The Killing Fields
May 2, 2008
Democrats and the Killing Fields
By ARTHUR HERMAN
May 1, 2008; Page A17
Most people have never heard of Operation Frequent Wind, which ended on April 30, 1975, 33 years ago. But every American has seen pictures of it: the Marine helicopters evacuating the last U.S. personnel from the embassy in Saigon, hours before communist tanks rolled into the city. Thousands of desperate Vietnamese gathered at the embassy gate and begged to be taken with them. Others committed suicide.
Those scenes are a chilling reminder of what happens when a great power decides to cut and run. Two of the three presidential candidates are proposing to do just that in Iraq. We need to remember what happened the last time we gave up on an unpopular foreign policy, not only in humanitarian terms but in terms of American power and prestige.
Actually, the U.S. had won the war in Vietnam on the battlefield, just as the surge has done today in Iraq. Over Easter 1972, South Vietnamese forces, backed by U.S. airpower, crushed the last communist offensive, killing nearly 100,000 North Vietnamese troops.
The North was forced to sign peace accords in Paris recognizing the Republic of South Vietnam. The last 2,500 U.S. support troops went home. What they left was a fragile but sustainable peace, and an elected government in Saigon that was growing stronger every month.
But with 160,000 North Vietnamese soldiers still in South Vietnam, keeping the South free was going to require continued U.S. help, especially air support and military equipment if the North ever attacked again.
Democrats and American public opinion, however, had had enough. Much like Iraq today, the vast majority of South Vietnam had been pacified. Its government was taking on difficult but essential political changes, including land reform. The Democratic-controlled Congress, however, did not want to hear about success. They assumed failure in Vietnam would complete their rout of the hated Richard Nixon, who was already out of office thanks to Watergate, and position them for victory in the 1976 presidential election.
Meanwhile, the American public had been conditioned by the media to see Vietnam as a failed policy, and taught that America had gotten itself in the middle of a “civil war” which the Vietnamese had to sort out themselves. Once the last American troops left Vietnam, public opinion would never tolerate re-entry into a war widely seen as a blunder and endless quagmire.
In early 1975 the communists launched a massive attack. President Gerald Ford asked for $1 billion in supplemental funds to help the South Vietnamese, and Congress refused. They had already pulled the plug on the U.S.-supported government of Lon Nol in Cambodia. Ford had no choice but to order the evacuation of remaining U.S. personnel.
After nearly two decades of devastating war and 58,000 American combat deaths, the U.S. left Southeast Asia. As the last helicopter lifted off from Saigon, the New York Times’s Sydney Schanberg wrote an article with the title, “Indochina Without Americans: For Most, a Better Life.” And the Times’s columnist Anthony Lewis asked, “what future could possibly be more terrible than the reality” of a war that had cost so much in lives and treasure?
With the North Vietnamese Communists and the Khmer Rouge taking over, the world was about to find out.
At least 65,000 Vietnamese were murdered or shot after “liberation” – the equivalent in terms of Vietnam’s population at the time, of killing three-quarters of a million people in today’s U.S. The new communist regime ordered somewhere between one- third to one-half of South Vietnam’s population to pass through its “re-education” camps, where perhaps as many as 250,000 died of disease, starvation, or were worked to death (the last inmates were not released until 1986).
That number does not include the thousands of “boat people” who tried to flee the totalitarian nightmare of communist Vietnam, and perished at sea.
Cambodia’s fate was even worse. At least one and a half million innocent Cambodians were butchered or starved to death in the Khmer Rouge’s killing fields and re-education camps, put to death by a fanatical regime that believed that anyone who wore eyeglasses must have “bourgeois intellectual tendencies” and be shot.
The scale of moral collapse and suffering went beyond Indochina. The pullout had a ripple effect on U.S. power and prestige, just as the proponents of the so-called “domino theory” had warned. American foreign policy, crippled by remorse and self-doubt, stood helplessly as others rushed into the power vacuum.
