This is for all the kids born in the 70's who do not remember, and didn't have to bear the burden that our fathers, mothers and older brothers and sisters had to bear.
Jane Fonda is being honored as one of the"100 Women of the Century," BY BARBRAWALTERS!
Unfortunately, many have forgotten and still countless others have never known how Ms.Fonda betrayed not only the idea of our country, but specific men who served and sacrificed during Vietnam.
The first part of this is from an F-4E pilot. The pilot's name is Jerry Driscoll, a River Rat.
In 1968, the former Commandant of the USAF Survival School was a POW in Ho Lo Prison the "Hanoi Hilton." Dragged from a stinking cesspit of a cell, cleaned, fed, and dressed in clean PJ's, he was ordered to describe for a visiting American"Peace Activist" the "lenient and humane treatment" he'd received. He spat at Ms. Fonda, was clubbed, and was dragged away.
During the subsequent beating, he fell forward onto the camp Commandant's feet, which sent that officer berserk.
In 1978, the Air Force Colonel still suffered from double vision (which permanently ended hisflying career) from the Commandant's frenzied application of a wooden baton.
From 1963-65, Col. Larry Carrigan was in the47FW/DO (F-4E's). He spent 6 years in the"Hanoi Hilton", the first three of which his family only knew he was "missing in action". His wife lived on faith that he was still alive.
His group, too, got the cleaned-up, fed and clothed routine in preparation for a"peace delegation" visit. They, however, had time and devised a plan to get word to the world that they were alive and still survived. Each man secreted a tiny piece of paper, with his Social Security Number on it, in the palm of his hand. When paraded before Ms. Fonda and a cameraman, she walked the line, shaking each man's hand and asking little encouraging snippets like: "Aren't you sorry you bombed babies?" and "Are you grateful for the humanetreatment from your benevolent captors?" Believing this HAD to be an act, they each palmed her their sliver of paper. She took them all without missing a beat.
At the end of the line and once the camera stopped rolling, to the shocked disbelief of the POWs,she turned to the officer in charge and handed him all the little pieces of paper.
Three men died from the subsequent beatings. Colonel Carrigan was almost number four but he survived, which is the only reason we know of her actions that day.
I was a civilian economic development advisorin Vietnam, and was captured by the NorthVietnamese communists in South Vietnam in1968, and held prisoner for over 5 years.I spent 27 months in solitary confinement; one year in a cage in Cambodia; and one year in a "black box" in Hanoi.
My North Vietnamese captors deliberately poisoned and murdered a female missionary, a nurse in a leprosarium in Ban me Thuot, SouthVietnam, whom I buried in the jungle near the Cambodian border.
At one time, I weighed only about 90 lbs.(My normal weight is 170 lbs.)
We were Jane Fonda's "war criminals." When Jane Fonda was in Hanoi, I was asked by the camp communist political officer if I would be willing to meet with her. I said yes, for I wanted to tell her about the real treatment we POWs received... and how different it was from the treatment purported bythe North Vietnamese, and parroted by her as"humane and lenient." Because of this, I spent three days on a rocky floor on my knees, with my arms outstretchedwith a large steel weights placed on my hands, and beaten with a bamboo cane.
I had the opportunity to meet with Jane Fonda soon after I was released. I asked her if she would be willing to debate me on TV. She never did answer me.
These first-hand experiences do not exemplifysomeone who should be honored as partof "100 Years of Great Women."Lest we forget..." 100 Years of Great Women" should never include a traitor whose hands are covered with the blood of so many patriots.
There are few things I have strong visceral reactions to, but Hanoi Jane's participation inblatant treason, is one of them.
RONALD D. SAMPSON,
CMSgt,
USAF716
Maintenance Squadron,
Chief ofMaintenance
DSN: 875-6431
COMM: 883-6343
My parents are Vietnam Era vets and so is my father-in-law. These men and women were treated inhumanely as well when they came home. People would call them "baby killers" when they did return to the states. What is so bad is that these men fought for us.
The Viet Cong used children to put grenades in gas tanks by pulling the pin while having a rubber band wrapped around it then having these children drop them in the gas tanks on american vehicles and the gas would eat the rubber away causing the truck to go boom or they would actually live wire these children with explosives attached to pressure plates under their clothing. They sent these children to die purposely. Yet, when our soldiers came home they were treated like they were the ones wrong. They fought for their brothers and sisters that were lieing next to them dieing.
Now that the boys from Iraq are coming home they are being treated like gold. They are being given parades on arrivals.
What happened to that kind of treatment for the Vietnam vets? Vietnam veterans are now getting the recognition today that they deserved when they actually came home from the worst war ever in my eyes.
To my family and friends that served in Vietnam, Thank You and I am sorry that it took you so long to hear those words.
Bruce G. Johnson
Mildred B. Johnson
Donald Pate
Claude VonPluren
