Veterans say media are
pro-military in coverage
By Scott McFetridge
Ot Um KnwmM
When Ron Phillips and John l^wrnnca
think of war. they remember the blood and
pain they witnessed while serving in Vietnam.
But they are afraid others don’t share this im
age because many people are beginning to
think of war as a glorious and necessary
oceans ion.
Phillips, who served in the Marine Corps
in Vietnam, is especially critical of the media,
which he believes are'guilty of spreading pro
paganda provided by the IJ.S. military
establishment. The media broadcast and print
an increasing amount of stories with a pro
military viewpoint, while largely ignoring
those speaking out against a military build-up.
says Phillips, who is now involved iif a draft
and°pre-enlistmoul counseling project. ’ ._ •*
Lawrence, who was a medic In Vietnam in
T9$«l and now is a Eugene word processor,
. 'says the, government is putt ing the, press into a
no-i&in situation *- a-situation where the presg
. ° must choose between government nfficinis’and
“■individuals who stand up and refute the
• ^ government's figures •’ ' . »' .* ■
"The press, w.hnts. to believe its govern-.
*•’ inapt." Lawrence says. ’’But *t hb press has to
•g'o against the government if it wants true in- .
.. format ion. tcign out." • .
. ". Wljile-Uivyrence was stationed at-a.'direct -
• c:asu'alty4rec«riylng unit, wkere he” would iden
tify .’an’d classify dead bodies, he. sayS, he,.
observed the ihilifary’s. ’methods pf
.*• .taanijpulating figures' to affpehr'ntpre positive ;
than tiieV actually were .” After arc assault , i he
. bodies coming into.La W ps npj'jtunlt wifhlnjhe '«.
. first 10.minutes* .woulilbeclassified as '• killed."
t iri action.;’. After Ttf minutes "hail elapsed, a
^ whistle wopjd .be blown arid all hdlovying
bodies. would Ini,classified as having "died of •
•°w6unds '.’\ ° ' V.
■ •’.This is “an -important distinction because”
• -.the* mitdia -repprtodv- the -nunibrir jof soldiers •
• "kUJed in .attion" as/the actual number of'
A if ier icarisk ii led; t hatday'.'Ta wrerifceaays. •
The .problem -was not that the riled la' .
withheld “information from- the -American
■ f public,, but that.nine out.of tferi reporters cbm-'
-. pletely relied upoh ■information' fibm tne°
•'. ipllitary",”i^wrei|ce says.-, (Only a smdlI fraction
of the reporlers.actually attempted t'o verify the
-' government's'figures’, he says. * • ■' •• .
The government is not at fault for attemp
ting to get good publicity and create public
support, but the media should take this into
account when covering events featuring
military officials, he says.
"You can't blame people for wanting to
create good public support,” I,awrence says.
"We can't exert power and force without the
will and conscience of the public behind it.”
l-awrence and Phillips both were upset by
the heavy media coverage of a speoch by Air
Force Colonel Calvin Johnson earlier this
month, in which Johnson called for a military <
buildup to ensure a balance of powqr with the
Soviet Union,. And during the last several
years; the two men believe the local and na
tional media have been printing and broad
boasting an increasing number of stories that •
portray.the military in ah unrealistic manner. •„
In some ways, the film industry,- which
has produced such movies as ’’First Blood”
and "Rambd,” has been eyen.more detrimen
tal than the press, lawrence says. •
. "Mbit of the Rambo.8 I dealt with were‘in'
:bbdy bags," Lawrence says. "We want people .
to'.'know the reality of the war and. focus bn
• tjiat..*' '•*"**•
• Steve Johnson, a military analyst, says the
Air Force colonel is part of a.team that regular;
ly; tofirs the country'-and presents the Aif.
. Force's position op TJ.S. defense .matters.
Johnson'spys the U.S. military establishment
manipulates , figures in order to' create a
‘ perceived threat-' from the” SovieJ Union and
maintain large military'expenditures.
"You have-to hifve.some threat’and.that's
the Soviets," Johnson says? "The Air Force
has a vested interest in' keeping that threat
■ .alive." ■ , ; •... .*• > .. ... > ■ . ..
The Air Force likes to use numbers when
giving presentations, but there is a statistic
disputing eVe'ry. statistic' Col. Johnson' gave
■ during his speech. Johnson says.
„ "Either side always tan find measures and
statistics to back up its point of view,?'
’ Johnson says.. ° •' • . • -
. , The massiye military budget , and the
positive feelings toward the military, increase,
the likelihood that the .United States will
become involved: in° another war — a war
,unlike. any. 6th«r war the country has been a
5 part of. Phillips says .•?'• / ... ”"v •
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