RochesterConservative.com

by rochester_veteran

Last evening, there was another episode of the Gangland series on the History Channel. This particular episode, Basic Training, focused on gang members in the military. “Experts” and former gang members were interviewed and there are indeed gangbangers in the military and they’ve caused some problems, while in the service and after discharge, when they re-entered civilian life. A point was made throughout the episode that these gang members first allegiance was to their gangs and they were going into the service to take advantage of the training and combat experience, so that they’d be more effective criminals when they did re-enter civilian life. “Gangland: Basic Training” painted a grim picture of this situation.

Normally, I’m a big fan of the History Channel and I enjoy alot of their programs, however; “Gangland: Basic Training” in my opinion overly dramatized the gangbanger situation in the military. Although there are no officlal statistics on gang membership in the military, experts estimated that 1% to 2% of military members are gangbangers. While a cause for concern, that’s not a overwhelming number and certainly not as dire of a situation as “Gangland: Basic Training” painted. Gang activity in the military should not be tolerated and Congress, in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008, inserted a provision prohibiting “membership in a criminal street gang” by members of the Armed Forces. (H.R. 1585 SEC. 579).

My biggest concern with “Gangland: Basic Training” is it could leave the gullible believing that our brave men and women in the US Armed Forces are bloodthirsty criminals and a danger to the civilian world. I see history repeating itself. We’ve been down this road before as Vietnam Era Veterans were painted as mentally ill, crazed baby killers who were a danger to society. That malignment of my fellow Vietnam Era Veterans and I was a result of the original Winter Soldier “testimony”:

On January 31, 1971, members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) met in a Detroit hotel to document war crimes they claimed to have participated in or witnessed during their combat tours in Vietnam. During the next three days, more than 100 Vietnam veterans and 16 civilians gave anguished, emotional testimony describing hundreds of atrocities against innocent civilians in South Vietnam, including rape, arson, torture, murder, and the shelling or napalming of entire villages. The witnesses stated that these acts were being committed casually and routinely, under orders, as a matter of policy.

In April, the VVAW stormed Washington in a week-long protest. At its height, spokesman John Kerry went before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations to accuse the United States military of committing massive numbers of war crimes in Vietnam. The appearance launched Kerry’s political career. The charges he made shocked and sickened a nation, changed the course of a war and stained the reputation of the American military for decades.

But the mass murder of civilians was never American policy in Vietnam. War crimes were the exception, not the rule. And the Winter Soldier tribunal itself — which John Kerry had helped moderate — turned out to be “packed with pretenders and liars.”

As a Vietnam Era Veteran, I don’t want to see History repeat itself and see our current members and veterans of the military painted as crazed killers and criminals. It you feel the same way, please consider joining me on a trip to Washington DC, during the time that “Winter Soldier 2008″ is taking place in mid-March, to stand and defend our brave men and women in the US Armed Forces from the malignment that will surely be a result of Winter Soldier 2008. If you’re interested in joining me on a trip to Washington DC, to defend those who’ve defended us, please send email to:

goe.rochester@yahoo.com

The “goe” stands for “Gathering of Eagles”. This particular call to action is being headed up by Eagles Up, Why We Will March in March!, in response to the Winter Soldiers 2008 “testimony” that is being held in Washington DC in mid March. Please consider joining me and the other Veterans and Patriots of Eagles Up!

Never again shall one generation of veterans abandon another.