Quote:
|
Originally Posted by tw
Today a man died. A man who was condemned and disparaged for so many years because he and flight crew sat their helicopter down, and pointed their weapons at American troops in My Lai. It was not until late 1990s that Thompson was given just praise for stopping a My Lai massacre by pointing guns at American troops. He was condemned by righteous right wing extremists who still blame liberals and the press - not a lying president - for an American defeat in Vietnam.
|
You should have linked to the
full story. I think that it is a very important one. In any war there are those who believe that any action done under the flag that one is supporting is righteous, and any action taken by the enemy is evil. These people ignore the lessons of history that teach us that brutality is not the sole export of one nation.
Mr. Thompson made a moral choice in the middle of combat thousands of miles from home. He took the chance of death at the hands of his fellow soldiers or imprisonment or death by court martial. He endured decades of scorn and mistreatment by self-described patriots who acted as cowards. He could have participated in the massacre. He could do what so many others have done and simply ingnored the killing since it was being done by the 'right side' for the 'right reasons'.
I cannot speak for the veterans here. I'm afraid to ask them what they would have done or even if they feel that there was some possible justification for the deliberate killing of children as young as 2 years old. I'm pretty sure a majority would have at least sympathized with Thompson.
We are at a time when the majority of people seem unwilling to make difficult moral choices. From Enron to the White House, there seems to be a culture of blind obedience, even among those who openly profess their dedication to religion and morality. Thompson was an example of someone who made the unpopular choice and suffered for it.
Thanks for pointing this out TW. I remember the medal award in the late 90's but I didn't know about his passing.
__________________
Exercise your rights and remember your obligations - VOTE!
I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. --
Barack Hussein Obama