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From: "Peter L. Sroufe" 
Subject: SNET: American Legion says get out now!
Date: 19 May 1999 09:51:56 -0400
To: "American Patriot Friends Network" 


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WEDNESDAY
MAY 19
1999

THE BALKANS QUAGMIRE
American Legion
says get out now
Veterans don't want
another Vietnam on their hands

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By Stephan Archer
) 1999 WorldNetDaily.com

The American Legion supported U.S. foreign policy during the Vietnam War,
one of the most unpopular conflicts in the nation's history. But now, the
largest wartime veterans organization is calling on President Clinton and
Congress in a public resolution to get U.S. military forces out of
Yugoslavia immediately.
Although the American Legion affirmed its unwavering admiration and support
for all U.S. men and women serving in uniform around the world, officials
hand-delivered a letter and resolution to President Clinton and sent copies
to all members of Congress calling for an immediate withdrawal of American
troops in the Yugoslav war.

In the letter and resolution, the Legion listed four conditions that needed
to be fulfilled if the president and Congress wanted the Legion's support in
the military action. According to a statement by Harold L. Miller, the
national commander of the 2.8 million-member American Legion, these
conditions ask that the president does the following:

Provides a clear statement of why it is in our vital national interests to
be engaged in hostilities; Requires guidelines be established for the
mission, including a clear exit strategy; Ensures that both the U.S.
Congress and the American people fully support the mission; and Stipulates
that U.S. Forces will be commanded only by U.S. officers -- whom we (the
Legion) acknowledge are superior military leaders.

Phil Budahn, a spokesperson for the American Legion, said that out of these
four conditions, only one has been met. U.S. Forces are commanded only by
U.S. officers. However, Budahn expressed further concern that the troops do
not have full support from the public or Congress.

WorldNetDaily phoned several members of Congress to find out their reaction
to the Legion's demand, but all of those contacted claimed they knew nothing
about it. Budahn, who was personally responsible for getting the Legion's
demands to each one of the congressmen, was surprised to hear this and said
that he sent out the demands to Congress on May 6.

Congressman Ron Paul's office, R-Texas, did respond to the news when
WorldNetDaily first informed them of the Legion's position.

"Congressman Paul will be very pleased to know that the members of the
American Legion are very publicly taking a stand that Congressman Paul has
taken for the past year on the situation in Kosovo," said Michael Sullivan,
Paul's press secretary.

A spokesperson in Sen. James Inhofe's office, R-Okla., voiced similar
sentiments to Paul's press secretary.

Comparing the war in Yugoslavia to the Vietnam War, Budahn told
WorldNetDaily that although the current war is not at the same level as the
Vietnam War, the potential of a Vietnam-like engagement is there.

"If we screw it up, it has that potential," Budahn said. "(But) it's
important to remember that the military leaders of this country were young
officers during Vietnam, and they don't want to go down that road again."
Budahn added that in an effort to make sure that things are done differently
in the war in Yugoslavia, members at the Legion will be drawing very heavily
from their Vietnam experience.

"One of the things that did not happen during Vietnam early on was a calm
discussion as to what we wanted to achieve and how we intended to do it,"
Budahn said.

According to Budahn, a similar situation is being created with the Yugoslav
war. Although he understands the official U.S. position in Kosovo is one in
which President Milosevic would not be deposed and a unified Yugoslavia
would result from the action, he believes that many Americans don't
understand this objective. Rather, many Americans understand this war to be
about Kosovar liberation, according to Budahn.

However, Budahn doesn't blame the American people if they are a bit
confused.

"We're bombing one side, but at the same time, we're not equipping the
Kosovo Liberation Army," said Budahn. "While the KLA is fighting for
independence and while we're both fighting Milosevic, we're not in favor of
independence for Kosovo."

Speaking of the bombing missions, Budahn said, "It's clear from the outset
here that we're not going to be able to achieve our objectives by bombing,
but at the same time, NATO and U.S. political and military leaders are
saying that we do not intend to put ground troops in. We just can't go where
we want to go without ground troops."

Although there has been talk of the war escalating into a wider worldwide
confrontation, Budahn said that the American Legion would not speculate on
whether or not the war could lead to World War III. He did admit, however,
that the war had the potential of becoming a wider confrontation.

Budahn emphasized that the main concern of the American Legion has to do
with protecting American lives and American policy.

"While everyone condemns ethnic cleansing -- and we have great sympathy for
the suffering of Kosovo -- that's not a good enough reason to bring
suffering into the homes of U.S. service members who might be hurt, maimed
and killed in Kosovo," Budahn said.

"Wars are brutal things," continued Budahn. "But you can justify it if the
suffering serves a purpose, but if it's just suffering to send political
messages, that's something that -- as we learned from Vietnam -- doesn't
work."

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) 1999 Western Journalism Center
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Bard

Visit me at:
The Center for Exposing Corruption in the Federal Government
http://www.xld.com/public/center/center.htm

Federal Government defined:
....a benefit/subsidy protection racket!


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