Questions For Those In Uniform - By Michael Gaddy

February 09, 2005

It would appear my recent writings: here and here, have upset some of those who serve in uniform. Some have addressed me personally, while at least one tried using the back door by writing directly to Lew to have me censored. The complaints seem to center around perceived irresponsibility on my part for relating the allegation by Ranger Mitch that it was friendly fire that caused his hell on earth, and for quoting "spurious" contacts in Iraq concerning voting irregularities.

I do not believe for a moment that people in the military today are "serving their country," nor do I believe we "support the troops" by sending them in harm’s way, thousands of miles from home to fight wars based on lies, while thousands of illegals from foreign countries, many from countries who have sworn to destroy us, cross our virtually undefended southern border each and every day. This country’s military long since ceased to serve their country, but instead, fight and die for the duplicitous State.

One Master Sergeant in particular, questioned my "responsible journalism." I felt compelled to answer him with a series of questions. In two weeks I have yet to receive a reply, but it would benefit all who wear the uniform to answer these questions for themselves.

How can anyone read 2-time Medal of Honor recipient, General Smedley Butler’s work and not question what is happening today in Iraq, or the whole concept of war, except in legitimate self-defense of our nation?
Considering the facts now available about our entry into WWII and the probable advance knowledge of the coming attack on Pearl Harbor by FDR, why trust the State at all when it comes to causus belli?
With the abandonment of thousands of American POW’s to the Russians at the end of WWII, why would anyone in today’s military trust the State to bring them home, were they to be captured?
Would similar actions by our government concerning our POWs left to the Korean and Vietnamese Communists at the end of those wars change your mind? What about LCDR Michael Scott Speicher? If you doubt the government will lie about missing service personnel, be sure and read everything here.
What about the farce that was the attacks on American ships by the Vietnamese in the Gulf of Tonkin that led to the war and deaths of over 58,000 military personnel? Would you believe the words of another Medal of Honor recipient? His bravery is well documented: how about our current CIC and his staff, who have been proven most adroit at dodging military service?
Would a study of how the government has used military personnel and others as human guinea pigs reveal a total lack of respect by the State for its citizens, and in particular, its military personnel?
What about our servicemen and their families who have been struck down with all the maladies caused by Agent Orange? How many lies has the government told about the use of this chemical defoliant and the death and suffering it has caused? When young men and women returned from Viet Nam complaining of illnesses, cancer and birth defects in their children, our government refused to admit Agent Orange might be involved. One feels compelled to ask if Dioxin is so terrible that entire sections of cities (Love Canal (Niagara Falls, N.Y), Seveso (Italy), Times Beach (Missouri), Pensacola (Florida), and Midland, Michigan) have been evacuated, how can the government deny similar dangers to its veterans who were exposed to the same chemical in Agent Orange? In the case of Agent Orange, did the government choose protecting and providing for its military personnel over themselves and the chemical companies, or was it just the opposite?
What about our servicemen and women from Desert Storm? What is Gulf War Syndrome and what are its origins? Why did the Pentagon refuse to comply with Public Law 105-85 as it pertained to our soldiers, before their deployment to the present Iraqi theater? Did the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Veterans Affairs ever lie or otherwise participate in a cover-up about the origins of Gulf War Syndrome? Could there be dangers associated with this syndrome that our soldiers, now in Iraq, are facing?
What about the Bonus Army from WWI? Were these soldiers treated fairly? Did they receive their promised bonus?
What about My Lai, Vietnam? Why was only a lowly Platoon Leader ever convicted of wrong doing in this fiasco? Why did Lt. General William Peers, the investigating military authority, say of General Samuel Koster who failed to report known civilian casualties and conducted a clearly inadequate investigation, "He was the beneficiary of a whitewash, having charges against him dropped and receiving only a letter of censure and reduction in rank"? Why did the same General Peers say of Colonel Oran Henderson’s acquittal at court martial for his actions at My Lai, "I cannot agree with the verdict. If his actions are judged as acceptable standards for an officer in his position, the Army is indeed in deep trouble."
What about Abu Ghraib? Although the actions of the enlisted personnel charged in these crimes were despicable and stupid, considering they actually photographed their crimes, does anyone really believe there was no culpability or involvement of those of higher rank, and perhaps the CIA?
What about the reduction in benefits for veterans by the Bush administration? You know, those guys who refuse to attend any funeral services for service personnel killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, refuse to allow pictures of the caskets of those who have given the "ultimate sacrifice," and sign letters of condolence to the families of those that have been killed in their war with a machine! If Bush and company actually cared about veterans, why did they not have DOJ assist Medal of Honor recipient, Colonel Bud Day with his lawsuit on behalf of WWII and Korean vets? Why did Bush not issue an executive order to right this wrong? After all, he did sign one to protect the oil industry!
What about the POW’s who lost the settlement awarded to them for their pain and suffering at the hands of Saddam Hussein to the actions of the Bush administration? Strange, is it not, that L. Paul Bremer III, former U.S. Administrator in Iraq, who said, "Restricting these funds as a result of this litigation would affect adversely the ability of the United States to achieve security and stability in the region, would compromise the safety of U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians, and would be harmful to U.S. national security interests," now appears to have presided over the loss of 9 billion dollars. Corruption trumps GI’s every time.

Considering the State and its mistreatment, duplicity, abandonment and killing of its military personnel, why do millions continue to serve with blind devotion? Could it be, "serving my country," is nothing more than the anesthetic, a hallucinogen if you will, we use to hide from our rational minds, the reality and pain of acknowledging the ruling elite does not give a damn about our military and their families. Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen are the medium of exchange used by the power cabal to procure wealth and power. When will it end?

Republished from Lew Rockwell with special permission of the author. See Mike's Archives there for more great articles!

Michael Gaddy [send him mail], an Army veteran of Vietnam, Grenada, and Beirut, lives in the Four Corners area of the American Southwest. He is also the honorary editor for The Price of Liberty.