Marxist-Leninist regimes emerged not only in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, but in Ethiopia and Guinea Bissau (1974), Madagascar, Cape Verde, Mozambique, and Angola (1975), Afghanistan (1978), and Grenada and Nicaragua (1979). Soviet troops were welcomed in Fidel Castro’s Cuba for the first time since the 1962 missile crisis. Cuban troops traveled freely to Africa to prop up Marxist regimes there.
In 1979 the Ayatollah Khomeini was able to establish his brutal theocratic rule over Iran, confident that America, having learned “the lessons of Vietnam,” would never intervene.
The judgment of history, as Raymond Aron once remarked, is without pity. History will judge how America and its leaders handle global responsibility in Iraq and the Middle East in the next decade.
As Winston Churchill said of the appeasement of Hitler at Munich, in 1975 Americans were “weighed in the balance and found wanting.” We have a responsibility to the Iraqis – and to the memory of those we left behind – not to let that happen again.
Mr. Herman is the author, most recently, of “Gandhi and Churchill: The Epic Rivalry That Destroyed An Empire and Forged Our Age,” just published by Bantam.
Still Worth the Sacrifice
March 19, 2008
This week marks the 5th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War. As we approach the anniversary, many antiwar organizations will take their cause to the streets, the media and the internet. Undoubtedly, they will state their case that the war has been mismanaged, that too many lives have been lost, and that what we’ve lost in the conflict far outweighs what we’ve gained.
I served onboard the USS CONSTELLATION during the opening days of the war in 2003. For me, while it is important to acknowledge the views of those against the war, it is equally important to acknowledge the progress that has been made in Iraq, and why we must see its citizens through to stability and a strong self-governance.
I take encouragement in our cause from the fact that Iraqis are taking an ever increasing role in the future of their country. For example, Iraq’s security forces-which now hold responsibility for security in nine of Iraq’s 18 provinces-grew by more than 100,000 in the past year, and now boast over 500,000 personnel. Volunteers calling themselves the “Sons of Iraq” have stepped forward to secure their own neighborhoods.
While al-Qaeda and other extremists remain a threat to Iraq’s future, their capabilities are seriously diminished. In the past year, thousands of extremists have been captured or killed in Iraq, including hundreds of al-Qaeda’s top leaders and operatives. Evidence of this diminishing threat can be seen in the 60% decrease in the number of monthly attacks (placing them at the same levels as 2004-2005), and the 75% decrease in the number of civilian deaths (placing them at a level not seen since 2006).
There is one constant between the antiwar movement and individuals like myself who support our troops and our mission: we want our military to come home, safely and quickly. Where we differ is that pro-mission Americans want them to return under a banner of victory and honor. The facts on the ground show that we are winning the battle for a free, strong, and secure Iraq. The mission that was prematurely declared accomplished during my military service is being accomplished today.
The Iraq War will go down in history as one of our country’s most expensive undertakings. Soon, this country will lose its 4,000th service member in the conflict. These sacrifices are felt by us all, and we honor the memory of those who gave their lives in defense of this country and in the birth of a free Iraq.
The price of freedom is no less expensive in Iraq as it was during the birth of our country. The truest way to honor the sacrifices of our nation is to finish the course we have set out on. We must allow our military to win in Iraq, and give them everything they need to complete their mission and return with honor.
Coby W. DIllard
Assistant to the National Director
Gathering of Eagles
Vietnam Double Amputee Runs Across America
March 4, 2008
This is just another example of the discipline, fortitude, and courage shown by American veterans. Sent in by GOE member George Samek.
Today members of the Gathering of Eagles stood with PGR & members of other fine troop support groups to welcome a U.S. Marine who lost both legs in combat in Vietnam. This was a very heart warming rally.
Gene Roberts is a remarkable American, who started his run at Camp Pennington, Calif. He has run every mile. When he rides, he makes up the miles.
I presented Gene with a small American folded flag & a GOE # 3 patch..I asked Gene & his wonderful supportive wife to join the Gathering of Eagles. Gene said he would do just that, and to tell each of you Eagles that he sends his thanks to you and asks you remember him in your prayers.
