"Dear Mr. President: I'm saddened to give up my wings . . ."

Viet Nam veteran Joseph W. DuRocher earlier this month, mailed his pilot's wings and his shoulder bars back to Bush Jr., which were accompanied by a heart-felt letter DuRocher sent to his former "Commander-In-Chief."


KENTROVERSY COMMENT: Patriot Joseph DuRocher, earlier this month, mailed back his rank symbols from his uniform as a Naval pilot, to George Bush Jr, to whom he addressed his letter personally. The return-receipt from the Registered and Insured letter states that it was received by the White House on March 10, 2006, which was last Friday.

DuRocher's letter is reproduced in its' entirety below, and I have to admit that I agree 1,000% with every statement he made. I too weep for my country, and what she has become under the truly evil meglomania of the Bush Crime Family.

From one patriot to another, I salute you, Lieutenant DuRocher!

If only there were two-hundred million more of people like him in this country, we wouldn't be in the serious jeopardy in which we currently find ourselves.

Here is the letter in its' entirety:


March 4, 2006

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As a young man I was honored to serve our nation as a commissioned officer and helicopter pilot in the Navy. Before me in World War II, my father defended the country spending two years in the Pacific aboard the USS Hornet (CV-14). We were patriots sworn "to protect and defend." Today I conclude that you have dishonored our service and the Constitution and principles of our oath. My dad was buried with full military honors so I cannot act for him. But for myself, I return the enclosed symbols of my years of service: the shoulder boards of my rank and my Naval Aviator's wings.

Until your administration, I believed it was inconceivable that the United States would ever initiate an aggressive and pre-emptive war against a country that posed no threat to us. Until your administration, I thought it was impossible for our nation to take hundreds of persons into custody without provable charges of any kind, and to "disappear" them into holes like Gitmo, Abu Ghraib and Bagram. Until your administration, in my wildest legal fantasy I could not imagine a U.S. attorney general seeking to justify torture or a president first stating his intent to veto an anti-torture law, and then adding a "signing statement" that he intends to ignore such law as he sees fit. I do not want these things done in my name.

As a citizen, a patriot, a parent and grandparent, a lawyer and law teacher, I am left with such a feeling of loss and helplessness. I think of myself as a good American and I ask myself what can I do when I see the face of evil? Illegal and immoral war, torture and confinement for life without trial have never been part of our constitutional tradition. But my vote has become meaningless because I live in a safe district drawn by your political party. My congressman is unresponsive to my concerns because his time is filled with lobbyists' largess. Protests are limited to your "free-speech zones," out of sight of the parade. Even speaking openly is to risk being labeled un-American, pro-terrorist or anti-troops. And I am a disciplined pacifist, so any violent act is out of the question.

Nevertheless, to remain silent is to let you think I approve of or support your actions. I do not. So, I am saddened to give up my wings and bars. They were hard won, and my parents and wife were as proud as I was when I earned them more than 40 years ago. But I hate the torture and death you have caused more than I value their symbolism. Giving them up makes me cry for my beloved country.

Sincerely,



Joseph W. DuRocher
Orlando, Florida USA

Joseph W. DuRocher was for twenty years, the elected Public Defender of Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit, covering Orange and Osceola counties. Since retirement, he’s been writing and teaching law at the University of Central Florida and the Barry University School of Law. He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy in the 1960s, serving as a Naval Aviator in the Atlantic, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.

© 2006 Joseph DuRocher
All rights reserved. Used with permission.


Source:

The following source was used in the creation of this Kentroversy Paper . . .

Dear Mr. President: I'm saddened to give up my wings and bars, but . . . - Orlando Sentinel (March 14, 2006)