Letter: Don’t fault Clinton’s war record

Tuesday, June 18, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

For starters, I will match my war record with any of you, but I don't go around waving medals or wearing ribbons or thinking you must have worn a uniform to be a good American.

When the Vietnam conflict was started by us and before the draft, I told everyone I talked to that we didn't belong there. The Vietnamese didn't know the difference between communism and communion and couldn't have cared less. But we had to defeat communism -- or were we there for economic reasons? Ask McNamara, who was defeated.

I counseled my draft-age boys to stay in college, because I didn't raise them to be war-games fodder for politicians who couldn't possibly declare war because our country was not in danger. One son did join the Air Force voluntarily and served four years.

Had more draftees been bold enough to refuse the draft, I'm sure there wouldn't be more than 50,000 names on that granite monument in Washington, D.C. nor the hundreds of thousands (millions) of Vietnamese we slaughtered with our bombs and napalm. I still visualize the pictures of children on fire from our napalm.

Prior to Vietnam, many families could live on the income of the father, and the mother could be at home with the children. Are we now better off?

Don't say that, when the government calls, we must go, whatever the reason. Don't forget: Hitler called the Germans. Should they have refused the draft?

I know two fine conservative Americans named Reagan and Wayne, who didn't serve when millions were drafted. We don't think less of them.

Ted Maddox