The PGR & GOE escorted Gene on Rt 17 from Little River into the state of NC, where the Brunswick County Officers continued his escort. Many thanks to Ronald Hewett, Brunswick County Sheriff.
Gene will continue his run to Washington, D.C.
Please go to his run schedule & stand along the road to cheer him on.
Measurable Improvements in Iraq
February 25, 2008
Washington Times Editorial February 18, 2008 THE WASHINGTON TIMES EDITORIAL - In fits and starts, political progress in Iraq is not only possible, but in small steps it is happening. That’s the simplest lesson of the Iraqi Parliament’s three notable moves on Wednesday. The parliament set Oct. 1 provincial elections, passed a $48 billion budget and also passed a limited amnesty for thousands of prisoners, including former insurgents — potentially significant steps toward reconciliation. Even New York Times editorial headlines are acknowledging the unexpected: “Making (Some) Progress in Iraq.” This does not at all fit the unrelenting “Iraq is a failure” narrative favored by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Out of Iraq caucus.
Read more
THE BEST DEFENSE IS A GOOD OFFENSE
February 13, 2008
GOE 3, Part 2: In the Face of Evil
September 20, 2007
The weather cleared a bit and became fairly pleasant as the day wore on, but it was the only thing becoming more pleasant. Outside the Capitol where Jake and I were, the mood was so tense it was palpable. We sat with Michelle Malkin and Bryan Preston for a while while Michelle live-blogged, and we tried to ignore the straggling moonbats as they shuffled by in twos and threes, screaming obscenities and giving us the finger. I told Jake not to waste his time and energy on the individuals walking by–there would be far more of them soon enough.
My words became true after another hour of waiting, and soon the street was awash in a sea of coward’s yellow. Signs screamed everything from “Get Out of Iraq” to “Stop Bombing Lebanon.” Were we bombing Lebanon? I didn’t know that. Those moonbats were sure well-informed. I asked a few of them as they walked by if they could name the countries bordering Iraq but their only answer was unprintable and had something to do with Bush and Halliburton.
After only a short while, we found ourselves in the middle of them, as their march route brought them right through our area on their way to the Capitol for the die-in. In the span of a few moments, we went from properly segregated to completely integrated…and suddenly, it was like organized chaos. “Peace” marchers kicked me in the shins out of sight of the police, daring me to hit them and retaliate. Old hippies still lost in the 1960’s jumped into my face and called me a terrorist. Kathy Upton called me then from her post up at the Capitol.
“Where are you guys?!” I hurriedly told her where we were and said I needed to hang up. There were moonbats everywhere around us, and they were all angry. One woman, decked out in flowers and buttons calling for “love for everyone,” screamed that “American troops are the f—ing problem!” I moved aside so she could see Jake standing there and screamed right back.
“Why don’t you tell him that to his face, you stupid piece of trash?” She didn’t miss a beat as she proceeded to do just that. Jake started moving toward her with a dark expression and I pulled him back.
“Not worth it…don’t even bother. Time for a cigarette break?” He agreed and we stepped back from the front to smoke and calm down a bit. He angrily vented about the idiocy all around him as I listened.
“These people, ” he spat angrily, “don’t even understand why we’re there. They don’t even know what’s going on. This is like spitting in my face, and the faces of all my fellow soldiers. These people are sick and disgusting.”
To lighten the mood a bit, I started pointing out the ridiculousness of the people marching by.
“Look at this idiot,” I chuckled as I gestured to a horribly obese woman wearing pink spandex and carrying a sign calling for the “liberation” of Palestine. “This girl’s only here because it’s her only chance to be within 4 feet of the opposite sex.” Jake laughed, and we went on like that for a bit, laughing at the utter stupidity of their costumes, their signs, and their complete inability to carry on an intelligent conversation about what they believe. After a bit, he felt ready to go back to the front, and we took our places again, ready to do battle with those who hate us and what we stand for. We traded insults and profanity for a while, and every so often we’d step back and take a break so Jake could calm down a bit.
