Vietnam Vets Photo Gallery by Gary Senkus at pbase.com

Vietnam Vets

Can there ever be the "Gift of Freedom"?
The old East Berliners words (03/88) were hollow. They were hollow because a man who once knew, had freedom as the essince of his soul and lost it could not believe something so great and wounderful could return in his life time again. He approched me because I an American in uniform "was freedom", He could talk about freedom and I could and would understand 100% of what he said and had lost. Only a people who have had such a wonderful thing as freedom will finally say enough and rise up agian and be free because they and only they know it is so great, that the ultimate sacrifice of of every countrymans life is brought to the table to achive this. All seen local intel is reported by all, this never stops its what keeps the US free today. We report all we see in every neighborhood everyday without the worry if it will cost us our lives. we know freedom as the essince of our souls, as the way we think and live, the way our children will live, the process to remain free is a daily process. To some who has never known it it is something magical like Disney World, magical, unknown and a magical unknown will never bring every countryman willing to sacrifice their life to the process. The missing link in Vietnam and Iraq was not having 100% local intel. My Grandparents escaped as the soviet union was closing the iron curtain on thier wonderful homeland of Lithuania , This small Baltic state in the early 90's ROARED "ENOUGH" and all rose to the challange to once again became a free Proud nation, because they never stopped being proud nor forgot the greatness of freedom. My father knowing only to well from his parents that something so great could be lost joined the Navy at 16 in 1927, retired 36 years later as a CWO4. I picked up in 1969 and served till the very early 90's when a screwup at Evans hospital ended my career with a medical retirement.
To the people of Iraq I say "There is no FREE in FREEdom", until ALL of the countryman are willing to report what is seen every night at the risk of loss of life, "the process has not yet begun" and many lives from soldiers of other nations are being lost because of the missing local intel.
Many, many Europians can tell you that there is no FREE in freedom as freedom was reclaimed by them and thier country's flag fly proudly in the free wind today. Why is such a small country as Tiawan so brave agianst china? Freedom is part of thier souls.
Gary L Senkus
SFC, USA
Retired
LaJunta, CO
More thoughts a few minutes later,

In 1776 did the civilians of our great nation scream for another countries army to protect them while the freedom process was happening? NO, they were ready to die for it. After we were attacked at Pearl were not the factories full of women workers because the men of this great country of ours were gone and ready to lay down their lives because our freedom was theatened. Freedom is a process that requires the people as a whole in a nation be ready to give their life for any minute, any day. "It cannot be given as a gift", it has been proven by/to us in 3rd world countries on a smaller scale that it will only change dictators. Becomeing free is just the birth of the process, the willingness to die for it is the price that makes it happen and thrive forever after.
GLS

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Gary Senkus		27-Dec-2004 13:16
MOSUL, Iraq - In his Christmas eve encounters with U.S. military commanders and hundreds of their troops, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld heard — and said — little about armor or troop shortages, issues that have made him a political target in Washington among both Democrats and Republicans. His main message over a four-city tour was quite different: that the insurgency has staying power and a seemingly endless supply of weapons, and the time has come for ordinary Iraqis to realize that they — not the Americans — will ultimately decide who prevails in this conflict. During his visit, Rumsfeld said it would be unrealistic to predict that the level of violence will recede once the Jan. 30 elections are held. In the end, he said, it will be a “uniquely Iraqi solution,” not American. Rumsfeld used a simple analogy to explain his view that the time is arriving for Iraqis to take responsibility for their own security. Faced with a chore like digging a ditch, a typical American, he said, will grab a shovel and start digging. In Iraq now, however, the task is to step aside and get the Iraqis to dig their own ditches. He warned against allowing the Iraqis to become too dependent on the U.S. military. More independence is what’s needed, he said. “That’s the only way,” Rumsfeld said during a meeting with top U.S. commanders in Tikrit, at the northern tip of the so-called Sunni Triangle that had been deposed President Saddam Hussein’s bedrock of support. He called it the key to eventually getting the 151,000 U.S. troops out of Iraq.

