I was inspired by a young soldier, recently back from duty in Iraq and the Texas/Mexico border clashes with military-equipped drug lord ‘enforcers’, who visited the museum at Camp Mabry where I volunteer as a tour guide.

He showed me the handcuffs that are the printed ‘rules of engagement’ each soldier carries with him, and frankly, myself and those who fought in WWII were shocked at how defenseless one would be if followed to the letter…..that our government would put them in harm’s way like that angered me, and then to have someone like Bill Arkin call them mercenaries was simply more than I could bear without complaint.

I would like to share the letter I sent to Senator John Cornyn yesterday:

PETITION FOR BOOT CAMP REPARATIONS

Dear Senator Cornyn,

In the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and sixty-eight, I enlisted in the US Navy with the earnest assurances of my recruiter that I would be sent through its excellent Electronics Training Schools, based on my score on their entrance exams.

This meant that I would be allowed to serve working as a technician on state-of-the-art equipment, while simultaneously effecting the realization of my longtime dream to serve in the same branch of the military as my hero father, who, by some vagarious twist of fate was resting topside at 0755 hours, aboard the USS Medusa, on Dec. 7, 1941.

I mention his participation in the battle of Pearl Harbor, not to impress or claim any of his honor for myself, but rather to show evidence of some legitimate motivation for my desire to join — other than the mere expectation of personal gain, in the form of training or education certain to substantially improve my prospects of a lucrative career.

I feel it necessary to mention that I never before felt any need to make such a distinction, until I became aware of recent attempts by some, to paint the honorable and committed young men and women who currently volunteer as no more than crass mercenaries, attracted to the legendary units which populate every branch of our services only by the base seductions of the most vile form of filthy lucre — that paid for contracted murder that serves only private or special interests.

I tremble now with anger, as I am given again to reflect upon the despicable nature of such libelous infringement upon the good name of our defenders, who labor long hours and months unto years in what are all too often now terrible theaters of tragedy and loss; made so by the influence upon their leadership and administrators of politically correct, well-intentioned, insanity; manifesting itself in hobbling rules of engagement, seemingly designed more to ensure their own casualty, rather than that of the slaughterers of innocents who define our enemies.

I will stand no longer in silence, watching helplessly as my heritage and that of my brothers and sisters in uniform is impinged upon with the propaganda of despicable cowards, mouthing their corrupting vitriol with traitorous intent.

I wiil succumb no longer to the helplessness of spirit invoked by a constant litany of lies and half-truths, designed only to dishearten the supporters of our sailors, soldiers, and airmen; to negatively impact the morale of those who fight on my behalf until their will to attend their duties is overwhelmed by the abject despair of those who know their struggle will be lost–their sacrifice cheapened and made all but meaningless by the same stripe of partisan back-stabbing traitor who betrayed the Spartans at Thermopolae.

I will no longer merely shrug my shoulders in disbelief when reading stories of enemies being forced to wear underwear as a hat, describing such as torture in an effort to undermine the integrity of our troops for the sole purpose of political advantage — especially since I was treated to exactly that method of inducement to the proper attendance of my responsibilities when I attended basic training, or “boot camp” in San Diego.

My frustration at this comic tragedy of philosophically created treason has given me the motivation to action, resulting in the petition I now bring for redress of these affronts.

I would submit to you sir, that no American citizen sends their treasured offspring to be tortured in government training facilities, and hereby demand restitution for the atrocities endured by myself and others at the hands of these sadistic perpetrators of humiliation and ridicule.

I now demand payment of reparations, in the sum of one billion US dollars, by each of those media and corporate entities found to have sponsored this atrocity upon my heritage by their continued employment and promotion of those who refuse any form of restraint from wholly partisan motivated public attacks against our nation’s just involvement in a war against those who would travel thousands of miles in order to confront with deadly intent our citizenry and its legitimate and entirely legal efforts at commerce and self advocacy; as well as against the brave and loyal men and women who execute the conduct of that war.

Upon the occasion of the success of my petition, I demand that the total sum of said reparations be held in escrow, one half of which is to be dispersed as needed, to the individual and/or collective units who will most benefit from its expenditure in support of their mission.

The other half will be held in reserve, to be awarded piecemeal to those whose service has resulted in damage to their physical and/or mental well being; and to those media and other corporations selected for their unmitigated support of our members of the service and/or their current and future missions abroad, for the duration of the war on terror.

Please expedite the furtherance of this petition for redress, that the prospect of financial ruin might sooner influence the decisions of those perpetrators of treason who vastly increase the danger to our troops in harms way, effectively handcuffing them during hand to hand combat with their enemy, and undermining their mission with a Rasputin-like dominion over the media who determine what our public comes to believe as fact.

I remain the humble servant of my forefathers’ aspirations, sincerely,
Dennis R. Johnsey, USN (ret)

I don’t know that the good Senator will ever read it, but it felt good to write it, nonetheless.