Protests didn’t help

I am writing this in response to Terrence Sawyers Nov. 29 letter. As with so many misguided Vietnam protesters, he has his facts wrong.

First of all, the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations were not very supportive of the conflict in Vietnam. Rumor has it that the day President Kennedy was murdered there was an executive order removing all American troops from Vietnam on his desk.

The war was escalated by the Johnson administration. If anything the anti-war movement prolonged the war by giving the North Vietnamese the encouragement to keep fighting in hopes the American government would give in to the protesters. What finally ended the conflict was the Linebacker II raids over the Vietnamese capital. So President Nixon did keep his promise and get us out of Vietnam.

If it makes you feel good to believe that your protesting single-handedly got us out of Vietnam, then you can ignore the truth. However as one wearing the uniform and serving during that time, you folks were not my favorite people. So you can continue to believe what you want or you can open your eyes to the truth.

Richard Emery

Rathdrum