From: russest@ampex.com (Steve Russell)
Subject: Re: That Legal right over Gambit...
Organization: Ampex Corporation, Redwood City CA
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 21:51:09 GMT

In article <1992Oct11.213217.1667@technology.com> judy@technology.com (Judy McMillin) writes:
>In article <1992Oct11.191826.7541@ampex.com> russest@ampex.com (Steve Russell) writes:
>>
>> Any man that joins the military knows he may be called to battle and may die.
>>> for that reason he has served his country regardless of where he was stationed
>>	As a teenager in the early 60s, the only guys I saw rushing
>	to get in and "serve this country" were the terminally stupid
>	and the nuts.  Everyone else tried to get in the National 
>	Guard, school, even the m word (married).
>>
>>> Quayle served his country,  Clinton abandoned it.
>>>  
>>
>	Not in everybody's opinion, or are you God, Steve?

Sorry, but I did not contribute to this portion of the follow-on (me, Steve)

>>I wouldn't consider slogging through the rice paddys of beautiful southeast
>>aisa as serving my country. certainly not defending it...
>>
>>	I consider a young man's opposition to "that" war a sign of
>	thoughtfulness -- and I think a man who opposed that war as
>	strongly as BC did, and went to a lot of trouble to avoid
>	it as BC did, will think long and carefully before sending
>	anyone else into a war -- any war.  Because he knows you don`t
>	have to go out killing people to be a man.

I also did not contribute to this indented portion of the follow-on
(my comment was the one about rice paddys, above)

>-steve
>>a ex-deep-water sailor
>>"we rode to work"

As we see here, the process of "follow-up" is just a bit confused.

>		Judy. Congratulations, Steve, ex-deep-water-sailor.

Judy, I'm not sure why you are congratulating me. I'd been in the
Civil Air Patrol, ROTC, and joined the Navy just two days after my 
draft number was pulled (number ten, btw). As a recent, apolitical,
high-school graduate I had little idea of why were were in Vietnam or
if we should even have been in Vietnam. I knew, however, that I had
better make the best of a bad situation and I enlisted in the Navy, setting
myself up for extensive electronics training which has stood me well over
the years. I even re-enlisted for a total of ten years service.

Hindsight, always so much clearer than mindless retoric, shows us that
Vietnam was a lost cause from the beginning, a war which was never intended
to be won (or we were never allowed to get serious winning) and ended up
with no winners on anyside (I base that on body count).

If my country had actually been at WAR, with a real enemy, posing a real
threat to the security of the United States then things might have been 
clearer. Somehow I just didn't see North Vietnam as much of a threat to
the United States.

As it was, college not affordable, not inclined to marry, I took the coward's
way out and enlisted in a service and field which would, in all probability,
never see hostile action during the length of my service.

I did loose family in the war, I have friends permanently screwed up by the
war and for it all, I don't see any benefit to the United States for having
been involved in the war (other than keeping defense contractors employed).

Don't start me talking about Bush's war....

-steve