Debbie Schlussel: Gen. William Westmoreland, American Hero, RIP

By Debbie Schlussel

Yesterday, a true American hero and patriot, General William Westmoreland, passed away.

Gen. Westmoreland was Commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam and fought in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. A colonel by the time he was 30, Westmoreland always vigorously defended his country, whether on the battlefield or in the minefield of verbal assaults by the media.

In 1982, he bravely sued CBS over a defamatory documentary. The question "is not about whether the war in Vietnam was right or wrong, but whether in our land a television network can rob an honorable man of his reputation," Westmoreland said. He decried the time and effort he had to spend correcting "errors, misinterpretations, judgments and falsehoods" perpetrated by the press. Words for all media to consider as we continue our presence in Iraq and the media continues its non-stop assault on our military and its leaders. (The CBS case was settled.)

Although he retired from the military in 1972, Westmoreland continued to visit Vietnam veteran groups throughout the 50 states, and didn't make a ton of money out of it (the way today's retired Generals--Powell, Schwartzkopf, and Zinni--do).

General William Westmoreland, a great American.

Posted by Debbie on July 19, 2005 04:41 PM to Debbie Schlussel