I grew up watching war movies and westerns. They were exciting, they were fast paced and they showed that right can prevail over wrong. There were any number of those heroes. The ones that stood and did their duty. They believed in what we, as young children and adults, were taught to believe. Those same things that we believed in. We were better than those who attacked and persecuted us for our beliefs and dreams. We were better than those who held to the low ground and took advantage of those of us who believed in decent common values. They were less than real men..

I guess what I really want to get to is, that in all of those films; I never saw John Wayne torture a prisoner. He may have slapped the occasional Jap around, but he was always held back.. Then, he would gather his troop and go out to meet the enemy; regardless of the intelligence. He was of course triumphant, He (John Wayne) is an American Icon. But as an honorary Marine, I must wonder what he would think.

John Wayne was an "America Love or Leave it", kind of guy. He believed that the conflict in Viet Nam had to do with America Vs Communism. That is what I thought when and after I enlisted and fought in Viet Nam. The knowledge that I have gained since then leads me down a different path. However, the belief that I share with John Wayne in this America is still the same. We are a great country. We stand for all of those decent things that I grew up with, But it is our responsibility to maintain and continue those beliefs.

So the question I have is; What would John Wayne think? What would John Wayne think of a squad who went out on patrol, horse collar a civilian, make him dig his own grave and then kill him. What would John Wanye think of a platoon who went out, raped a sixteen year old girl, then murdered her and her family? I am happy that this icon of America is now dead. He would choke if he could see what his beloved country has come to. He would cry if he saw what his adopted brothers had become. Rapists and murderers.

I am a Marine and those things haunt me. Now, there were things that happened in Viet Nam that I am less than pleased with. But those are things that I must live with. Still the outrages that current Marines are living with goes beyond anything that I will ever have to face. We may have burned down hutches and destroyed villas. Rape and Murder is beyond what a Marine stands for or fights for. John Wayne would want to believe in America. John Wayne would want to believe that we don't need to torture prisoners to get an edge. John Wayne would want to believe that the righteousness of America would win. That our decencies would not only win the day, but that the world would see and come to our side.

The sad fact is; that not only is John Wayne dead. But we no longer remember what those things that he stood for are. We've transmuted those ideals into some sort of video game where only points dictate the win. There is no real triumph of beliefs and ideals. Is it strange that a liberal would call upon the ghost of such as John Wayne in this our time of trial. Not really, because his movie roles displayed a man of principles. Go ahead and kill the enemy. But remember the rules of war. Killing a guy with a gun is different than killing someone whom you think might carry a gun.

Rape and murder is not what we are taught in boot camp.