The Poet's Eye 
         commentary by Lightning Rod

the Poets' Eye is skeptical
without being cynical, innocent
without being naive and
critical without being
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for release 08-26-04

The Poet's Eye
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As I write, a war rages in Iraq and millions in our own country go without proper medical care, and as many jobs are escaping our borders as there are illegal immigrants penetrating them. Yet we waste time in this presidential election year talking about events that happened (or didn't happen) thirty-five years in the past.

When considering all the time I wasted last week watching and reading news stories about the Swift Boat controversy and the doubts raised by Bob Dole and others of John Kerry's battle decorations, I thought, "If it is appropriate to dig up history from three decades ago, why can't we go back three generations?"

Here's a little story about George Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush.

In 1918 when the War To End All Wars was almost over, Prescott, having just graduated Yale (like both G.W. and J.Kerry) was sent to Europe. He saw little or no action, but he wrote a joking letter back to the States confirming his heroism. I guess he knew he would be going into politics someday.

His hometown paper, The State Journal in Columbus, Ohio published this story on August 8, 1918:

HIGH MILITARY HONORS CONFERRED ON CAPT. BUSH

For Notable Gallantry, When Leading Allied Commanders Were Endangered, Local Man is Awarded French, English and US Crosses.

International Honors, perhaps unprecedented in the life of an American soldier, have been conferred upon Captain Prescott Sheldon Bush, son of Mr. and Mrs. S.P Bush of Columbus. Upon young Bush ... were conferred the: Cross of the Legion of Honor, Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Cross....Conferring of the three decorations upon one man at one time implies recognition of a deed of rare valor and probably of great military importance as well.

From word which has reached Columbus during the last few days, it appears as if the achievement of Captain Bush well measures up to these requirements.

The incident occurred on the western front about the time the Germans were launching their great offensive of July 15...The three allied leaders, General Foch, Sir Douglas Haig and General Pershing ... were making an inspection of American positions. Pershing had sent for Captain Bush to guide them about one sector.... Suddenly Captain Bush noticed a shell coming directly for them. He shouted a warning, drew his bolo knife, stuck it up as he would a ball bat, and parried the blow, causing the shell to glance off to the right....

Within 24 hours young Bush was notified ... [that] the three allied commanders had recommended him for practically the highest honors within their gift.... Captain Bush is 23 years old, a graduate of Yale in the class of 1917. He was one of Yale's best-known athletes ... was leader of the glee club ... and in his senior year was elected to the famous Skull and Bones Society....

Local excitement about the military ‘Babe Ruth’ lasted just four weeks.
Then this somber little box appeared on the front page:

Editor State Journal:

A cable received from my son, Prescott S. Bush, brings word that he has not been decorated, as published in the papers a month ago. He feels dreadfully troubled that a letter, written in a spirit of fun, should have been misinterpreted. He says he is no hero and asks me to make explanations. I will appreciate your kindness in publishing this letter....

Flora Sheldon Bush Prescott

Bush was discharged in mid-1919, and returned for a short time to Columbus, Ohio. But his humiliation in his home town was so intense that he could no longer live there, so he moved to Connecticut and eventually became a Sentator from that state. But it wasn't on the strength of his war record.

It's as pertinent to dig up this awkward but amusing little tidbit about Gdub's ancestry as it is to focus this election debate on what John Kerry might or might not have done on the battlefield 35 years ago. At least he was on the battlefield. And the battle he fought went well beyond his four months in Vietnam. When he returned he began the battle for which this writer respects him most, the battle against the war.

This seems to be the main complaint of the Swifties, not how John Kerry comported himself in Vietnam, but how he behaved after he returned home. They felt betrayed by Kerry's protests of the war. They thought it was opportunistic, and perhaps it was. Kerry was a returning decorated veteran with an eye on a political career. He seized the stage at the forefront of the Vets Against the War movement and presented his testimony before Congress in 1971. But, you see, I was one of the young men that he was trying to save from ugly sweaty death in Vietnam, so I thought his actions were noble and courageous.

Kerry opened himself to the kind of offensive that the Republican sponsored Swift Boat Gang has mounted by swaddling himself in the flag of battle during the Dem Convention. This writer thinks he should have advertised, not his four months in Vietnam, but his more significant and admirable fight against the war when he returned, and not how he got his ribbons but that he threw them back. I only wish he had that bravado today and would take an opposing stand against the Iraq war instead of being Bush Lite.

The Poet's Eye would rather see an honest debate, that focuses on our real problems in this election year, rather than all this nonsense about whether or not the Swiftboat group has a right to spew their vile propaganda. Presidential politics is like stage magic, it's all about misdirection of attention. As long as the debate dwells upon pointless matters, like who deserved a purple heart three decades ago, or who shirked service, or who has a right to make or sponsor slanderous remarks about ancient war records, then the issues of why we are in a quagmire in Iraq and why our economy is going to hell in a handbasket because of corporate rape and why our citizens don't have proper medical coverage, go ignored.

When Johnny comes marching home again
Hurrah, hurrah
When Johnny comes marching home again
Hurrah, hurrah
The men will cheer and the boys will shout
and the ladies they will all turn out
and we'll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home.
-- Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore--bandmaster of the Union Armies

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