Bush Flew Fighter Jets During Vietnam

Ask yourself this question: how would you feel if your crew got to
go home after 3 months overseas, and you had to stay for duration
plus six months? Would you say "they went to war" as excited as
you are about JFKerry?

Always wondered about that early departure. Can anyone explain?

Ask yourself this question: how would you feel if your crew got to
go home after 3 months overseas, and you had to stay for duration
plus six months? Would you say "they went to war" as excited as
you are about JFKerry?

Always wondered about that early departure. Can anyone explain?


Anyone wounded three times could opt out.

It occurs to me that this is what the protagonist in "Platoon" does also.

Walt

"WalterM140" wrote

Always wondered about that early departure. Can anyone explain?

Anyone wounded three times could opt out.

It occurs to me that this is what the protagonist in "Platoon" does also.

Platoon is good fiction, based sort of on incidents of real life, but highly
dramatic for effect. In the script he's always called "Chris" while everyone
else has their last name or a nickname. It's common in the military to only
use a persons last name. Mail call, etc, it's just easier that way. But the
script emphasises "Chris" to signify that he is not really one of them. He's
just there for the tour, and then will get on with his life. Everyone else in
the story calls him "Taylor" but in the script he is "Chris." He opts out of
the war on his second wound, and he will accept it, because he knows he
can't take it. The war is beneath him. In the last scene he looks at "Rhah"
who, like a true Centurion, is victorious again with his walking stick and
fist, ready for the next battle, and "Chris" knows he made the right choice
to leave. He can never become a warrior, only a survivor. He murdered
the warrior who had kept him alive.

His final words a "those of us who did make it have an obligation to build
again, to teach to others what we know and to try with what's left of our
lives to find a goodness and meaning to this life"

It's the words of a murderer, who failed to become a warrior, and left the
battle. What does he have to teach? What goodness and meaning are to
be found? "Chris" becomes the spokesman for the warrior, yet he is not a
warrior, and the people he returns to do not know this. Thus the power of
this ending actually brings me to tear, it is well written. The true warriors are
just completely forgotten in life, like ants, as in this story.

He opts out of
the war on his second wound,

As I recall, Chris was wounded three times, and so was the one black soldier
who stabbed himself in the thigh after the big attack.

Walt

"WalterM140" wrote
He opts out of
the war on his second wound,

As I recall, Chris was wounded three times, and so was the one black soldier
who stabbed himself in the thigh after the big attack.

It's a minor distinction, you could be right, the point is more about opting out,
rather than the number of wounds. I believe the black soldier was more interested
in getting a blow job from the white nurses than anything else in life.

Platoon is good fiction

I don't agree. I think of it as the least of the Vietnam war movies
(well, there was always "A Yank in Vietnam"), and a wholly
unconvincing portrait of combat. It's not even good fiction.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! weblog www.vivabush.org

"Cub Driver" wrote

Platoon is good fiction

I don't agree. I think of it as the least of the Vietnam war movies
(well, there was always "A Yank in Vietnam"), and a wholly
unconvincing portrait of combat. It's not even good fiction.

I've seen a lot of Westerns, and John Wayne war movies, and Platoon
is near the top, mainly for the script, and for the acting. It probably
has as much to do with Vietnam, as John Wayne's had to do about
D-Day or the Pacific.

I've seen a lot of Westerns, and John Wayne war movies, and Platoon
is near the top, mainly for the script, and for the acting. It probably
has as much to do with Vietnam, as John Wayne's had to do about
D-Day or the Pacific.

But at least John Wayne never thought of himself as the Messiah. The
only image I carried away from Platoon is the guy with his arms
outstretched: oooh, look, daddy! Jesus on the Cross! What clever
symbolism! This much be a very deep movie!

My own Viet picks: We Were Soldiers, Go Tell the Spartans, and Full
Metal Jacket. The first is one of the great war movies, the second was
based on a book I wrote, and the third is a classic bang! bang! film.
I enjoyed each of them as much the second time around.

Hamburger Hill had its moments, but I sometimes forgot what war it was
supposed to be. I probably won't see it the second time.


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! weblog www.vivabush.org

From: (WalterM140)
Date: 7/11/2004 10:50 AM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

Ask yourself this question: how would you feel if your crew got to
go home after 3 months overseas, and you had to stay for duration
plus six months? Would you say "they went to war" as excited as
you are about JFKerry?

Always wondered about that early departure. Can anyone explain?


Anyone wounded three times could opt out.

It occurs to me that this is what the protagonist in "Platoon" does also.

Walt

Mein Gott, herr Goebels, we can cite fictional movies to bolster our argument!

This puts you in the same category as teuton and denyav.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

(WalterM140) wrote:

Anyone wounded three times could opt out.

The rules are very specific and he met them with the possible exception of the
rummored self inflicted wound from gofing around with agrenade launcher. But
the nature of the mission and action being undertaked might mitigate that if
true. there is debate between his own statements and those of some of his crew
and the physician.

One of the wounds was treated with a bandaid. By the strick interpretation, he
qualified. However there were plenty of men on the ground who would have had
dozens of awards if they counted every bandaid type wound received under the
amended Purple Heart rules and they stayed for years. Most of the time Kerry
was in the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club.

-- Charlie Springer