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Enough About Nam!

Last Updated on February 12, 2022

Sometimes you want to write about something and you put it off. You let it fester, hoping that the frustration will go away. You want to avoid opening a can of worms, or worse, offending someone whom you respect. Ultimately, you either have to toss the idea or go with it. Disagree with me if you like, but at least respect me for being honest.

No pulling punches here…I’m going to come right out and say it:

I’m sick of hearing about Vietnam.

I hope that I don’t offend anyone in the audience by saying so, but it’s the way I feel.

President Clinton avoided military service through a deferment. This wasn’t an issue for Democrats during his campaign or during his time in the White House. It was, naturally, an issue for Republicans.

Now, we have those same Democrats who once downplayed the military service issue parading Vietnam soldiers as fast as they can ship them into the town of their latest rally. And we have those same Republicans who were so quick to condemn Clinton for not serving either making excuses for Bush or ignoring the criticism altogether.

Come on, people…can we not see this foolishness for what it is? We had soldiers returning home from an unpopular war in the 1970’s as the country basically turned their back on them. Since then, those same soldiers have been put on display every four years by whichever candidate (or candidates) served with them as if that candidate’s party invented military service.

I never served in the military. Undoubtedly, from what some people have had to say in praise of John Kerry and in criticism of George W. Bush, this fact makes me a second-class citizen of this country. If you feel that way, you might want to re-evaluate your position: the Constitution does not require military service as a prerequisite to either be president or vote for one.

The issue of whether a presidential candidate served in the military is a sham. The argument that it is “unfair” for a president who has never served in the military to expect “our sons and daughters” to fight a war he wouldn’t fight is ridiculous.

Yes, the president is Commander-in-Chief. But do you really believe that no president can be effective as a Commander-in-Chief without having fought a war? If you do…if you genuinely believe that, then please explain this:

We hold the president accountable for the nation’s debt and economy, but the president is not required to be a financial whiz — or even a great mathematician, for that matter.

We hold the president responsible for protecting the environment. But the president doesn’t have to be an expert on ecology.

We blame the president when we aren’t happy with education. Yet nowhere is it written that a candidate must have spent any period of employment in our public school system as a teacher.

We point our fingers at the president when we are dissatisfied with our health care system. Show me where it says the president must have a medical degree.

The president is the Commander-in-Chief. If you think that only those who have served in the military deserve to be president, I have two questions:

Have you ever voted for any candidate who didn’t spend time on the front lines during a major war? If so, how can you possibly justify that vote?

Second, what have you done to campaign for a Constitutional amendment redefining the requirements for holding the office of president to add military service? If it is really a serious issue for you, I would expect that you have done more than gripe about it.

I mean no disrespect to our soldiers. My father served in Vietnam. I respect those who have served, because I know that they are the ones whose blood, sweat and tears have strengthened our nation to the point that the rest of us are not required to serve. I appreciate that. I don’t accept that gift lightly.

It angers me when I see these veterans being used as pawns by whichever political party has the “war hero” of the hour as its top attraction. Because I never served, I can’t fathom the horrors of war. Because I have been used by others, I can at least imagine what that feels like. I hope none of our soldiers would let either side use them just to receive some of the recognition they’ve been owed for so long.

If military service alone is the reason you will vote for the man you choose, I can’t begin to imagine what you’re thinking. Blame it on the fact that I’ve never served, but it’s not even remotely an issue for this voter. It wasn’t a big enough issue to stop me for voting for Bill Clinton several years back. (Does that surprise you?) And it’s not a big enough issue to decide who will get my vote this year.

the authorPatrick
Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. His professional background also includes social media, reporting for broadcast television and the web, directing, videography and photography. He enjoys getting to know people over coffee and spending time with his dog.