August 15, 2024- Recent memes and diatribes have been directed at both of the major candidates for Vice President of the United States. They have stemmed from insinuations, mostly by people who have themselves never donned a military uniform and dogpiled by a few disgruntled former colleagues of each man, that the former soldier in question was amplifying his service record. Each candidate has taken the bait, and denigrated the other, to a certain extent. The term “stolen valor” has been used to describe the record of one, who has at least called for respecting everyone’s military service, including that of his opponent.
I will include attachments that accurately explain the service records of Timothy Walz and of James David Vance, but let me first go over my own military service record. Like the two candidates, I carried a weapon of war- in my case, an M-16. I used it twice: When qualifying in Army Basic Training (Fort Jackson, SC), and in a training exercise at a military firing range in Long Binh, Vietnam. I did not have to use it in combat.
My service was as a handler of U.S. mail, running a mail room in the TriService Barracks at Fort Myer, VA, from October, 1969-January, 1971 and running accountable mail (registered, insured and certified) in secure rooms at Long Binh and at Cholon, Vietnam, from March, 1971-January, 1972. I did my fair share of guard duty, while at Long Binh, but no provocateurs appeared during the nights I was at the perimeter post. Long story short-No combat.
I returned to civilian life on January 2, 1972 and went back to college, holding my own in an environment in which I had previously made a mess of things, when fresh out of high school. The discipline and sense of purpose that I acquired in the Army has come in handy, across a variety of situations, over the ensuing sixty-two years.
So, it is with the utmost respect for the United States Armed Forces, and all comrades-in-arms who have served, whether in a combat role or like me, in a supportive capacity, that I ask those who have not served, to do your diligence, before throwing up memes or quoting “sour grapes” reports that do not stand up to scrutiny. I ask those who have served-especially in combat, to respect those of us who had your backs. That includes the Reserve Units, who have actually been in combat theaters in the most recent conflicts.
Here are links to verifiable, diligent accounts of the service rendered by Tim Walz and by J.D. Vance. Both men deserve our gratitude, with regard to that service.
A Sagittarian Seeker 