Kathy found us, and we walked across the street to the far side of the Capitol circle. As we stood there, I suddenly realized I had made a critical error in Jake’s preparation–I had forgotten to tell him about the flag-draped casket that always seems to find its way to these marches. It was there in front of us–a casket adorned with the photo of a fallen Marine, an upside-down American flag, and a pair of combat boots on top of the flag. Jake’s face crumpled in a mixture of fury and grief.
“How can they do that? That is just…” he stopped, unable to continue. And then it happened, so fast that none of us saw it coming.
An Eagle ran over to the casket and snatched the Marine’s photo from the end. Tucking it to himself, he ran…towards us. Suddenly he was tackled to the ground only five feet from us, and the scene erupted as Eagles jumped in to defend their brother. I heard a scream like nothing I’ve ever heard before, and as I turned, I saw Jake, his face filled with rage, going toward the fight. I grabbed him in a bear hug from the back as I heard his mother yelling at me not to let him get hurt, and Kathy came to assist as Jake’s sheer fury powered him–and dragged me–toward the men wrestling on the ground. There was no way we were letting go.
It took both of us and Jake’s mother, but we held him back and pushed him to the bushes lining the sidewalk, guarding him from the sights and chaos around with our bodies. He finally collapsed into deep, wracking sobs, and Kathy and I simply held him and talked to him as the madness swirled around. We were all crying as his mother begged us to get him out of there, but he refused to leave. We stood there forever, it seemed, and after a while he calmed down and we moved aside to allow the police to swarm the area. Chris Hill had already neutralized the situation, and had gotten bit by a moonbat for his trouble.
The rest of the march was fairly uneventful, and thankfully we were greeted with a bit of comic relief at a time when we all desperately needed it. A few men walked by wearing red tutus, and when we yelled and jeered at them, one of them stopped.
“Do you want me to shake my ass for you?” he lisped. Turning around, he lifted his skirt to reveal a pair of red panties. Jake stepped forward with his cane but stopped short when he saw the wet spot and obvious brown stain on the moonbat’s panties.
We erupted into howls of laughter. “You crapped yourself!” we yelled while trying–and failing–to control our laughing.
Walking back to the Metro station, we were still surrounded by anti-war protestors. We were the only patriots in our Metro car, and we held our heads high. We had ruled the day, and as I looked at the soldier standing next to me, I was prouder than ever before. I may be a female veteran with no combat experience, but I had done battle with evil today–and I had taken care of my brother.
Experiencing the rally and march through his eyes made everything so much more real. I saw his pain, his rage, and his pride. I am honored to have worn the same uniform as people like Jake. I am humbled by his sacrifice and his gift to this country, and later that night, I went to Mologne House and met more heroes just like him. All of them deserve our gratitude, our respect, and our undying loyalty.
Thank you to all the Eagles to I met that day. We made a difference, and I am proud to be among your number.
EAGLES UP!
GOE 3, Part 1: Perspective
September 18, 2007
I was there in March, when the mud and the frigid wind couldn’t stop tens of thousands of us from standing up to say, “Never again!” to the anti-American Left at the first Gathering of Eagles rally.
I was there in May, when the unforgiving sun beat down upon thousands more of us as we stood before Lincoln to honor those who have gone before, and those who go today.
I was there Saturday, when the “peace-loving” hippies threw eggs, kicked shins, pointed fingers, and started fights, all in the name of peace. But this time, I didn’t see them through my eyes, those of a peacetime veteran. I saw them through the eyes of a soldier who has given more of himself than all of those rainbow-clad freaks marching under a coward’s yellow banner.
A Message to Eagles From Melanie Morgan
August 29, 2007
From: Melanie Morgan, Move America Forward
To: Eagles Everywhere!
I want to thank Eagles from across the country who have read and responded to Kit’s alert about the death threats against me.
When I receive these e-mails I just shake my head and wonder –when did it become so wrong and reviled in this country to stand-up and be counted as a proud patriot, someone who loves her country and the men and women who selflessly serve it? What goes through the mind of these sick, twisted individuals when they threaten to kill me, my husband, my children and say disgusting things that they are too chicken(bleep) to say out loud to anyone else?
