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'Vietnam Vet' Richard Blumenthal: Many Apologies Are in Order

2 years ago
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David Wood
David Wood
Chief Military Correspondent
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Where should fake Vietnam veteran Richard Blumenthal start apologizing?

Maybe to the 2,594,000 young Americans who actually did serve in Vietnam, rather than claiming, as Blumenthal did, that "I served in Vietnam'' when actually he was enjoying himself at home and burnishing his future career as a Connecticut politician.

Certainly to the 58,220 American war dead and the 1,741 American troops who disappeared in Vietnam and whose remains were never found.

And to the 153,303 Americans who were wounded in Vietnam, many of whom came home to struggle with disability and depression.

I doubt if they'd really be all that interested. But Blumenthal owes it to them to explain why he thought it was okay to lie about having done his duty in Vietnam, when actually he was cruising through Harvard, securing a socially prominent internship with Washington Post Publisher Katherine Graham, and getting himself a job in the Nixon White House.
Problem is, Blumenthal himself doesn't see a problem. When he said, "I served in Vietnam," he meant "during" instead of "in," he explained Tuesday. It was "absolutely unintentional," he asserted. "I was unaware of those misplaced words when spoken."
Sorry. Being in war is a searing experience, not easily confused with not being in war. Combat veterans know when they've been in combat. People who don't go to combat know they missed that experience. You went or you didn't go, and the difference is not ever erased. Even if 40 years have passed.

Blumenthal's story was broken Tuesday by the New York Times. It reported that Blumenthal, the odds-on favorite to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, falsely claimed Vietnam War service.

Blumenthal was asked Tuesday if he would apologize. He stuck out his chin and said simply, "I regret that I misspoke.''

The lifelong pol brashly had told a gathering of veterans, "I served in Vietnam'' and once lamented to another gathering that the reception he received coming home from Vietnam was chilly, compared to the warm welcome accorded to today's Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

The truth is, with his deferments running out, in 1970 he sought and won a slot as a sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserve -- in a Washington, D.C., unit, the 4th Civil Affairs Group, that "conducted drills and other exercises and focused on local projects, like fixing a campground and organizing a Toys for Tots drive,'' the Times reported.

With his political career in doubt, Blumenthal now joins a long line of military frauds and phonies who've been exposed over the years.

Thanks to the efforts of veterans like Doug Sterner of Alexandria, Va., whose website helps uncover and track phonies, tens of thousands false claimants have been outed.

Since 2005 it has been a federal offense to claim or wear medals to which one is not entitled. Making false oral claims about military service is not apparently illegal, but exposes one to eventual public humiliation.

Last week, a Massachusetts man pleaded guilty to wearing unauthorized decorations; he had been posing as an improbably well-decorated Marine 1st sergeant with years of combat experience (he was unmasked by a real Marine 1st sergeant).

A fitting penance for Blumenthal, perhaps, might be a stroll through the marble headstones of Arlington Cemetery. Among the fallen he will find Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir, at section 60, Grave No. 8854.

Bill, a friend and former colleague, was killed in Afghanistan's Helmand Province on Aug. 13, 2009.
Bill was a member of the 4th Civil Affairs Group, a Marine Reserve unit in Washington, D.C., a unit that has been heavily engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the Marine reservists have fought with determination and valor.

No so Mr. Blumenthal. Forty years ago, his Marine Reserve unit was not deploying to war, and Blumenthal scrambled to secure himself a precious place in the stay-at-home unit. That wasn't service, it was shirking. And to claim otherwise is an outrage.

Please explain that to Bill.
Tagged: Richard Blumenthal, RichardBlumenthal
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2 Comments

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marianneofmaui

As one who did serve in the navy from 68 to 72 and saw two 6 month deployments on yankee station and thereabouts, I am outraged and sickened by ANYONE who falsely implies or states "I served or went to war, and did not seek an exemption as a student or politically astute future politician". The vets around me came home, some better or worse than they left, but we were not prepared to for the abuse from our govt. or the disdain we got from groups such as the V.F.W. or the American Legion etc. or the public at large. It has been almost 38 YEARS since I came home and I have spent that time remembering that

July 08 2010 at 9:59 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
dumbasademocrat

HEAR HEAR !

June 03 2010 at 10:06 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply

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