I happen to agree with you - people had to be nuts NOT to get every deferment they could. It wasn't as if the North Vietnamese were storming Pearl Harbor.

On the other hand, one's country did call. And some of us sold our souls early, not for a deferment, but for college. If you had to do ROTC anyway, you might as well let them pay you.

Regarding the matter of killing civilians, that's touchy. Very touchy. The Marine Corp leadership had the semi-official idea that a dead Vietnamese was a dead Viet Cong. Period. That was in the days of the "body count" and they wanted the counts.

I'm also aware of a young officer being told to go practice with new grenade throwers in a particular field. Said officer went to that area, and there was a farmer with a water buffalo in that field, working rather hard. Came back, reported that the "free fire zone" was occupied by a civilian and a water buffalo.

That guy was told in absolutely no uncertain terms that the area was a free fire zone, and he was to familiarize himself and his unit with those new weapons. Period. The language wasn't quite that polite, but that's the idea.

He went back, had 'em load concussion ammo into the launchers, and blew hell out of a corner of the area. As far away from the guy and his water buffalo as possible. They just kept plugging along, apparently aware that if we'd wanted him we'd have had him.

It was a dumb war, civilians died, soldiers hated themselves after growing up, if they grew up, and Bechtel profited. It was just a goddamned tragedy. And the politicians lied, and lied, and lied, and have kept on with the lies.

All for nothing. Except Bechtel profited. We'd have been better off shovelling them money and staying home.

If they're going to try to make those charges stick on Kerry, they're going to stick a whole lot of people. Americans had/have no fire discipline, a loud noise in the bush or on convoy they shoot at everything and anything. It's like the 4th of July and the barge has blown up.

Arf.