About Vietnam Veterans and Ronald Reagan

Among my American heroes I count all those who served in Vietnam right at the top. They served America with dedication and honor when many at home were belittling their war and their service. There is an active local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 772, and they stand firm on the founding principles of the VVA: "Never again shall one generation of veterans abandon another." So I was touched the other day when their newsletter arrived and on the front page was an editorial, written by Wayne McDaniel, under the heading "Saying goodbye to a Commander-in-Chief." It reads this way:

"It didn't matter what your politics were; if you were serving between 1981-1989, you knew your president and Commander-in-Chief had your best interests at heart. "You're going to hear endless commentary about Ronald Reagan for a while, much of it having to do with movies and ranching, horseback riding, fence-building and other common endeavors of this otherwise uncommon man.

"Let us not lose sight of the important fact that if it weren't for this president, Russia might still be an evil empire, terrorizing its citizens and threatening world peace. "I always felt good when Reagan spoke to us. I believed that, while I might not be listening to the greatest statesman who ever lived, I was hearing from a basically honorable man, not always easy to find in the political arena. I knew he wouldn't let the Armed Services down, no matter what. He did more to build our defenses than anyone in recent memory. He cared about us.

"We'll miss you Ronnie. You were one of the 'Good Guys.'"

That was commentary from local Vietnam Veterans, and this is Gordon Sawyer, from a window on historic Green Street.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/7/156550