Buzz Skims (or Skips?) the Truth
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson has a ridiculous “column” at National Review Online today. I put column in scare-quotes because the majority of it is a listing of blurbs from American soldiers blasting the anti-war left. Where do the quotes come from? Patterson’s new book, War Crimes: The Left’s Campaign to Destroy Our Military and Lose the War on Terror.
Here’s one quote he posts that really pissed me off (actually, they all did, but this one in particular):
“Some of the American public have no idea how much freedom costs and who the people are that pay that awful price. I think sometimes people just see us as nameless and faceless and not really as humans…A good portion of us are actually scared that when we come home, for those of us who make it back, that there will be protesters waiting for us and that is scary.”—Specialist Jason Gilson, U.S. Army
This is untrue on its face. I have heard of no, zero, zilch instances of soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan being greeted by anti-war protesters, and especially not protesters aiming their vitriol at the soldiers. In fact, the folks who never believed in going into this war (myself included) and those who still oppose it have shown tremendous respect for our troops and their sacrifices.
The only real protests I’ve seen — and they’re quite horrific — are those thrown by the religious-right Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church crew at soldiers’ funerals. They definitely ain’t part of the anti-war left.
While Spc. Gilson may truly believe what he told Lt. Col. Patterson, it is Patterson’s duty not to print utter falsehoods or to allow that trooper to continue operating under the illusion that his fellow Americans do not support him or his comrades in arms.
[Hotel Tango: The Tank, who disagrees with me.]
30. June, 2007 at 09:40
I guess Code Pinkers gathering every Friday nite to show their ‘hate the troops’ sentiments outside Walter Reed Army Hospital is just more of that no, zero, zilch instances of soldiers being greeted by anti-war protesters.
In my humble opinion, this blog is falsehood.
But hey this is America and you are free to continue proving how not fake you are brother
Peace out and all that other Collective crap coming out of the pieholes of the pious.
30. June, 2007 at 11:15
[…] Let’s get something out of the way here first. I love The Tank. It’s right up there with OP-FOR and Danger Room to me. So I’m happy just to have been noticed and referred to by W. Thomas Smith — even if it is only to take me to task for this post. […]
30. June, 2007 at 17:56
syn –
Since you brought CODEPINK up (and I had to go look them up because I hadn’t heard of these vigils — sorry, “hate the troops” protests), I want to provide a link for others who are wondering about them. Here’s a Washington Post story on them and pro-war folks who stand outside Walter Reed as well and the other is one of CODEPINK’s explanations of their protest/vigil.
1. July, 2007 at 19:02
I guess Buzz’ own experiences, which he and the Post-Intelligencer both documented, didn’t register in your microphone. That you personally haven’t heard something may well say more about the acuteness and directionality of your hearing than about the world. But for the super-solipsistic, that’s irrelevant, of course.
1. July, 2007 at 23:56
Actually, Buzz’s “experiences” have nothing to do with this. So before you start with ad hominem attacks, YOU might want to check yourself. But that’s irrelevant, of course, because you’re just posting a hate comment. Nor did you bother to read my post in reply to Mr. Smith’s post, obviously.