For Dick Durbin


		Robin Hardy Online

A Short, Personal History Lesson
for Senator Dick Durbin
(and all the other politicians and journalists
who are grandstanding at the expense of the U.S. military)

Dear Sir:

Regarding your comments equating American military to genocidal Nazis and Communists: Since you are already receiving many offers from historians and generally aware people around the country to educate you on the significant differences between us and them, I propose to give you a more personal view of one of the many military families you have tarred with an enormously nasty brush. Sit tight. It won't take long.


	Here we have a 1938 photo of my father, his parents and siblings. When WWII (check your local library for info on this major event) looked to be looming, my father and ALL of his brothers, including his brother-in-law, enlisted. By the grace of God and my grandmother's prayers, they all survived the war. But I'm getting ahead of myself. We're now in the year 1940:



			Above is my dad, aviation cadet John B. Moore, AVN, USNR, after his first solo flight at East Base in Grand Prairie, TX.

A few years later, we see Lt. Moore somewhere in the VP-13 Squadron with one of the PB2Y3 four-engine seaplanes that he flew on numerous missions in the Pacific theater. (See the PB4Y-1, that he also flew, here.) Luckily for tens of my fans, he survived, as I mentioned. Many, many of these boys did not. But they believed that their country was the greatest in the world, and it was their duty to respond to the call of service (instead of running to Canada).

They were fighting against the Nazis and other brutal regimes that threatened the life and liberty of millions of people. (But more on that, and definitions of the words in red, from your local library.) The Allies--the good guys--won. Frankly, Senator, if the United States' elected representatives were slandering their effort the way you are slandering our military, I'm not sure the result would have been the same.


		Which brings us to Current Events: one of Lt. Moore's grandsons, QM3 Glenn Hardy. It is his mom's constant prayer that Petty Officer Hardy will embody and honorably defend the principles that you have so maliciously denigrated, Senator. Shame on you. Class is dismissed.

	Okay, I hear now that he's apologized.

10-31-06 Update: This is for you, too, Senator Kerry. 2-2-07 Update: sigh And for you, Mr. Arkin.


	See Glenn's August, 2005 deployment to Indian Island here, his January, 2006 fire team training here, and his October, 2006 FEX here.


		copyright 2005 Robin Hardy

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