Chasing the Wind

Those words ought to frighten you – our country’s biggest mistake was treating returning Vietnam soldiers with contempt. It weakened our military, drove a wedge down the middle of America, and abused tens of thousands of Vietnam veterans.

Are those days long gone? Are the days when people like John Kerry organized groups like Vietnam Veterans Against the War and said that soldiers “raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Ghengis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam” and protested, not against the politicians, but against the soldiers trying their best to protect American citizens?

Apparently not – here’s a story of a soldier’s rude treatment in Seattle this week during the annual Grand Old Fourth of July parade.

That’s when Jason Gilson, a 23-year-old military veteran who served in Iraq, marched in the local event. He wore his medals with pride and carried a sign that said “Veterans for Bush.”

Walking the parade route with his mom, younger siblings and politically conservative friends, Jason heard words from the crowd that felt like a thousand daggers to the heart.

“Baby killer!”

“Murderer!”

“Boooo!”

If you ever witness people treating our soldiers this way, shout them down. Yes, they’re using their freedom of speech – but you have freedom of speech, too, and the right and responsibility to support that soldier that protects that freedom of speech. Soldier don’t just follow orders, they risk life and limb on behalf of the United States and her citizens like you and me. Demoralizing our soldiers with the ugly whispers from Vietnam is the worst thing we can do to our country’s and our soldier’s morale.

When soldiers return from the battlefield, they should be welcomed as heroes, no matter what the politics are.

If you’re the kind of person that has venom like that spitting out of your mouth, save it for the day the terrorists are having a parade down main street.

Link to story found via Indepundit.