I have not written a diary in a while, but this issue is eating at me. By now everyone has heard what happened to General Lavelle in 1972. He was "thrown under the bus" by the then President of the United States, Richard Milhouse Nixon who was running for re-election.
He was demoted from four stars to three and then after hearings on the bombing of North Vietnam, the Senate voted to strip him of his third star, and retired him as a Major General (2 stars) with his name slimed thru the mud as being a rogue officer who chose to bomb North Vietnam on his own. The truth that he had been ordered to do so by the President was kept from the Secretary of defense and Congress. Many people inside the White House knew of this, and this is where my anger lays.
Dr Kissinger and General Alexander Haig both served as Secretary of State Kissinger during Nixon's term and President Fords administration and Hiag during Reagans Presidency until he made the statement that he was in charge when President Reagan was shot, and then was replaced by George Schultz.
These men have both taken the oath of office to "protect and serve the United States" not a President. In keeping the lies of Nixon from Congress and the American people, they did not serve the United States, they served Nixon, in proof that absolute power corrupts.
I feel that General Haig more than Dr Kissinger knows what the terms "duty , honor and country" means, He was a graduate of Hudson High, known to most at West Point, he served on General MacArthur's staff in Tokyo as a Lieutenant after graduation. To allow another 4 star General to take the fall for a decision made by the President on the United States, was wrong, just plain immoral and illegal.
The Senate should repay the work of General Haig with the same punishment that he allowed General Lavelle and his family to suffer, they should vote to reduce him to a permanent rank of Major General and put it in the Congressional record why they did it. His silence knowing that Nixon threw General Lavelle under the bus, so he could be re-elected in November 1972 is a crime as if Haig had done the actions himself.
Kissinger is no better, his security clearances, his position and abuse of power is legendary, but to allow a honorable officer who only did what the President told , (ordered) him to do, is reprehensible. Kissinger should be stripped of any government clearances he has to classified data, never allowed near the White House again as an advisor to any future Presidency.
Kissinger has done a lot of despicable things in his life but as an Army Staff Sergeant this action is about as low as any person who has ever served in the military can do, to allow a member of the military to take the blame for the actions of any "political" character is beneath "dog shit" in my book.
The United States Congress should make sure that General lavelle's widow is paid the difference in the lost retirement that the General and his family was deprived of from 1972 to the present, quickly before she dies, the woman is now 92 years old. They owe it to him, his family needs to be made "whole" for the inability of those who knew the truth to tell the truth.
Being close to power does not mean bend over and kiss their butts, if an elected official is doing something illegal tell the truth, the people of this nation will hold the right person accountable, why let someone else take the fall for a politicians mistake?
I didn;t think much of Kissinger or Haig before this, but it was due to their arrogance, to me this should me a crime, and they should be held accountable for not telling the truth in 1972, they owed it to us the citizens of the US, not Nixon, he fell in disgrace anyway, what did they gain by allowing General Lavelle and his family to take the fall for Nixons mistake in bombing North Vietnam.
I hope Nixon, Haig and Kissinger all have to answer to the devil for their sorry azz lives, and all the people they harmed by living their lives as they did. If you believe in the hereafter, then you can't believe they will go to the good place, if there is a heaven and hell, people like these deserve to be in hell.
just my 2 centss\