Paul Rieckhoff you should thank Vietnam Veterans and not slam them

Mr. Rieckhoff,
After you served your country and then turned around to start the IAVA to take care of the veterans of those two wars, it is shocking you have failed all other veterans.

All wars were fought with draftees, in case you didn't notice and this includes WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. After Vietnam then it was up to the young to enlist. Unlike WWI, WWII and Korea, the Vietnam veterans came back in force to address PTSD. All other generations of mankind have been wounded by this but it took them to fight for it and it was their courage to take a stand that has placed this nation as far as we are today in taking care of the generation of veterans you care for. Did that ever dawn on you?

Do you think that Vietnam veterans had any less dedication to their brothers or to the mission just because some were drafted? How dare you? Did it dawn on you that with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans you also have people the standards were lowered for so they could boost manpower? How about gangs suddenly allowed in? How about criminals allowed in? Does any of this dawn on you? Do these facts end up reflecting badly on the rest of the men and women serving in the military today? Absolutely not. How can you even begin to use any kind of language that slams Vietnam veterans when they came home to make sure ALL generations of veterans were taken care of? How can anyone claiming to be serving veterans forget there are more veterans in this country needing this country as much as the newer generation but waiting far longer for it?

This is the part I can never understand about you and what you do. How many Vietnam veterans turned to you for help considering how much media attention you get only to be turned away? This part the media doesn't discuss but the veterans do. The other service organizations including Vietnam Veterans of America will help all veterans because they made it their next mission to live up to "Never again will one generation abandon another" but you don't seem to let that bother you one bit.

I've supported you and your organization in the past and posted a lot about what you had to say. From now on, if you say it, it will not be posted but if others from your organization do, I will post it. That is unless you apologize to the Vietnam veterans because had it not been for them, your generation would be screwed even more than they are now. By the way, do you know how many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have parents that were Vietnam veterans? Want to bet some of them had been drafted too?

Learn something and maybe begin with watching Ken Burns The War and learn some facts about WWII to know about the drafted heroes of that war. Larry Scott is right and you are clearly wrong!

IAVA CHIEF, RIECKHOFF, DISSES VIETNAM VETERANS
Calls Vietnam veterans unprofessional and takes a swipe at all draftees.

by Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org



In 2004, Iraq War veteran Paul Rieckhoff founded Operation Truth.

Operation Truth was an almost-anti-war, definitely anti-Bush organization funded by vast amounts of left-wing money ... which is not necessarily bad, but it always helps to know where the money comes from. (The editor at a well-known military web site names George Soros as the source of much of the funding.)

The goal was to co-opt veterans' issues by using the media contacts of the left-wing money ... to make the country think of "veterans" as those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rieckhoff became a star on such programs as the Rachel Maddow Show on Air American Radio and MSNBC-TV.

Realizing that he needed a broader base, Rieckhoff changed the name of the organization to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

IAVA became a lobbying powerhouse on Capitol Hill. Even though Iraq and Afghanistan vets make up just 3% of the veteran population, and IAVA membership is just a few thousand of that 3%, IAVA became a loud voice.

Rieckhoff's agenda has always been a divisive force in the veteran community.

Because of Rieckhoff's work, we now have a two-tiered VA system, with vets from Iraq and Afghanistan getting priority treatment for health care and first-in-line status for disability claims ... while the other 97% of veterans just have to wait.

In fairness, Rieckhoff has worked hard for his constituency, and it has paid off ... to the detriment of other veterans.

Now, we see Rieckhoff's feelings about other veterans, especially those who served in the Vietnam War.

Today, it is reported that a GI in Iraq killed five fellow soldiers. Rieckhoff issued a press release about this, and said, in part:

"Unlike during the Vietnam War, today's military is a professional, all-volunteer force."
go here for more
IAVA CHIEF, RIECKHOFF, DISSES VIETNAM VETERANS