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For what it is worth:
I think he has no right to say what he said, nor has he the right to show disrespectful behaviour to a body of men and women who dispite wanting desperately to be some place else, did a fine job in a very difficult situation.
Was he directly affected by the Vietnam War, I doubt it...he was still running around in kimbies, did he lose a relative there or have one come home permanetly scared, I doubt it...they were too busy trying to rip the soul out of this nation.
His opinion has been shaped by bigotted fools who he has been in contact with over the years, only trouble is he has closed his mind to any other opinion and the truth so as to justify his stance and to confirm to himself that he has been right in his beliefs all these years.
Australians have displayed great mateship over the years, no problem to give a neighbour a hand,go that little bit further to give a bloke a chance and a fair go, we have not had a reputation of being a racist country and if you were "alright" you were accepted.
The WW1 Diggers finished up having a great admiration for the Turkish Soldier because the Turk displayed the qualities that we admired in a person.
I recently watched a re-union, on TV,of some of the Long Tan combatants and there was certainly respect from both sides for the valor and skills displayed by each side.
My experience has been that it is only fools who do not respect the qualities of the enermy they are facing, and they are generally the ones you send home to Mum in a body bag.
The Diggers who went to Nam certainly did not bring discredit to this country, although some civilians did and are still doing so.
By all means disagree with the climate and the politicians that embroiled us in Viet-Nam, but have the guts to stand up and say " Hey fella, I disagree with what you were ordered to do, but I applaud you for showing great Aussie spirit and resourcfullness in a difficult and dangerous situation".
In closing, If I had of been there he would not have been sitting not would he have been standing. And should he ever visit this forum, by all means PM me I am quite prepared to supply my name and address should he wish to visit to discuss the matter further.
:mad: :nazilock:
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Still need to be told just how being at war with Iraq and any other war for that matter other then WW2 against the Japanese relates to the immediate protection of australia. But then war seldomly is about protection. What are we in Iraq for Weapons of Mass distruction wasn't it? or was it Oil??
This guy has played you all like fiddles.
The worst part is now his has it running over 2 sites atleast.
I have no problem with the freedom of speech part, The failure to self censor well we all have heard my thoughts on that before.
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one another note, i went to the gaythorn RSL last night for dinner to see a mate off thats going on his second tour of iraq and i could believe that somebody would be in to much of a rush to not pause for last post
as i was walkiing in with the family last post started play, my family stopped along with 3 or 4 others, however an older lady continued to walk out of the RSL, one of the guys asked the lady if she could pause for last post, she replied EXCUSS YOU, started to walk off again before it sunk in and she stopped untill last post had finished
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This really isn;'t about war, right or wrong. Governmnts make those decisions, and deserve no respect for that at all.
The men sent to do the task however deserve all the respect that this country can muster. Being a youngin (born 1981) WW2 is something rather distanced to me. I know about the men, machines and polotics of it, but it seems another world away from today. Vietnam isn't so departed to me however. I'm in the middle of reading a book called "Sand, Surgery and Siagon Tea". It does not focus on the frontline combat troops, but is one mans story about his service as a doctor to 8 field ambulance at Vung Tau.
The hell that these people had to endure was amazing, and they weren't even frontline troops, although they did repair a lot of those who were very badly wounded in the line of duty. It has done nothing but increase my respect of those that went to any conflict, and has certainly made me more determined to finish restoring my vehicles as a memorial of sorts to them.
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Ron, you posted a very calm reply to that Tool. I have never served, I wasn't even born during most of that time of war. I do however have a respect for the people who have risked their lives to protect this great country of ours.
That guy is a disrespectful idiot. Don't let him worry you.
I had to shorten this post deleting my true feelings about this bloke, but if he was next to me in that crowded stadium and didn't stand. I would have made sure he got up even if I had to pick his Dead **** hide off the seat myself
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I remember a story told by my mother who lived in London as a kid in the last yrs of WW1 and live through out WW2 bombings and dad in WW2, she once told me, true or not?????????, that if Hitler had one he would have "gotten rid off" all but blonde hair/blue eyed people, that counts me out, sometimes peoples actions wrong or write have actions on how things turn out. If the persons who didn't win what they did I know I wouldn't be here today and maybe alot of us either and I dare say either way he wouldn't have been where he was watching what he was in comfort.
To add to the insult we'd be driving VW's or Merc's anyway not L/R!!!!!:( :(
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E-mail that I received today;
From the daughter of a Soldier.
Last week I was in Melbourne attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.
Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their uniforms, as they began heading to their gate everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red blooded Australian who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work, and enjoy our home without fear or reprisal. Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He knelt down and said "hi," the little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughters name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Corporal and had been in Afghanistan for 5 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mum was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.
After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, "I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you." He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying "Your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon."
The mum at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet he saluted Courtney and her mum.
I was standing no more than 6 feet away as this entire event unfolded. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of moment turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an Australian.
RED FRIDAYS
Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Australian's who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority". We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for Country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.
Many Australian's, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Australiasupports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every Australian who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.
By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make Australiaon every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football team. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before Australiais covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever,
certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is..."We need your support and your prayers".
Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.
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Soldiers.........
Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes.
He stays up for days on end.
__________________________
You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.
__________________________
You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.
*He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.
__________________________
You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.
__________________________
You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.
__________________________
You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.
__________________________
You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.
__________________________
You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.
__________________________
You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
*He doesn't get to eat today.
__________________________
Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.
__________________________
You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.
__________________________
You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.
__________________________
You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.
__________________________
You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.
__________________________
You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.
__________________________
You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.
__________________________
You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.
__________________________
You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
__________________________
You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told.
__________________________
You stay at home and watch TV.
*He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.
__________________________
You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be woken by gunfire.
__________________________
You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him.
If only there were more men like him!
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me, too.
Anyone who wore an ADF uniform in the early 1970s had to endure bias, stupidity and bigotry. To minimize the personal threat, measures had to be taken. We were pariah IN OUR OWN COUNTRY!!!!!
Thank God we have come to our senses.
Pete the galloping grocer
