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Veterans OUTRAGED Over 1 Thing The Pentagon Refuses To Do To Vietnam War Memorial

It’s a bad day when conservatives act like liberals when giving respect to our nation’s veterans.

Fact is, I’m used to childish behavior from the left. Liberals don’t much like soldiers. It’s not an original observation.

But when the nation’s conservative armed forces show disrespect to vets – even if they don’t mean to – that’s another thing entirely.

And so I’m at a loss at how to feel about the Pentagon refusing to put the names of 74 perished Navy sailors on the Vietnam Memorial in DC. Sailors that died on their way to Vietnam.

Sailors that, unfortunately for them, died outside of the combat zone. Which, according to the Pentagon, makes them ineligible for inclusion in the memorial.

(I’m not really buying that explanation, either.)

The Conservative Tribune reports:

The Pentagon has sparked outrage by saying [the names of the 74 sailors] should not be added to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Because the [deaths] happened outside of the Vietnam combat zone, the Pentagon has not added their names to the memorial.

The sailors were aboard an American destroyer, the USS Frank E. Evans. It crashed into an Australian vessel while on its way to Vietnam.

The crash happened in the South China Sea, well outside of the area of operations in Vietnam. But the families of the perished make a very good point – the USS Evans was providing support for the war, which logically means it was involved in the conflict.

And there’s also this:

…the Evans received a Vietnam Service Medal just two days before its sinking – meaning the Navy tacitly acknowledged it was involved in the Vietnam theater.

The Pentagon’s refusal wasn’t flat-out – an offer is on the table to build a separate memorial for the 74. But that would be a long-time coming, if it ever did. Money would need to be raised, and we’re less than halfway there for the price tag attached to the current building plans.

Fact is, I’m rarely one to disagree with the US military. Here, though, I think I will.

And I couldn’t end on better words than those in the Tribune itself:

While we understand the basic underlying policies regarding inclusion on the Vietnam Memorial, including those who perished [on the Evans] does nothing to devalue the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in Vietnam.

We urge the Pentagon to reconsider its decision.

So do we.

Source: Conservative Tribune

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