Another Brother Gone but Not Forgotten

Lately I have been spending a lot of time on Facebook. It has been, for the most part, a rewarding experience. It has enabled me to meet people from all over the world and has taught me much about the different people and cultures we share this globe with.

One of the men I have met is another salty old Marine named Daniel Pickens. This morning when I opened my inbox, I found this. Daniel wanted us to remember his friend and mentor, Craig Matlock, Specialist 5, Gunship Crew Chief, United States Army, so this is for him. Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.

Craig Matlock
15 June 1946 - 1 May 2008

Crew Chief
1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry
Alpha Troop
Republic of Vietnam

1966 - 1967
"Head Hunters"
(Vietnam's first reconnaissance squadron)

From Daniel:

Craig was the husband of my friend Lois and father of my friends Paul, Matt and Steven. You really had to know him to understand the kind of man he was. He always said what was on his mind and if he didn't like you, you knew about it right away.

Specialist five, Craig Matlock, was drafted, run through the training mill, and sent to Vietnam. There he discovered what it really meant to crew a gunship. At the age of twenty he learned what it was like to kill to survive, to appreciate the beauty of a gunship run, and to feel pride in a unit.

It took me a long time for him to speak to me about Vietnam. These are a few of his words....

"I don't talk much about the war because no one ever wants to hear about it. When I came back through San Francisco airport, I got spit on. I didn't know what was going on in the States. We read the 'Stars and Stripes' over there and it printed what they wanted us to read."

"I had been drafted. I didn't ask to go over to Vietnam, but I still got called a baby killer."

"Almost everybody there was eighteen to twenty years old. They did their jobs well. We were damned good at what we did. The American people should have been proud of us, instead of treating us the way they did."

"I remember that country. It was really pretty country from the air, but sometimes you would see the bomb craters where men had fought and died. Vietnam was the kind of place you always wanted to get the hell out of, and once you left, you always wanted to see it again. I have a great regard for the MIA's and POW's who are STILL over there."

"I don't have anything against the people of Vietnam, even the Viet Cong. They were doing what they thought was right, and we were doing what we were told."

"People ignored Vietnam veterans and insulted us and treated us really badly, but I believe we will have our day."-- Craig Matlock Awarded: 19 Oak Leaf Clusters, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart


I will always remember....

So will we...



d.

Dear VoteVets.org Supporter,

Yesterday, Senator Chuck Hagel sent a note to us, thanking us for our work to pass the Webb-Hagel GI Bill. I wanted to share it with you, because whatever VoteVets.org has accomplished, it was only because of your hard work and support. So, this note is for you:

Dear Jon and Friends,

As you know, the Webb-Hagel GI Bill passed both Houses of Congress with overwhelming bi-partisan support. The Senate's vote last week (75-22) was a big win for us. We could not have made this progress without your organization's strong support.

Thank you for your commitment and leadership in ensuring that we get this legislation passed and signed into law.

This effort is not over. I will continue to do all I can to see the Webb-Hagel GI Bill become a reality for America's deserving veterans. Thanks again to you and your colleagues for all your help. We're getting close!

Best wishes.

Regards,
Chuck Hagel

I think we all thank Senator Hagel back, for his leadership and commitment to speaking for our service members. It's something he wrote about very poignantly in his new book (which, incidentally, my mother just bought me for my birthday - it's a great gift!).

In "America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers," Senator Hagel writes, "In my mind, patriotism is about asking the tough questions, not avoiding them. It is unpatriotic not to question a government's policies before the first life is lost. Of course I want our country to "win," but we must ask precisely what does "winning" mean and we need to ask that question before the first shot is fired. You can question and criticize my judgment-or any elected representative's judgment."

The name of the chapter that passage is from is "Who Speaks Up For The Rifleman?"

Thankfully, for us, Senator Hagel speaks up for the rifleman, and is one of the best friends that troops and veterans have ever had in Congress. And you all, for your hard work on the GI Bill and other issues, are some of the greatest friends and supporters that the troops and veterans have ever had in the American public.

Thanks for all of your support.

Sincerely,

Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran
Chairman, VoteVets.org

Welcome to the API Chief

Dear Senior Chief Petty Officer, "Chief"

Welcome to the American Patriot Institute. You have been unanimously and enthusiastically accepted by the current membership. We welcome you Brother. Your experience and wisdom will certainly be quite an asset to our organization.

