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The Conners REPORT |
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February 2008
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I was in the Marines from 1966 to 1972 ... finishing as a Sgt. When I entered, I was 19. The Vietnam War was underway and the draft was taking friends left and right. I had a draft number which meant it was only a matter of time before I was activated. At the time, I was on a Pre-Law program and while I was making good grades ... there weren't going to be any more deferments for lawyers. We had too many of those. A friend suggested that if I quickly changed to a Pre-Med program ... I could probably escape the draft. To me that was looking for a loophole. So, I decided to take control of my own future and signed up the with the Marines ... convinced that I would get the best training in the event that I ended up in Vietnam. When I told my father, he grew visibly angry and said .. You can sign up for the Navy, Air Force, even the Army, but not the Marines because it raises your chances of being killed. My Dad added: I will not sign for you to join the Marines. (My father was in the Army Air Corp assigned to gliders ... one of the more dangerous missions in WW 2.) I told him ... Dad, I don't need your signature. Years later, he would say: That day I realized that you were no longer a boy .. that you had become a man. I had a good upbringing ... learning to respect others and the value of hard work ... but still the Marines raised the bar for me .. and hundreds of thousand of others. I wanted to give you some background before I relate the next part of the story. The ContraCostaTimes reports (Jan 30, 2008) that the Berkeley City Council voted 6-3 .. to tell the U.S. Marines that its recruiting station: " ... is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as univited and unwelcome intruders". The Council also officially encouraged a women's peace group ( Code Pink) to impeded the work of the Marines in Berkeley by protesting in front of the recruiting station. In fact, ContraCostTimes staff writer Doug Oakley wrote: the council voted 8-1 to give Code Pink a designated parking space in front of the recruiting station once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week from noon to 4pm. Oakley also wrote: 90 year old Fran Rachel, a code Pink protester .. said the group's request for a parking space and noise permit was especially important because the Marines are recruiting soldiers who may die in an unjust war. All of this personal history and current events leads to a question: What's your reaction to the Berkeley City Council decision to order the Marines out of their city? You know that I have an opinion, but I want to know what you think. TrackBackTrackBack URL for this entry: |
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Comments
I served in the Air Force from 1974 thru 1980. I was fortunate to not go to Vietnam as things were winding down and airman were returning stateside. I have memories of returning home on leave in 1974 wearing my uniform and getting stares and look of disgust. I was lucky not to receive the treatment some received including being spat upon. I never wore my uniform home again. We now have another unpopular war on our hands and we will see incidents of misdirected anger just as we had in the 70's. I would tell citizens of this country to direct their anger and disgust of this war on election day in November and not upon young men and women answering the call to service. In retrospect, had I felt then the way I feel now, I would have proudly worn my uniform every time I came home.
Posted by: Gary Nichols | February 18, 2008 7:12 AM
In 1968 I got draft number 14, which meant I was going in the Army upon graduation from high school and would be in Nam a few months later. I was scared but decided to see my local recruiter which helped me make a life altering decision. I later served in the USAF, one of the high points in my life. I would not trade it for anything. I lost friends, guys like me who were just doing their jobs, and I also saw lots of Americans spit on soldiers who had returned to their homes to reunite with family and friends.
These individuals in Berkeley have a privilege to protest. After they protest they should thank God and the Marines for living in a country where they have that privilege. I served and lived in several countries overseas and learned quickly just how much the average American takes our privileges for granted. Thank you to all the brave men and women who have and continue to serve us so unselfishly.
Posted by: John Wysong | February 27, 2008 12:24 AM