It matters not to me. I am protected by a forcefield of love from above, and here in this wonderful country.
We are all blessed to be part of a larger movement to honor and recognize the TRUE heroes—the guys and gals I had the honor of meeting in Iraq, those who are serving in Afghanistan and faraway bases across the globe and who served honorably and with distinction in past wars.
None of us can rest until we gather together and soar in Washington, D.C. September 15th, or throughout our tour across 27 cities of America that begins this Monday in Carson City, Nevada.
This is by far the largest task Move America Forward has undertaken, but we are joined YOU– Gathering of Eagles, Eagles Up, Vets for Freedom, Freedom Watch, Military Order of the Purple Heart, and dozens of other pro-troop organizations WHO UNDERSTAND THAT WE MUST WIN THIS WAR, OR LOSE THIS COUNTRY.
Come join us! Besides being a ton of fun (meeting other patriots) you are watching the backs of our soldiers while they watch ours! It will be your legacy to your children and grand-children!
With Warmest Regards,
Melanie Morgan
Move America Forward
Moonbats Threaten Move America Forward-GOE Caravan
August 27, 2007
Eagles! Don’t let these people interfere with Melanie and her Move America Forward caravan!
It has come to our attention that our good friends at Move America Forward are being targeted by the anti-American left. It is not enough that these ultra-liberal forces think it fine to disparage our men and women in uniform. They are now targeting our supporters as they make their way to stand with us in Washington, DC, on 15 September.
They have threatened Melanie Morgan personally and have used the vilest language to harass our friends. Obviously, they have underestimated our resolve and the resolve of our friends in Move America Forward. This is their last-ditch attempt to derail the
counter-protest we have in store for A.N.S.W.E.R.
Turn out in force to welcome Move America Forward as they make their way across the country. These people must be reminded that the silent majority is silent no more!
Unite For Victory!
August 27, 2007
Eagles,
Have a look at some videos made by a few patriots.
Fallen But Never Forgotten
August 19, 2007
Kory Wiens and his dog Cooper are my desktop wallpaper, a reminder that teamwork, sacrifice, and service to country are paramount.
The first military working dog team killed in action together since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were laid to rest together July 18.
Cpl. Kory D. Wiens, 20, of the 94th Mine Dog Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and his partner, Cooper, were killed July 6 by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Muhammad Sath, Iraq. They had been in Iraq since January.
The cremated remains of Wiens and Cooper, a Labrador retriever, were buried together at Salt Creek Cemetery in Wiens’ hometown of Dallas, Ore., at the request of his family, said Master Sgt. Matt McHugh, the family’s casualty assistance officer.
“Kory referred to Cooper as his son, that’s now much of a team they were,” McHugh said.
It is men like these that we honor as Eagles. Let us never forget them, and never stop doing whatever needs to be done to see that they are treated as the heroes they are.
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U.S. Army Spc. Zachary R. Clouser
August 16, 2007
On Saturday, 11 August we said goodbye to one of our own. U.S. Army Spc. Zachary R. Clouser was killed in action on 18 July during a firefight in Iraq.
The Patriot Guard Riders lined the perimeter of the church grounds, with a number of Eagles among them. It was a good thing too, because the Westboro Baptist Church was in attendance. Although their numbers were small they could have potentially disrupted the day.
Special kudos go out to PGR Ride Captain/Eagle Wayne Lutz who arranged his forces artfully and concealed the Westboro miscreants from the hero’s family by placing multiple lines of flag waving patriots between them. It was a somber occasion, but Spc. Clouser’s mother was the epitome of both an American and a Gold Star. She was steadfast and loyal, strong and true, and convinced that her mission now is to honor her son’s sacrifice. We, obviously, agree. Fare well brother. I, for one, promise you Zach that you will not be forgotten and your sacrifice will not be for naught. Manchu.
Do YOU Stand with Sheehan or Athens?
