to him.
One student said "we don't need anymore monuments built at U of W glorifying another Rich White Man", another student said "we don't need to build a statue of someone who got famous for killing". If I'm not mistaken, I believe Pappy graduated from U of W in 1934.
The director of the student organization these two students belong to went on a local radio talk show and apologize for the degrading remarks his members made and went as far as saying he was as much appalled as everyone else was.