Vietnam veteran

Stories 21 - 39 | << Prev 

Blumenthal: Vietnam Fib 'Absolutely Unintentional'

Says Times insulted Marine Reserves

(Newser) - Richard Blumenthal held a press conference today responding to allegations—made in a front-page New York Times story today, summarized here —that he repeatedly lied or misled the public about serving in Vietnam. Blumenthal said he had "misspoken" on a "few occasions" and that it was “...

To End Afghan War, Reinstitute the Draft

People didn't oppose the Vietnam war, they opposed going to fight in it

(Newser) - There’s one surefire way to end the war in Afghanistan: bring back the draft. After all, that's what worked in the '60s, writes cartoonist Jeff Danziger, who was drafted and served in Vietnam. The protests over that war ripped the country apart, grinding the war effort to a halt....

Editor Gets Punchy Over Article&mdash;Literally
Editor Gets Punchy Over Article—Literally
NEWSroom MELTDOWN

Editor Gets Punchy Over Article—Literally

'2nd worst story' ever pushes vet Post hand to violence

(Newser) - An editorial dispute in the Washington Post newsroom devolved into fisticuffs last week. The item was for the Style section, a department long known for taking an anything-goes attitude toward its reporters. When the story crossed the desk of veteran editor Henry Allen—grumpy about his part-time work and the...

Cleland Memoir Recalls Horrors of Vietnam, Karl Rove

Cleland describes how he survived grenades and Republican attack ads

(Newser) - Max Cleland may be a living symbol of dedication to country—the former Georgia senator lost both legs and an arm to a grenade in Vietnam—but that didn't stop Karl Rove's political machine from ending his political career with attacks on his patriotism. "There are plenty of reasons...

Reenactors Take on Vietnam War

Despite controversy, re-created conflict gets warm reception

(Newser) - Revolutionary and Civil War reenactments are a familiar sight—but now, one of the most controversial wars in US history is in reruns, the AP reports. Houston, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania have all hosted Vietnam war reenactments. “We do it to honor these guys and to tell them, 'You weren't...

Soldier's Dad Flying Tattered Flag Until Son Comes Home

He resists calls to replace with new one

(Newser) - A California man who promised to fly the American flag until his son comes home from Iraq is getting a little heat—along with sympathy—for the tattered condition of Old Glory, reports Fox News. Louis Haros’ son, Paul, will be home this week after a tour—his second—that...

As McCain Shaped Book, Book Shaped McCain
As McCain Shaped Book, Book Shaped McCain
ANALYSIS

As McCain Shaped Book, Book Shaped McCain

Process of writing memoir recast Republican's political persona

(Newser) - As recently as 1998, John McCain told Esquire that being introduced as a “great war hero” was enough to “make your skin crawl.” Today, however, his POW experience is a pillar of his presidential campaign, a change David Kirkpatrick of the New York Times attributes to the...

The Lessons of War Are What Counts
The Lessons
of War Are
What Counts
OPINION

The Lessons of War Are What Counts

McCain's service not instant qualification, writes fellow vet Kerrey

(Newser) - John McCain has made a major show of his military credentials, arguing that his Navy service and time as a POW qualify him to be commander in chief. But that service by itself doesn't qualify him, ex-Sen. Bob Kerrey, a fellow Vietnam vet, argues in the LA Times. "The...

McCain Wins Unlikely Support in Vietnam

Ruling class thinks former POW would increase trade

(Newser) - John McCain has won admiration from an unlikely place: Vietnam, the nation he bombed 23 times during the war there. Including politicians, newspaper editors, and even his former captor, Vietnamese are voicing support for the candidate. The Republican pushed to restore ties with the country a decade ago, and many...

Swift Boat Vets Want Their Name Back

Vietnam servicemen bemoan association with Kerry attack ad

(Newser) - These days, the phrase "Swift boat" has come to mean a vicious political attack of the kind suffered by John Kerry in the 2004 election. While the term has gained such currency that it's now used as a verb, one group is seriously miffed: the Navy veterans who, like...

New Zealand Says Sorry to Vietnam Vets

Protester-turned-PM: Treatment after return from war 'inadequate'

(Newser) - The government of New Zealand expressed regret today over its unfair and harsh treatment of Vietnam veterans upon their return, Reuters reports. Prime Minister Helen Clark, who protested the war as a student in the 1970s, made the apology before parliament to the 37 killed and 187 wounded as a...

Vietnam Vets in Hog Heaven
 Vietnam Vets in Hog Heaven 

Vietnam Vets in Hog Heaven

Rolling Thunder roars into DC to honor vets

(Newser) - Thousands of Harleys roared past Washington's Vietnam Veterans Memorial yesterday in what has become a Memorial Day weekend tradition: the "iron salute" of members of national veterans organization Rolling Thunder.  It's a festival of engines, leather, denim and patriotism, reports the Washington Post.

Busy Military Cemeteries Keep Customers Satisfied

1,800 vets a day are dying

(Newser) - With veterans of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam dying at a record clip, US National Cemeteries are performing more than 100 burials a day—and often use assembly-line tactics to meet demand, AP reports. Despite the use of heavy machinery and the volume—1,800 veterans die...

'Virtual Iraq' Helps Vets Face Stress

Treatment drags soldiers back to moments of crisis

(Newser) - Therapists are plunging US war veterans back into the horrors of battle—as therapy. A virtual reality treatment is helping them cope with post-traumatic stress disorder by returning them to scarring events until their shock value wanes. "When the ground starts vibrating and you smell smoke and hear the...

John Murtha, War Critic, Backs Clinton

Congressman says Hillary has 'similar position' on Iraq

(Newser) - John Murtha, the Pennsylvania congressman who has become a leading critic of the Iraq war, is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, CQ Politics reports. “I know that Senator Clinton has a similar position that I have in regards to the war in Iraq,” Murtha said. While both he...

My Lai Massacre, 40 Years On
 My Lai Massacre, 40 Years On  

My Lai Massacre, 40 Years On

Survivors, vets among 1,000 who gather in Vietnam to remember

(Newser) - More than 1,000 people gathered in My Lai today to mark the 40th anniversary of one of the most brutal chapters in the Vietnam War, the AP reports. Forty years ago, American troops entered the small village in search of Vietcong guerrillas and, unprovoked, slaughtered more than 500 people—...

McCain Blasts Mailer Attacking War Record

Confident he'll win SC, dismisses claim he sold out fellow POWs

(Newser) - Citing "deceitful smear tactics" by "fringe elements," John McCain's campaign is on the offensive against a flier circulating in South Carolina attacking his war record—an echo of the attacks that derailed his 2000 candidacy. The flier, sent to some 80 newspaper editors, claims McCain betrayed his...

25% of US Homeless Are Vets
25% of US Homeless
Are Vets

25% of US Homeless Are Vets

Many rocked by 'mental health toll' of service in Iraq, Afghanistan

(Newser) - Though they constitute only 11% of the population, veterans make up 25% of homeless people in the US, according to a new study by The Alliance to End Homelessness. The problem is not limited to older vets—former soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are increasingly showing up at...

Head of Veterans Affairs Quits
Head of Veterans Affairs Quits

Head of Veterans Affairs Quits

Secretary's short tenure long on scandals and other woes

(Newser) - The secretary of Veterans Affairs, the head of the second-biggest federal department, is stepping down and will be replaced by October 1, reports the Washington Post. For 2½ turbulent years, Jim Nicholson, a decorated Vietnam vet and former RNC chair, presided over a department beset by criticism and overwhelmed by...

Stories 21 - 39 | << Prev