To TED:

I am a seventy three year old Vietnam Veteran, told I will die quick now, so I aim to get this of my chest. I served as I am sure you did, not for a flag, but for you brothers, sister, mom, dad, uncles aunts, friend and even the strangers around you, not seeing color. They were our country, then and now. This was my opening speech when I ran for the Senate with the American Party in 1979. I was very upset with our party, as Carter and Democrats just couldn't understand that we were being used by Republicans, since Nixon's surrendering our Nation. Carter, my hero, pardonded the draft evaders and included AWOL charges  and other crimes by service members that had less then honorable discharge. But no one upgraded any discharges at least they never tried to. So many of us in the late sixty's saw a military that had troops so terrified they were afraid to get mental help and I knew one. He thought the CIA was going to kill him, and his friends came to me and ask me to help him get home, so his mom and dad could get help for him, as I had entered into the project transition program to be trained to be an insurance investigator. I hadn't started yet so had a couple of days to get there and back. I never got back. I got him home, but him parents were gone and he took off with his girl friend, I stayed, waited, then his commanding officer called and ask me to stay there and when he got back talk him into returning to base and he would cover it for me with my commanding officer. After several talks for three days with his commanding officer, and no return, he told me to return to base any way I could. I had no money or car, so hopped a train full of timber for train tracks to go on, to make a long story short, got crushed from my Waist down, and cripples for life. In the battle field I would have gotten the medal of honor, for going above the call of duty to save another trooper, that was so afraid he hid from even me, with his girl friend. His mother came to the Army hospital, after getting there son help in a mental hospital, and apologized and thanked me for what I went through for her son. There was nothing but oats found in my stomach, because I just couldn't eat there food while I was there, and they were not, so had a fiesta on Oats on the floor of the, train car. This to me was honor, to another in need. But I also needed help and was told that a mental illness was a sign of weakness. No one should have had to go off a base to get help for any reason. That is why I ran Ted. For the Senate 1979, 1980 for Congress. They went to far to please the Republicans.