What would be even better is if the Viet Pilot told of how they were shocked when the democrats who controlled congress "shut-off" the funding so we couldn't go back in there in 1975 when they violated the treaty, invaded the South, when we should have honored our treaty under SEATO and kicked those little rectal passages all the way to hell, where they belonged. Our guy should have machine gunned the guy on his assent...you can bet the Viet would have done that to him.
Usually, as we get older, we tend to mellow out a little. John McCain is a good example of such. Althought I must say there is something a little personal about someone trying to kill you that tends to stick with you for some time. Still, Father Time has a way of making old memories seem less vivid. Good luck to both of these old warriors as they come face to face. My guess is that they will open up and become buddies. Why not? They are both too old to suit up and duke it out again.
The way I look at is, both were "honorable men" serving their countries, during a time of war.
Strip away the politics, and all the other BS, and I'm betting those two have a lot in common. Both of them were doing the jobs they were trained to do. That's something that anybody that has ever served in the military should be able to respect.
Originally posted by cleaneduphippy: The way I look at is, both were "honorable men" serving their countries, during a time of war.
Strip away the politics, and all the other BS, and I'm betting those two have a lot in common. Both of them were doing the jobs they were trained to do. That's something that anybody that has ever served in the military should be able to respect.
CLEANED UP HIPPY HAS A POINT. MANY US-JAPANESE PILOTS HAVE MET AND CARRIED ON IN A CIVIL, IF NOT, FRIENDLY MANNER. I CAN SEE NOTHING BUT GOOD COMING OUT OF THIS. LEAVE FORMER POLITICS ASIDE. BESIDES, WE ARE SLOWLY TURNING VIET NAM OVER TO OUR CAPITALIST WAYS ANYWAY. THIS WILL HELP. LET HIM COME TO THE U.S. AND HE'LL GO BACK TELLING HIS PALS ALL ABOUT THE STUFF HE'S SEEN. BATTLE IS NOT THE ONLY WAY TO CONQUER A COUNTRY.
Machine gunning a downed pilot who has bailed out of his plane and is still in his chute decending to the ground is not only dishonorable, it's a WAR CRIME.
quote:
Originally posted by ChuckSherwin: What would be even better is if the Viet Pilot told of how they were shocked when the democrats who controlled congress "shut-off" the funding so we couldn't go back in there in 1975 when they violated the treaty, invaded the South, when we should have honored our treaty under SEATO and kicked those little rectal passages all the way to hell, where they belonged. Our guy should have machine gunned the guy on his assent...you can bet the Viet would have done that to him.
Originally posted by 10934224: CLEANED UP HIPPY HAS A POINT. MANY US-JAPANESE PILOTS HAVE MET AND CARRIED ON IN A CIVIL, IF NOT, FRIENDLY MANNER. I CAN SEE NOTHING BUT GOOD COMING OUT OF THIS. LEAVE FORMER POLITICS ASIDE. BESIDES, WE ARE SLOWLY TURNING VIET NAM OVER TO OUR CAPITALIST WAYS ANYWAY. THIS WILL HELP. LET HIM COME TO THE U.S. AND HE'LL GO BACK TELLING HIS PALS ALL ABOUT THE STUFF HE'S SEEN. BATTLE IS NOT THE ONLY WAY TO CONQUER A COUNTRY.
Fact is, and I think that most of you would agree, we have more in common with the other guy shooting at us then the a$$hats that send us in harms way.
Every time that I have been shot at and missed or shot at and hit in one case, I always thought that it wasnt personel it was just bussness.
Again we knew the job was dangerious when we took it.
Originally posted by cleaneduphippy: The way I look at is, both were "honorable men" serving their countries, during a time of war.
Strip away the politics, and all the other BS, and I'm betting those two have a lot in common. Both of them were doing the jobs they were trained to do. That's something that anybody that has ever served in the military should be able to respect.
I enjoy watching The History Channel and seeing the meeting of those who fought on opposite sides. Whether it's George H.W. Bush with a Japanese officer or another show where I saw British officers meeting with officers who were on a ship in the Falklands that was torpedoed by a British sub.
Kind of nice to see the mutual respect they had for each other. The same with the interviews during the miniseries, "Band of Brothers".
I've never quite been able to wrap my head around the going back and meeting the sons-a-b****s that I fought. Who gives a crap. I don't even go back to see old houses I have lived in. The past is better off left where is is. Especially when PTSD is concerned.
War Crime? Would strafing the enemy on the ground be a war crime? Would shooting at paratroopers when they are coming down be a war crime? When one serves, one has the duty to "dispose of the enemy," and I'm very sure that an awful lot of our guys were shot-at, strafed on their descent from their plane, by the Viets. It would, in my estimation, be a crime NOT to shoot the MF'r who had just tried to kill me when it was his chance. Some Russian pilots in WW2 used to bail out with their pistols in hand so they could attempt to kill "huns" on the way down. Some succeeded, and I'm sure the German that was on the other side wished he had killed the guy; nobody ever mentioned war crimes there. And the North Viets always abided by the Rules of War (ask McCain) and they were the "invaders" (North invaded South), and as I commented earlier, they were members of SEATO (South). That was a War Crime (Invasion)...rkgtactical is right. I don't think I am in a forgiving mood; I had a tough time forgiving Japan, and I will never forgive the Germans. Now there was some war criminals for ya, and the Japs with the "head removals" they practiced for fun on our prisoners on the Bataan Death March. Let God forgive them, I just would do all I could to make sure He had the opportunity.
Originally posted by ChuckSherwin: War Crime? Would strafing the enemy on the ground be a war crime? Would shooting at paratroopers when they are coming down be a war crime? When one serves, one has the duty to "dispose of the enemy," and I'm very sure that an awful lot of our guys were shot-at, strafed on their descent from their plane, by the Viets. It would, in my estimation, be a crime NOT to shoot the MF'r who had just tried to kill me when it was his chance. Some Russian pilots in WW2 used to bail out with their pistols in hand so they could attempt to kill "huns" on the way down. Some succeeded, and I'm sure the German that was on the other side wished he had killed the guy; nobody ever mentioned war crimes there. And the North Viets always abided by the Rules of War (ask McCain) and they were the "invaders" (North invaded South), and as I commented earlier, they were members of SEATO (South). That was a War Crime (Invasion)...rkgtactical is right. I don't think I am in a forgiving mood; I had a tough time forgiving Japan, and I will never forgive the Germans. Now there was some war criminals for ya, and the Japs with the "head removals" they practiced for fun on our prisoners on the Bataan Death March. Let God forgive them, I just would do all I could to make sure He had the opportunity.
Bottom line, it is a war crime as dictated by the UCMJ and an act of cowardice to shoot an unarmed man in a parachute.
Originally posted by rkgtactical: I've never quite been able to wrap my head around the going back and meeting the sons-a-b****s that I fought. Who gives a crap. I don't even go back to see old houses I have lived in. The past is better off left where is is. Especially when PTSD is concerned.
When I was stationed in Germany, there was a pub where British and German veterans of WWII would get together annually for a beer. They had let go of their hate and found that they had a lot in common, even though they were on opposite sides. They let go of the hate and so should you. The war's over, let it go.
I think it was the 35th anniversary of the Death March that an Anmerican survivor at the memorial saw a Japanese soldier who'd been a guard in the march.
The American promptly did his damnedest to kill the SOB. It took three men in their 20's to pull him off before he killed the guy.
I'm sorry I don't care what this pilot is thinking. He did his job and did it right I'm not going to say I'm sorry if I shot you I'm going to say I shot you befor you shot me and I'm still here.....