Gary Senkus		24-Dec-2004 07:49
From the Washington Post Christmas Eve 2004. page A14 In preparing his study, Cordesman, who specializes in the Middle East, visited Iraq and the Persian Gulf area repeatedly in the past two years and talked to U.S. intelligence experts, military officers and embassy officials, some in the past two weeks. He and others note that the situation in Iraq is similar to what occurred almost 40 years ago in Vietnam, in that, as Cordesman puts it, local residents "are often pushed into providing data [to insurgents] because of family ties, a fear of being on the losing side, direct and indirect threats, etc." As in Vietnam, he says, there is in Iraq "the sense that as various insurgent factions organize, they steadily improve their intelligence and penetration of [coalition] organizations." If you reread my words you will find you missed "Civilians", ours did not cry to France to protect them. France did not come to our aid with an attacking Army before the war started in which we became a free Nation, they came at our request after WE STARTED THE PROCESS WITH OUR OWN BLOOD.

Doug Frost		04-Dec-2004 18:13
Gary, this is a wonderful and moving gallery. Thank you for posting it. I do however, want to address a couple of points of history that you brought up in your introduction. You give the impression that no country can be free until ALL of the people get behind the struggle for freedom. But this was not the case during our own war for independence. Read John Adams. Only about a third of the population supported the Revolutionary war effort. Another third stayed home and minded the farm and a third were Tories! Then you go on to claim that in 1776 Americans went it alone without outside help. While I'm sure the colonists weren't "screaming" for other countries to enter the war on our side, it is true that without the help of the Franco-American Alliance and General Lafayette we would certainly be English subjects today. The Continental Congress sent Benjamin Franklin to Paris in 1776 to lobby the French for aid in the war effort, and in May of that year France sent us 14 ships loaded with war supplies. Most of the gunpowder used by Americans during the war was French. Without outside help, America simply would not exist.

Gary Senkus		30-Oct-2004 07:12
Bart, Many of us that served in a combat role where kids when we got off the plane in RVN and 12 months laters by the calander we were still kids when we got of the plane. As months passed guilt set in for some of those things we did during that tour of duty. John Kerry was no different and went to Washington D.C. to talk about it. It took 5 people in the rear to support 1 of us combat troups. Most of our support troops will never understand what went on outside the "wire". Welcome home Bart. Thanks for your comments. Gary

Gary Senkus		30-Oct-2004 06:57
Tracy, You missed my point, you cannot give the gift of freedom. I agree with your last two sentences 100%. A country has to be mad enough to start it themselves or your last sentence will be the final outcome. Thanks for your comments, Gary

Guest		17-Oct-2004 06:19
I'm a Vietnam combat vet (9th Infantry Dvision, Mekong Delta '67) and I've been called a traitor several times on this site becasue I support John Kerry. We're seeing some of the saddest days in this country since the Nixon years. They used the same tactics back then pitting everyone against one another, trying to make 'liberal' a dirty word and using their religion as a tool to polarize the country into many factions. Whatever gets you elected is okay when you have no conscience and your Christianity is only a tool used to disquise your lack of compassion, your cruel intent, your avarice and your desperation to stay in power.

SandyMan		14-Oct-2004 12:59
I served in the U.S. Army 1967 to 1971 (RA16995483). I was stationed in Munich, Germany the entire time..where I still live today. I was fortunate that I did not have to go to war. I have great respect for you and your courage back then and now. It is a shame that some so call Christians don't even have the sense to write God with a capital G but they call Kerry a scumbag..

Guest		28-Sep-2004 19:38
Gary You have my admiration for your honorable and outstanding service to your country. However, I disagree that we are "giving freedom" to Iraq. We are training the Iraqis now and they will ultimately be the ones fighting for their own freedom to make their country work. If they do not, they will fail.

Guest		19-Aug-2004 17:34
Appreciate your stand and like your gallery a lot. Cheers, Lisa

Gary Senkus		18-Aug-2004 08:44
Sorry john post was way to long, deleted.

Chuck Harvey		14-Aug-2004 19:14
Ahhh.. I see another coward who posts under the alias of "Guest"... Gary.. I appreciate the eails you have sent to me... I know where your comming from brother... Keep the wind in your face... BTW.. nice ride... I have a 88 FLHTP that has turned into a full time project... :) HD=Hundred Dollars or in my case... HUNDREDS of Dollars

Guest		14-Aug-2004 18:11
Thats all we need is four more years of Bush to invade another country or to orchestrate another 9/11.

Chuck Harvey		14-Aug-2004 15:52
As a fellow Vietnam Vet wounded in action.. I am very surprized to see what looks like you supporting that scumbag Kerry who sold out ALL Vietnam vets with his traderious comments and actions... Kerry has disgraced the meaning of our Purple Heart!!! All we can do is get out and vote and pray to god that Bush is re-elected.. Welcome Home bro...

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