This was initially published on Greater Democracy

In Shakespeare’s famous eulogy of Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony proclaims, “The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interréd with their bones.” The actions of so many of the veterans of the Vietnam conflict are a great illustration of this. When John Kerry came back from Vietnam, he testified about the evil that men had done, in hopes of curtailing this evil. Some veterans reviled Kerry for this, and still attack him.

Many people still have a difficult time finding the good in the Vietnam conflict, and Vietnam veterans are long over due recognition for the good that they have done. Bill Clinton’s lauding of John Kerry saying ‘Send me’, is a great step in addressing this lack, especially coming from a person who avoided serving in Vietnam. John Kerry, appearing on stage with fellow veterans and ‘reporting for duty’ moves this step forward.

So, it is ironic that those who revile Kerry for his efforts to bring the troops home thirty years ago are resorting to focusing on the evil in an effort to hide the good. John Kerry has called on us to honor all that is good in what the Vietnam veterans have done and it is very disappointing that people who would benefit most from such a call are doing exactly the opposite.