August 16, 2007
Five millennia ago, it was the law in Athens to honor those who sacrificed their lives fighting for their country. Pericles’ funeral oration, his immortal tribute to the dead of the Peloponnesian war, did more than pay homage to the fallen. It defined the obligations of citizens living in a democracy, to recognize and to take full measure of the sacrifices offered by the dead. This speech lives today as one of the finest examples of oratory in the tradition of western civilization. Read more
Goodbye to a Fallen Hero
August 13, 2007
GOE members, along with members of Rolling Thunder and MilVets Motorcycle Club, paid their last respects at the funeral service of Army SPC4 Chris Neiberger, killed in Iraq, in Gainesville, FL, on Saturday, August 12th. This was a sad, but uplifting, event. Eagles everywhere express their sympathy with Chris’s family and buddies. The best efforts of the Westboro Baptist Church idiots and of Scott Camil of Vietnam Veterans against the War were for naught. One Eagle in attendance, Mike Bradley, said that the church was FILLED with troop supporters.
CEO of U.S. Naval Institute to Speak at GOE Eagles of Valor
August 3, 2007
Tom Wilkerson is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Naval Institute will be the key-note speaker for the GOE Eagles of Valor Dinner on September 22, 2007.
As CEO, Tom is responsible for formulating and executing the goals, objectives and strategy of the Institute; he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute and the Naval Institute Foundation.
Tom is no stranger to the Naval Institute, having served first as a member of Naval Institute’s Board of Directors/ the Editorial Board and then as a member of the Naval Institute Foundation Board of Trustees. Tom has also been a contributor to Proceedings magazine, and a frequent participant in the Naval Institute’s seminar program.
Will YOU let History Repeat?
August 2, 2007
A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War Two owned a number of large industries and estates was asked how many German people
were true Nazis; the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.
“Very few people were true Nazis,” he said, “but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed
my factories.” Read moreGood Surge, Bad News?
July 31, 2007
It seems the House Democrats are beginning to worry that the surge results won’t be what they have
prayedhoped for.Many Democrats have anticipated that, at best, Petraeus and U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker would present a mixed analysis of the success of the current troop surge strategy, given continued violence in Baghdad. But of late there have been signs that the commander of U.S. forces might be preparing something more generally positive. Clyburn said that would be “a real big problem for us.”
Notice he said a positive report on the surge would be a problem for Democrats and not good news for the country. Would it be too much to ask our politicians to put our country first (if only in time of war) and party concerns second?
The full story is at Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could Split House Democrats on War - washingtonpost.com
The Hammer and Anvil
July 31, 2007
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GOE has taken to the streets multiple times as of late. Personally, I love yelling back at the leftists who cannot think in layers. Everything is about feeling good on the Left. They simply cannot accept that people disagree with them, since they are so “well-intentioned.” It challenges their world-view, so they respond angrily. Part of me loves bringing them to that point, and it is, without a doubt, an important part of me. It also means the world to our troops serving in harm’s way. It is not all we can do, or should be doing though. If we truly want to do everything for our men and women in uniform we must do more. As Winston Churchill so succinctly put it, “Sometimes it is not enough to do your best. Sometimes, you must do what is required.”
Read moreCalling All Vets for Freedom
July 30, 2007
This bulletin comes from our friends over at Vets for Freedom, who are joining us on 9/15 in D.C. to counter the moonbats.
In September, General Petraeus will report to Congress on the status of the mission in Iraq. At that time, members of Congress will decide whether to continue the mission and defeat Al Qaeda, or abandon the mission and surrender to America’s enemies. The stakes could not be higher.
It is absolutely crucial that veterans have a voice in September’s debate. And therefore we’re asking every Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who believes in the mission - and supports our fellow soldiers and Marines still serving - to converge on Washington, DC on Tuesday, September 18th.
We plan to have hundreds of veterans on Capitol Hill … and hope you’ll be one of them.
Read moreLeftists infighting over lack of impeachment progress
July 30, 2007
Cindy Sheehan was indeed arrested during her protests at the Washington D.C. office of Rep. John Conyers last week, following her disgraceful walk from the gates of Arlington National Cemetery. It appears that the true face of the leftist fanatics may be showing through. To see how they are beginning to eat their own, more can be found here at Berkeley Daily Planet.
