Boston Globe investigative reporter Walter Robinson reports in today's paper that American Legion National Commander Paul Morin has misrepresented himself as a Vietnam Veteran.
When Paul A. Morin , the national commander of the American Legion, sought election to the office in August, he described himself in the lead sentence of his campaign biography as a "Vietnam veteran of the US Army." Since he was elected Aug. 31, the Legion's website has featured the same description.
Morin also has expressed the hope that soldiers returning from Iraq will be treated better then "[w]hen we came home . . . We do not want to see any veteran ever returning to what we did . . ."
But the truth is that Morin never got any closer to Vietnam that that other Vietnam "veteran," GW Bush.
The only place Morin ever returned from serving was Fort Dix, New Jersey.
According to his military records, Morin spent his entire two years of Army service, from 1972 to 1974, at that Army training base . . . [as] a supply technician and lineman.
"I am a Vietnam veteran," Morin . . . declared."
But Morin's description flouts long-standing and widely accepted protocol among veterans -- that only those who served in the Vietnam theater between 1964 and 1975 should call themselves Vietnam veterans.
Sen. Max Cleland, a true Vietnam veteran called Morin out for what he is, a liar:
"For the national commander of the American Legion, who never even served in the Vietnam theater, to call himself a Vietnam veteran is a lie," Cleland said.
Meanwhile, Chickenhawk Morin has the gaul to condemn Charles Rangel:
The National Commander of The American Legion called on Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) to apologize for suggesting that American troops would not choose to fight in Iraq if they had other employment options.
Morin also took a holier-than-thou attitude toward Vietnam veteran John Kerry:
"As a constituent of Senator Kerry’s I am disappointed. As leader of The American Legion, I am outraged," said National Commander Paul A. Morin. "A generation ago, Sen. Kerry slandered his comrades in Vietnam by saying that they were rapists and murderers. It wasn’t true then and his warped view of today’s heroes isn’t true now."
But Morin does know what's really important. He wants to protect Americans against "judicial blackmail":
H.R. 2679, and its companion bill in the U.S. Senate, S.3696, would eliminate the authority of judges to award attorney fees in litigation against religious symbols at veterans' memorials, the Boy Scouts, public seals, and open displays of America's religious heritage.
"The real threat of such judge-ordered fees is that they have terrorized local elected officials into surrendering to the plaintiff's demands to remove religious symbols, such as crosses from veterans' memorials, city logos, police badges, and any public environment where the rich religious heritage of the nation flourishes," Morin said.
It's time for them to go.