Mullings An American Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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The Worst Kind of Lie

Rich Galen

Wednesday May 19, 2010

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In Connecticut, U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Ct) became so toxic (even though he is still beloved among Democrats on Capitol Hill in Washington) that earlier this year he had to announce his retirement rather than suffer the ignominy of losing the seat he has held since 1980.

With Dodd running for re-election, Connecticut was, at worst, a toss-up and, at best, leaning Republican. When Dodd bailed, the Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced he would run for the U.S. Senate and moved the race back into the Democrat's column.

There is a theory in politics that the best attack is a third-party attack. The best third party is a grand jury. The next best third party is the New York Times.

The second-best attacker attacked Blumenthal by investigating his statements, inferences, suggestions, insinuations, and hints that he had served in Vietnam as a member of the United States Marine Corps.

Turns out that Blumenthal, in his words, "misspoke." In my words, "lied."

The NY Times found, and reported, example after example where he either stated, or implied, he had served in the war zone. Forty-seven thousand Americans were killed in combat in Vietnam, another 153,000 were wounded.

Richard Blumenthal is not one of them because he was never there.

The closest Blumenthal ever got to Vietnam was the Washington, DC armory where, as a member of the Marine Corps Reserves, he wrapped toys-for-tots presents.

Let me tell you a story.

In Washington, at many major dinners, the band will play a medley of services marches. The order is generally Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, with the finale always the Marine Corps hymn.

The tradition is for people who have military experience to stand when the march of their service is being played.

As you may already know, during the Vietnam era I had a student deferment for about 12 minutes before I flunked out of You-Know-Where, Marietta, Ohio 45750 and got thrown into the deep end of the draft pool.

I was called to take my draft physical which, in spite of my best efforts feigning facial tics, a weak stomach, a variety of speech impediments, and a general inability to focus on even the simplest tasks ("Stand in that line"); I passed, and I was determined to be 1-A. Stamped U.S. Prime Military Beef.

The second I had returned home to New Jersey, I had signed up at the local National Guard armory to get on the waiting list. I was called to join the New Jersey Army National Guard mere seconds before I was drafted.

Over the next six years, splitting my time between the New Jersey and Ohio National Guard, I successfully avoided service in Vietnam because my units were not deployed.

As the decades have gone by, a sense of buyer's remorse took hold because Vietnam was the seminal event for males of my generation and I not only missed it, I had used fancy footwork to avoid it.

At those dinners, when those bands played those marching tunes, I kept my seat. I never stood during the Army march because I had not earned the right.

Then came six months Iraq. I got e-mails from guys my age, who had also missed serving in Vietnam, asking if they could come and work with, for, or around me. They understood as I did, that I had been given the opportunity to at least partially repay a 30-year-old debt to my country and I had taken it.

They also understood they would likely never have the chance to pay down on their debt to America.

Now, and ever since I returned, when the band plays "As the Army Goes Rolling Along" I stand. Not for myself, but in honor of the men and women of Army Reserve and National Guard who have been deployed time and time again to Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and God knows where else.

Have I now earned the right to be offended by someone like Richard Blumenthal who pretends to have served in a war zone when he had not? No.

Nevertheless, I am.

On the Secret Decoder Ring page today: A link to the NY Times investigation into Blumenthal's lies about his military service. Also a really geeky Mullfoto and a silly Catchy Caption of the Day.

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