Rieckhoff Comments anger Vietnam and Cold War Era Veterans

RIECKHOFF'S NON-APOLOGY TO VIETNAM VETERANS

IAVA chief claims remark was about who fragged the most and not meant
as disrespect.
by Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org

Sometimes I wish people would just do the simple and correct thing
when they open their mouth to change feet:  Apologize for an un-smart
comment and move on. But, no ... Most people have to explain and
explain ... and explain some more in an attempt to make it appear that
what they said really was correct and really wasn't meant to be
offensive ... thus trying to put the onus back on the person(s) they
offended. Such is the case of Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Yesterday we
reported that Rieckhoff, in response to a soldier killing five fellow
troops in Iraq, said, in part: "Unlike during the Vietnam War, today's
military is a professional, all-volunteer force." This remark greatly
offended me ... as it did Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland ... and,
we let our feelings be known.  It also offended many other veterans as
noted by the angry comments at the bottom of the article. Instead of
just saying, "I'm sorry.  It was an insensitive remark and doesn't
reflect my true feelings.  I apologize," Rieckhoff tried to explain
his way out of it. His PR person sent me this email saying that the
statement was from Rieckhoff: "IAVA has never prioritized one
generation of veterans over another. Every year, we have joined dozens
of veterans' service organizations in supporting the Independent
Budget, presenting a united front to Congress in our recommendations
for VA funding. Our top legislative recommendation this year is
advance appropriations, the priority of every leading veterans'
organization. To say that we intentionally disparaged or disrespected
Vietnam veterans is completely untrue. Vietnam veterans have served as
role models to this generation of veterans, and to this organization.
Our statement merely pointed out the fact that 'fragging' has been
exceedingly rare in Iraq and Afghanistan compared to Vietnam. There
have been only a handful of incidents of intentional homicide in Iraq,
while the AP reports at least 600 incidents of fragging in Vietnam
between 1969 and 1971. Military historians link this dramatic change
to the creation of the all-volunteer military. IAVA will continue to
work hard to advocate on behalf of veterans of all generations."
OOPS!  We have some problems.  The first sentence is completely false.
Just look at the name of the group.  Of course they've prioritized
the "new veterans."  Then, why go into the fragging explanation?  It
makes no sense.  Rieckhoff is saying, "My new guys don't frag as much
as you old guys did."  What does that mean?  Why say it at all?  His
original statement should have leaned on the problems our GIs are
having getting adequate mental health care, not a frag count. When Jim
Strickland read this, he emailed me: Not true. The comparisons made
have not been apples to apples. To compare Iraq to Vietnam is to
compare a swimming pool to the Pacific.That dog don't hunt. But, to
make things even worse, Rieckhoff kept over-explaining, trying to dig
his way out of his blunder.  He posted a statement on the IAVA web
site much like the one above ... but, with more and more and more
explaining.  He just had to cover more bases: IAVA Honors and Supports
All Generations of VeteransIAVA has never prioritized one generation
of veterans over another. Every year, we have joined dozens of
veterans' service organizations in supporting the Independent Budget,
presenting a united front to Congress in our recommendations for VA
funding. Our top legislative recommendation this year is advance
appropriations, the priority of every leading veterans' organization
and a step that will benefit generations of veterans. We are working
with the leading veterans organizations including, Vietnam Veterans of
America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans, on
this and all other actions that will benefit veterans and their
families.IAVA has never intentionally disparaged or disrespected
veterans of any generation. Vietnam veterans have served as role
models to this generation of veterans, and to this organization. Our
statement merely pointed out the fact that "fragging" has been
exceedingly rare in Iraq and Afghanistan compared to Vietnam. There
have been only a handful of incidents of intentional homicide in Iraq,
while the AP reports at least 600 incidents of fragging in Vietnam
between 1969 and 1971. Military historians link this dramatic change
to the creation of the all-volunteer military. In drawing this
comparison, our intent was to illustrate that incidents of fragging
have been rare and do not characterize veterans as a whole. IAVA has
always been committed to pushing back on negative stereotypes for all
veterans.Drafted, volunteer, or otherwise we respect the service of
all veterans. IAVA will continue to work hard to advocate on behalf of
veterans of all generations. Mr. Rieckhoff, your non-apology is not
accepted. And, to the staff at IAVA:  Keep Paul Rieckhoff away from
all computers.  He's the only person I know who can dig a hole with a
keyboard.

-------------------------
TOPICS: veterans, veterans' benefits, VA, Department of Veterans'
Affairs, IAVA, Paul Rieckhoff, Vietnam veterans, draftees, fragged,
fragging

IAVA Founder Apologizes to VFW

I wanted to reach out to you personally ASAP regarding the
currentcontroversy surrounding our statement on the Camp Liberty
tragedy.By now, I know you have seen some of the emails going around
saying thatI and/or IAVA are trying to disrespect Vietnam vets.I hope
you knowthat this is totally untrue. We have tremendous respect for
allgenerations of vets--especially Vietnam vets--and would never want
todiss any other veteran, generation of veterans or veterans
group.Itwas not our intent to offend anyone or disparage anyone. If we
did, we sincerely apologize.We can only imagine what you guys went
throughcoming home, and would never attack you--and anyone else who
served inVietnam. We view Vietnam vets as our brothers--and true
mentors. Andthe Chairman of our Board is himself a Vietnam veteran.
Pat Campbell,Todd Bowers, me and our entire team at IAVA have always
been honoredto work alongside Bob Wallace, Eric Hilleman and the
entire DC VFWteam. We also work closely with the Vietnam vets at the
Legion, VVA,DAV and all our other brothers and sisters in the larger
VSO/MSOcommunity.These folks know us well. And know that we have
nothing butrespect for your service--and that of all those in your
generation. Webelieve it, and we say it anytime we have the chance.The
GI Billvictory last year and our recent meetings with the President on
theridiculous third-party billing scheme showed what we can do if we
allstick together. I hope we can keep that level of unity
goingforward--especially in the fight for Advanced Funding--which
benefitsus all.I also hope that this week we can all focus on the
largerissues surrounding the Camp Liberty tragedy, address the mental
healthurgency, and use this as a wake-up call to better serve our
fellow vets. Any in-fighting between our groups will only distract
from moreimportant issues that confront our nation in this critical
time.Iwould be happy to talk to you, or anyone else at the VFW who is
free today or later this week to discuss this further. If you have
anyother thoughts or suggestions about this issue, please send them
myway. We would appreciate your guidance.Again, we are very sorry.And
Ihope we can all work together as our nation deals with this
terribletragedy at Camp Liberty.Thank you very much.

Best,
Paul

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