If you have a picture of yourself in uniform, either your graduation picture or another, please post it on your website. One of us will capture it and add it to the image map, which will link directly to your blog or website. As a Resident Scholar, we ask that you capture the logo from one of our sites and post it on your blog, along with a link list to the other Scholars. Feel free to copy the link list from any one of our sites.

As someone who has spent his entire life dedicated to our cause, your insight and wisdom will not only be greatly appreciated, but sought after by those of us who lack your experience as a career Military Man.

Welcome aboard, Sir.

Respectfully yours,

deuddersun

Patriotism

Much has been written here about Patriotism. What it is, what it isn't. Here's my take.

Patriotism means being the "Right Kind of Guy". You either know what I mean or you don't. The kind of "guy" your Mom would be proud of. The kind of "guy" who won't look away when injustice occurs. The kind of "guy" who will stand up to the "bully" and say,"That's enough". The kind of "guy" who will tilt windmills. The kind of "guy" who will always protect the weak and defend the innocent. No matter what their race, color, religion or national origin. The kind of "guy" I want standing next to me when the shit goes down, whatever that shit may be. The kind of "guy" who will tell you to your face that you are fucking up, when you are fucking up.

A good friend will come and bail you out of jail. A true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn! That shit was worth it!"

This is our country. These are our ideals. This is what we swore to protect, against All Enemies, foreign and domestic. This is who we are. This is what we do. This is why we are here.

We believed. We took them at their word. We gave our word.. Now it is time to keep our word. And to make them keep theirs!

I am proud to be here, part of this thing we have created. Proud to be an American Veteran. Proud to keep my word to my fellow Americans, who I swore to protect and defend. All my fellow Americans. For when the blood runs it always runs red, regardless of the color of the skin that contains it.

My job is not done. My oath is unfulfilled. My greatest mission lies before me. That is why I am here.

We are all different. We all have different agendas. Yet we are all together. This is what differentiates us from the Republi-cons, who march to the same tune no matter who the Piper is. We think, then we act. They act, then they justify their actions with bullshit.

They claim to be Patriots.

We are Patriots. The difference is as simple as being the Right Kind of "Guy". The "guy" your mother would be proud of.

Semper Fidelis
(Always Faithfull)

d.

What is an American Patriot?

The title of this post is something I have asked myself several times since being invited by Moderate Man to join the American Patriot Institute, and again now that Deuddersun has invited me to contribute here.

I'm not sure what it means to my fellow members; only what it means to me. I used to think it was just because I served my country in the Marine Corps. Then I would think that no, that doesn't make me a "patriot" per se, just a military member. These back and forths inside my head would get to be pretty annoying and I would just file the question away in my brain housing group for recollection another day. The dictionary definition of Patriot is as follows:

pa·tri·ot n. One who loves, supports, and defends one's country.

Looking at that definition, I figured I definitely fit at least 2 of the criteria. I love my country. As a veteran I can say that I served my country and was willing to defend it if the need arose. But ever since I took up blogging, I've had a hard time saying that I "support" my country. Truth be told, I don't support my country. Now before any extreme right-wingers say "See, I told you them Libtards hate America!", let me clarify that statement: I do not support the actions of our government as it relates to the War in Iraq among other policies adopted by President Bush.

I started my first blog, Unpopular Opinions, as a means to speak out against the War in Iraq and its effect on my older brother's service in the National Guard. If you go back to my site, The Bulldog Says... and check my archives, you'll see my very first post was my outrage about Road Rage's stop-loss. You see, he was a good and faithful servant of this country for 20 years and was waiting to retire when 9-11 came around and then our desert fiasco, Iraq. That had me fuming and so I began to write. Now the tagline that deuddersun placed up there says to "...defend the Constitution against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic". Notice that last word there, domestic. Well, that's what I started writing about and continue to do today. Domestic enemies as I see them. In my view, our current President and his Cabinet could very well be called domestic enemies. In my view, they have trampled the Constitution, shredded our civil rights, and invaded a sovereign country just because they wanted to.

So am I a patriot? After all is said and done, all my internal arguments for and against, I believe I am. I am doing my part, however small it is, to defend my country even now. I feel it is my obligation to speak out against actions taken by our government to subvert the will of the people and destroy the Constitution. This is an obligation I take very seriously. So ask yourself the same question: Are you a Patriot?