Richard McEnroe –

My brother and husband are Viet Nam era vets. One a Navy corpsman (a “doc”) who served with — volunteered to serve with — the Marines in Viet Nam, the other a Special Forces paratrooper and demolitions expert who saw a lot of action in the region without ever actually stepping into Viet Nam proper (also in Central America and the Congo — in conflicts most Americans at the time barely bothered to take note of.)

I don’t take kindly to disparagement of ANYONE’S service during that era. And I know that conflicts about the proper course of action in regard to that war is the badge of a thoughtful man who takes the notion of duty seriously — not a sign of weakness.

Kerry served two tours of duty in Viet Nam. His time on the swift boats was his second.

Now you may disparage his first tour as not being in the thick of battle, and his second as not being, in your opinion, dangerous enough. But, the truth is, ANY tour in Viet Nam — a war in which there was no clearly defined “front” and one in which members of the civilian population could be your friend today and your sniper tomorrow — was dangerous. Certainly more dangerous than anything you might encounter in the “Champagne” unit of the Texas Air National Guard.

Plus, if you think anyone leaves service “based on his own medical recommendations” you don’t know much about the service.

Furthermore, Kerry’s service records tell a different story than the partisan one you are trying to peddle here. He was highly praised by his superiors AT THE TIME — no matter how much their resentment of his activities after the war and their partisan loyalties today have made them want to revise that history.

I know a lot of Viet Nam vets. I don’t know any who aren’t bothered by some aspects of that war. My own brother’s most serious injury was inflicted by a 20-something mother and sniper. Wars that pit trained soldiers against civilian insurgents — women, children, old men — are ugly. They can’t help but be.

If you can’t imagine a scenario in which burning people out of their village is the HUMANE response to a serious threat, than you can’t imagine what Viet Nam was like. And you are in no position to judge Kerry’s actions after the war.