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I am of an age that I remember Vietnam. I knew people that died there. I remember the protests in the streets and on the television. I saw pictures on the evening news of the fighting going on over there and over here. I remember POW/MIA bracelets. I can still hear Nixon promising to end the war and seeing him flash the peace symbols. I can recall hearing of the men that went to Canada to dodge the draft. I saw our soldiers get off planes and being spit on and yelled at for being baby killers.
I did not like the war. I had a bracelet, my POW came home. My uncle was against the war. He was in the Air Force. They forced retirement on him. I saluted the soldiers that did fight that war. I felt no resentment for the ones that fled the country without enlisting when they were called up.
Deserters are a different story. They are the true cowards. Yes, I said coward.
Everyone is the Army today is a volunteer. No one was drafted. Each and every person there opted to be there. There is always the chance that when you sign up that there will be a war. That is why when you sign up you have the opportunity to register as a conscientious objector. You do not wait until time to be sent to war. There are many jobs in the Army that do not require you to fire a shot. You pick one of those jobs not the PARATROOPERS! And yes, you do get to pick jobs. Nowadays you know what job you will have before you even sign on the dotted line.
Canada has denied political asylum to an Army deserter. Bravo.