Thursday, September 21, 2017

superman's "truth, justice and the american way": a vietnam war casualty

I am a baby boomer who grew up in the 1950s.
In grade school i wore a jacket covered with army, navy and air force unit insignias, each one sewed on by my mom.
I loved superman.

"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!

Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!

Yes, it's Superman, strange visitor from another planet, who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way."


I was drafted in 1968 at the height of the vietnam war. 

I was sent to ft. benning for basic training, and spent the rest of my two years there as an assistant instructor in the infantry officers advanced course. I was at Ft. Benning during the Calley trial. 

Ken Burn's documentary, the vietnam war, is a vivid reminder of the death of "truth, justice and the american way" for this baby boomer. Burns’ documentary centers on a needless war sustained by lies | Opinion | Eugene, Oregon

rest in peace, superman. 


image by Meutia Chaerani - Indradi Soemardjan





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