As one who believed in the justice of our cause in Vietnam and who volunteered to serve, who believed that the military defended America, I must say that my three years in the Navy (1966-69) left me afraid for the safety of our country and uncertain as to the intelligence of its leaders, both military and civilian. I am in favor of the restoration of the universal draft simply to produce a majority of civilians who know what the generals say when they tell the nation that they have seized power for "the good of the country." The arrogance and corruption that characterized the slice of the military that I saw is today much less likely to be detected given the deliberate opacity of the present Department of Defense. Charles Gregory VK "Seattle Bound" Message-ID: <11.57c23da.2b391994@aol.com> From: REStob@aol.com To: trawler-world-great-loop@lists.samurai.com Subject: TWGL: Attention all veterans Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 20:59:48 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) List-Help: <mailto:trawler-world-great-loop-request@lists.samurai.com?subject=help> List-Subscribe: <http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawler-world-great-loop>,<mailto:trawler-world-great-loop-request@lists.samurai.com?subject=subscribe> List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawler-world-great-loop>,<mailto:trawler-world-great-loop-request@lists.samurai.com?subject=unsubscribe> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Note that the glib guy who on page 110 of his book berated the military, at least the guy who had SIR in every sentence, is also a veteran - Korean War, er eh Conflict, (felt like a war to a lot of us), College ROTC, served actively, a member on the US Army Rifle Team, received commendations and proved himself to be a "true killer". He even voted for Eisenhower. That's General Eisenhower. So lighten up already. Of course, I echo the sentiments of all of those who note the tremendous contribution (often their lives) of the patriots who fought in the wars. As a teenager during WWII I saw the stars in the windows and counted the numerous relatives and neighbors who served and some who never come back. Shortly afterward I had my opportunity to serve in the Korean Conflict. For all those who gave so valiantly and for those of you who understand the contribution fighting men and women give for this country, forgive me my glib statement. It does sound disrespectful. Ron Stob US Army (1953-55) A note from Eva: Heaven knows I try to keep this guy in line but it's just impossible. Sorry for the offense. _______________________________________________ http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawler-world-great-loop