TankBuster,
I would never be presumptuous about your responsibilities and obligations to your fellow students. I will, however, make some assumptions about your duty to the men who fought in Vietnam. One of them is that we veterans have a duty to correct misnomers about this war. Another one is that we survivors of combat should defend the honor of the vast majority of honest, brave and motivated men who fought for our nation for the right reasons. Many of these men are unable to speak for themselves, as they have already paid the ultimate price for their nation. And last, but not least, please remind this student that many of us were volunteers, our eyes were wide open, perhaps clouded with patriotism and the ignorance of youth, but nevertheless, wide open. I wasn't tricked or coerced into enlisting. If I were you, I would have a one on one with this student about her future in the present ROTC and the future military. I would also publicly, to all students, set the record straight about her statements. With ROTC, especially high school, education is important. But also now, and especially later, those intangibles such as attitude and "Espre de Corps" and loyalty to your fellow GI, are more important. Our democracy, paid for by the blood of patriots, gives her the right to express her personal sentiments but it does not give her the right to dishonor our service. Perhaps you need to bring this to the attention of some active duty military or possibily there are some Vietnam veterans in the area, available to give a presentation to the cadets. Semper Fi
