Letters: May 28, 2001

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The Ghosts of Vietnam

"Undoubtedly, hundreds of women and children were killed in Vietnam. That's the way war is, and it's not going to change." THOMAS C. DELAHUNTY Fayetteville, N.C.

I am amazed at the confusion in the accounts of what happened that fateful night when civilians were killed in Thanh Phong [NATION, May 7]. The stories told by former Senator Bob Kerrey and his squad mate Gerhard Klann are completely different. Klann would have us believe it was a meticulous slaughter of unarmed women and children. Kerrey recalls that the killings were an accident that occurred during a confusing night of war. Since the stories are so contradictory, and we can't distinguish the truth, we should put this behind us and move forward. Judgment of these men will not be in our hands. PAUL DALE ROBERTS Elk Grove, Calif.

Kerrey is a genuine hero. The fact is that the Vietnam War is still being fought by former government officials, by refugees and by anyone who is looking for a forum for his own agenda. Should we discredit all our military personnel who spent time in that hell? As someone who was against the war in the '60s and '70s, I say it's time to let it rest. ALEX HOWARD North Bergen, N.J.

How many Japanese men, women and children were condemned to death when the U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki? I am 86 years old and have lived through "the war to end all wars." Don't blame Kerrey for the slaughter at Thanh Phong. Blame the powers that be for sending men and women into battle. ESTHER MORRISON Santa Fe, N.M.

It disturbs me that there is no movement to put Kerrey on trial for the war crimes he is alleged to have committed. That is, after all, the usual process for ascertaining guilt and meting out punishment. I cannot avoid the ugly thought that Americans' concept of justice may be dependent on the citizenship of the accused and the color of the victims. DAVID L. SILK Stonington, Conn.

I suspect that most of us who actually fought in Vietnam have confessions lingering in some dark corner of our minds but have come to terms with the memories. Civilian casualties are an inevitable consequence of any war, and that will never change. Until mankind realizes the futility of war, civilian casualties, however regrettable, will remain an acceptable fact of life. BARRY W. LUNDGREN Woodstock, Ill.

--Many of you felt that Bob Kerrey's treatment at the hands of the news media was the ugliest aspect of the controversy surrounding his confession. "American journalism has hit an all-time low," wrote a Florida woman. "Reporters who hoped to 'hit it big' with this story only exhibited their ignorance of history and war." A New Jerseyan shared her disgust and was "taken aback by the arrogance and superior attitude of the press. Your need to know everything gives you no right to eviscerate Kerrey. How dare you?" A Louisiana man who served in the military believes that Kerrey has nothing to be ashamed of: "I surely wish the media would stop hounding the men and women who served in Vietnam. They did what they had to do to stay alive."

For the Love of Dope