Vietnam Veterans Against the War Statement John Kerry's testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: In John Kerry's testimony, he questions the war crimes committed by U.S. troops and our involvement in the Vietnam war. Many soldiers committed crimes against the Vietnamese people on behalf of orders from their officers. These soldiers will have difficulty living with and dealing with these actions personally for the rest of their lives. These men murdered villages, tortured innocent people and raped women on the orders of their superiors.
The Marines fought this war intending to defend America from the spread of communism and protect people in the name of freedom and democracy. What they weren't being told was that Vietnam was a small county that greatly wanted independence and simply wanted the U.S. off of their land. According to Kerry, Vietnam, as a communist nation, was hardly a threat to the United States. "We rationalized destroying villages in order to save them. We saw America lose her sense of morality as she accepted very coolly a My Lai and refused to give up the image of American soldiers who hand out chocolate bars and chewing gum."
Basically, Kerry is asking what reason did these American men fight this war? Was it worth that they now live with the guilt imposed upon them from the memories of horrid war crimes? Was it worth losing many lives of men in a war that we didn't want to walk from away and lose? All Kerry hopes is that these soldiers will be remembered for their bravery and dedication in honor of our country.