This Wikipedia article argues that the common claim that American soldiers were spat upon and insulted by anti-war protesters, upon returning home from the Vietnam War is little more than “an urban legend”.
Try telling that to Joshua Sparling, who was spit on by an anit-war (“peace activist” my ass) protestor at this weekend’s protests in Washington D.C.
Sparling did spit back on the protestor (good for him). I’m sure if Sparling didn’t have only one leg (he lost the other leg from injuries sustained from a bomb explosion in Ramadi in 2005) he probably would have kicked that protestor’s ass. But hey, I’m sure if you asked the peaceful spitting anti-war protestor, he’d tell you that he “supports the troops”. And he’s believe it, too, because, frankly, they don’t even know what that phrase means.
And I’ve talked to more than one Vietnam Veteran who says that the spitting and the insults from the anti-war protestors were very real when they came home. I’m more than just a little inclined to believe them.
Joshua Sparling is a phony.
Death threats from children? Verbally attacked by people in the airport? Spat on at a rally? Either the guy has the worst luck of any man to come home alive from Iraq or he is a liar.
From someone who remembers Viet Nam, I can assure you our soldiers were spit on and worse. My brother witnessed it in San Diego.
Seriously, Preston — first of all, your headline about Sparling being a phony is a link to Wikipedia that confirms all of the things that you say didn’t happen.
I’ve talked to Military bloggers who visited Sparling at Walter Reed, and he did indeed receive cards with death wishes. And he was spat on at the “peace” protest this weekend.
I know you don’t want to acknowledge it, but there are a lot of anti-war zealots — from the Vietnam era to today — who hate the military and the men and women who serve in it. It doesn’t support your “we support the troops, but not the war” worldview.
Go see the card for yourself here.
Only a liberal could accuse and imagine that our wounded soldiers (or are you contesting the fact that he lost his leg, too, Preston?) would invent a smear campaign against the people who are protesting against him on a daily basis at the front gates of Walter Reed (I hope you rot in hell for that Code Pinkos).
Michael Crook sent the card to Joshua Sparling and others.
Thanks anon, you seem to be correct, though the website is down.
With verification of one of the incidents I’ll retract my skepticism.
I don’t lump Michael Crook in with the Left — he’s his own unique kind of hate and lunacy that I would never ascribe to an entire group.
I agree, Robbie. It seems to me that the guy must be mentally ill.