U.S. Vietnam War deserter helped by Japan pacifists back for speeches

Curses to those who lied to get the US to fight in the Vietnam War.

JeffLee: "Deserters are shot or thrown in the brig for many years in other times and places."

How about those who deferred with BS excuses because they were too cowardly to serve? I know a whole lot of people who change their tunes suddenly when THAT is brought up!

Anyway, the man is a true patriot, in the REAL sense of the word -- not the current definition that if you don't agree with politicians who would have the US or other nations be dictatorships, you're not a "patriot", or "patriot fries" kind of "patriot".

"I've met several Vietnamese in the south who today really lament the US defeat and withdrawal."

Hogwash. Probably people who fled and grew up in the US, or people who are already rich enough off the pretty capitalist system. I did volunteer work in Vietnam for a summer a while back in conjunction with a government program to help people with kids in rural areas in an attempt to combat malnutrition, and NONE ever spoke of how they wished America had won; on the contrary, all had lost people to the war, and all lamented that they had been torn apart by Russia and the US after Japanese colonization (and French before that) to begin with.

In any case, the US lost. Can't change that, and people who agreed the war was insane and still stand for that belief, and fled, are the real heroes. Glad South Koreans against the current system joined as well, and thank you to the Japanese pacifists who helped long ago, and are still helping today.

US involvement in SE ASIA was disgusting in the 50s, 60s and 70s

I've met several Vietnamese in the south who today really lament the US defeat and withdrawal. There is a sense among quite a few Vietnamese that if the US and its allies had prevailed in that war, Vietnam would have joined Asia's "rich club" : Japan, Taiwan, S. Korea and the other US-friendly nations of freedom and affluence. Instead they were plunged into hellish Marxist-Leninist poverty and despair -- until eventually opening up to the US and others more recently.

US involvement in SE ASIA was disgusting in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Millions died in Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, etc. thanks to CIA games and US military action.

And don't forget the other side too - the Communist nations trying to export and impose communism on the populations

Tokyo-Engr - prior to doing so perhaps those that participated in and orchestrated the Gulf of Tonkin incident should be indicted and imprisoned. Once this is done then we can consider this request.

Since you chose to introduced the 1964, August 2nd and 4th Gulf of Tonkin incidents -

Although North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap admitted in a 1984 discussion with Robert S. McNamara that the first attack (Aug 2nd) was deliberate, he denied that a second attack (Aug 4th) had ever taken place.

http://www.historynet.com/case-closed-the-gulf-of-tonkin-incident.htm

This guy is a true legend ! The world needs more patriots like him

US involvement in SE ASIA was disgusting in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Millions died in Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, etc. thanks to CIA games and US military action. Anyone who deserted from such criminal activity sounds like a stand up guy to me. I wish more military men would desert and and hamper the efforts of militarist SCUM everywhere.

@Christopher - well said. In the case of Vietnam Truth died too soon.

As a Marine Vietnam veteran, now nearly 72, I have no bad feelings about this man, any more than I have no bad feelings for the anti-war crowd. In a war there are no good guys,only bad and worse and the longer the war, the worse the soldiers on both sides get. The war taught me a lot as a conservative and trusting youth so that I will never trust any war we get into.

Remember 3,000,000 people died in Vietnam, most of them killed by use. Yes the other side also have blood on their hands. As I said there are no good guys in any war.

A very old saying is, That the first victim of war, is TRUTH." To get us to support a war, our government, like all governments, will lie to us about the reasons for the war, about our alleged goals, and about the alleged enemy. In fact lying is considereda ligitimate tactic of war by our Defense Department, including lying to us ordinary citizens as much as needed to maintain the war. Nothing has changed and it is still true in our present wars,whether it is wars we know abour orthat are fought in secret to hide from us. As I said all governments do this to get into war and to keep it going. This is equally true of terrorist groups and militias in various parts ofthe world.

@Tokyo-Engr my sentiments exactly. US wars in SE Asia destroyed millions of lives directly and indirectly and continues to do so, all those poisoned and still being poisoned by chemical agent defoliants, all the unexploded UXO, heroin shipped from SE Asia to USA and on and on...

Anderson was ...released with a bad conduct discharge.

Deserters are shot or thrown in the brig for many years in other times and places.

@Jay - prior to doing so perhaps those that participated in and orchestrated the Gulf of Tonkin incident should be indicted and imprisoned. Once this is done then we can consider this request.

Oh, too bad. He’s already faced “justice”. A slap on the wrist.

...

“Anderson was arrested after returning to the United States in 1971 and was detained for several months before being released with a bad conduct discharge.”

I request Japan authorities to detain him, extradite and render him to US military authorities for court martial.

This was well presented in one of the "Young Black Jack" animated series episode. Too bad most militaristic scum has long ago sold their humanity to army-moneymaking. The true villains of this planet.