Oct 16, 2013 2 min read

The straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back was seeing Sen. Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin at the World War II Memorial extolling the evils of the Affordable Care Act

Enough, already! But what really upsets me is to see him surrounded by Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans. Why in the world would you stand behind a man who openly attacks your commander in chief? Why would you let someone stand in front of a monument that honors our brothers and sisters who served their country and preach nothing but hatred and disdain for the man you swore an oath to as our leader? Why would you stand in support of someone who advocated the closing of the very same memorial that he was there in front of spewing his hatred? Why would you let a demonstrator at the White House wave a symbol of division and hatred, the Confederate flag, in his left hand and, at the very same time, wave the honored flag of the U.S. Marine Corps in his right hand?

As a Vietnam veteran, I am appalled that my brothers would stand by and let Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin allow some “political wannabe” to spout phrases like “The President worships the Koran” and “The President needs to get up off his knees” and “What do you expect from a Muslim.” Or how about the garbage that “Barack Obama is not a U.S. citizen”? It’s disgusting. Well, Barack Obama’s birth certificate says he was born in the United States. Unlike you, Senator Cruz, as your birth certificate is from Canada.

This is exactly the kind of hatred that Sen. Joe McCarthy spewed in the 1950s. And, if you Vietnam veterans will remember, this is the kind of hatred we faced when we came home. Quit your grandstanding and using us veterans to further your political career.

Get up on Capitol Hill and do the job that you’ve been elected to do. And, some humility and honesty would certainly go a long way.

Barry Andrews

Washington