Bob Mcnamara Dies

[allan]

Bob McNamara Dies

The infamous Bob McNamara Secretary of Defense during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations has died at 93.

While many in our Vietnam groups will not comment on the passing of such a vile contemptible politician I will offer up my opinions.

The Vietnam War is sometimes referred to as “McNamara’s Warâ€. However, I think he just told Johnson what he wanted to hear and more than likely or so it seems Johnson himself wanted that war; for whatever his reasons. I believe Kennedy had already decided to pull out with troops being sent home when he was killed. Johnson then reversed that policy with McNamara while complicit simply a political pawn as so many of our Secretaries of Defense have become as well as the head military men from the Joint Chiefs have also fallen into that category of telling the nation what the President wants to be told not the facts. In other words there is no disagreement of policy only the lock step of politics and misleading statements. One only has to look at any of the JCS’s that actually stood up recently and how they were put out to pasture. Of course none bothered to during the Vietnam Era and once again just stood in lock step with the lies and deceit.

But as you already know the government cat on military men and women was let out of the bag in 1979 I think it was with another infamous appointed government cabinet member in Secretary Kissinger stating, “Military men are dumb stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy.†(Reporters Woodward and Bernstein 1979)

Evidence continues today of such when the Homeland Security Secretary suggested they keep on eye on returning Veterans as politically enemies and such.

So there is no doubt there is government disdain for the military throughout our recent history at least as far back as the 1960’s.

While I will not comment on what my hopes for Mr. McNamara’s death have been; I can tell you the following:

Mr. McNamara and his wiz kids were responsible for the M16 fiasco actually forcing the DOD to go to the untried and untested M16. Mr. McNamara and his computer wiz kids taking such irresponsible action as to cancel the production of the M14 so it would force the hands of the DOD and taking the decision once again out of the military. We do not know how many lives in combat personnel it caused. But I would conclude those men are directly responsible with their political policies. No one held accountable. And I can give many examples of such brave men that lost their lives due to a so called combat assault rifle becoming nothing but a club.

In 1967 more than 5,000 scientists a number of them Nobel laureates delivered a petition asking Johnson/McNamara to end Agent Orange usage in Vietnam.

In 1968 The American Association for the Advancement of Science petitioned McNamara to study the short and long term consequence of using Agent Orange. Some scientists urged the Administration to adhere to the international ban on chemical warfare.

As we all know none of this happened, politics with Johnson/McNamara prevailed and the description of the American Military man by Kissinger took its place in history.

In World War Two the casualties were just over 400,000. There is no doubt in my mind these two men are responsible for at least that many Vietnam Veterans early deaths; if not more. Warriors chemically wounded on the field of battle while our government continues to deny the events as they rewrite not only history but medical history. As one very sick member of our group contended you only have to mention Agent Orange in Congress and it is like turning on the light in a cockroach invested house as they all run to hide under rocks and any cover the politician can find.

Not only was McNamara unconcerned, even though warned, on Agent Orange and the other toxic herbicides with his son safe at home in college protesting the war; he then as Secretary of Defense approved the actual biological chemical warfare (BCW) testing of our own military men and women in such programs as Project 112 and SHAD. The results in death and disability and what was created the DOD is still protecting while Congress sits by and does little for those Veterans.

Project 112 and SHAD are some other words in Congress that create the run for cover when the lights are turned on.

In addition, McNamara’s lack of concern for State Department Pawns for what many scientists at the time concluded as chemical warfare not only killed or disabled 100’s of thousands of our Veterans but the generational effects of the totally innocent are now coming home to roost.

Former Secretary of Defense Robert (Bob) McNamara during the Vietnam War dead at the age of 93.

He received a better death than he earned.

Kelley

[MikeR]

Blindly following our leaders always seems get us killed. Henry Kissinger is a horses buttocks. His car broke down once in the country and a farmer came up to help him and he told the farmer proudly that he was Dr. Kissinger. The farmer said "well that's great, you must be new at the animal clinic."

[john999]

Kissinger was equally as bad as McNamara. I hope he, Mcnamara, LBJ and Nixon are all burning in hell together for what they did to US military and the millions of people in S.E. Asia. They do fit the definition of war criminal. They all lied to either get us into the Vietnam war, or to get us out of it with "honor". If that is honor I would hate to see dishonor.