Clinton visits Vietnam memorial to cheers, jeers
NATIONAL
WASHINGTON (API — President
Bill Clinton, i :ort fronting criticism
that ho avoided military service,
somberly knelt Monday i>efore the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial and
traced the name of a deceased class
mate Amidst (heent and feom. ne oxnontxi veitmins 10
mmnmliiit that "disagreement i* freedom'* privilege."
“Iait us continue to disagree if wo must about the war
Hut let us not let it divide us as a people any longer,
(Hinton said, echoing a i ailing for national healing that
dominated Ins high-profile pilgrimage to the memorial
Hut (Hinton drew the loudest applause when lie
announced he was ordering that nearly all U.S military
records pertaining to missing Americans in Vietnam be
din lassified and made public hy Veterans Day. next Nov
11
Clinton said that only "a tiny fraction" of the docu
ments would remain i lassified and not available for pub
In s< rutinv Im'( a use of notional se< urity or privacy pro
tection reasons
Clinton said ho wanted to "renew a pledge to those
families whose names are not on tins wall. !>e< ause their
son* and daughters did not come home
The administration has been working for several
months in connection wilti a Senate committee to declas
sify Vietnnm-ara do< uments. and POW-MIA families
have not been happy with the government's effort It was
not immediately dear what impact Clinton's announce
ment would have.
Clinton s Memorial Day visit to the polished black
granite wall, etched with names of the war's roughly
5H.(MIU casualties, was nngrily protested by some veter
ans who consider the monument site to lie sm red turf
As he liegan Ins speech, there was smattering of boos
and one demonstrator close to the podium yelled "shut
up, coward Shut up and get out of here."
A few turned their liacks while others held up c ritical
signs One said "You lied. You dodged Refused to Cm ”
Another said: "Slick Willie The artful draft-dodger "
"To all of you who an' shouting. I have heard you. I
ask you now to hear me." he told the hecklers
Kor the most part, the audience applauded Clinton's
remarks politely and at times with enthusiasm
David Castillo, a Vietnam veteran from Los Angeles,
said he was angered at the boos "You boo an umpire.
You don't boo the president of the United States." he
said.
And Clinton's visit drew the public support of a well
decorated Vietnam hero, (a>n Colin Powell, chairman of
the |oillt Chiefs of Staff
"We all know that the
speaking under overcast skies on a muggy day with a
warm breeze blowing
Clinton is the first president to spisik at the annual cer
emony He addressed a crowd of thousands, most of
whom were standing.
In an interview with The Washington Times published
in Sunday's editions. Clinton had noted that he was just
23 when ho wrote a letter desc ribing how many young
men of his generation had loathed the military.
"Well. I'm 4f> instead of 23. so I might write it differ
ently." he said. "Hut I can't run away from that letter."
_ A CBS Sens poll released
Vietnam War caused
deep wounds within
American mm iety." Pow
ell said He cited "a
pressing need to move
forward together as a
nation" as he introduced
Clinton Powell referred
to himself as "the senior
Vietnam veteran on
active duty today."
‘Just as war is freedom's cost,
disagreement is freedom's
privilege, and we honor it here
today.'
President Bill Clinton
Sunday indicated that almost
three out of four Americans
believed it was appropriate for
Clinton to take part in the cer
emonies Seventy-four percent
said it was, 22 percent said it
was not and 4 percent did not
know or failed to answer.
Among veterans, percent
thought it was appropriate and
2H percent thought otherwise.
|,ater, Powell told reporters ' it s time lor the nation
to come together and heal on this issue."
The president, in remarks just more than 10 minutes,
struck a similar theme.
"Some have suggested that it is wrong for me to be
here with you today because I did not agree a quarter of
a century ago w ith the decision made to send young men
and women to battle in Vietnam." he said.
"Well, so much the better fieri* we are. celebrating
America today, lust as war is freedom's cost, disagree
ment is freedom's privilege, and we honor it here today."
he said.
"I ask you at this monument, can any American be out
of place? And can any commander-in-chief be in any
other place but here on this day. I think not." he said.
Ian Scruggs. president at the lotnuloiion mat mini ana
maintains tins memorial, said: ’’We’ve been doing this for
12 years. And for 12 years (until now) no president has
ever accepted our invitation. We are extremely proud our
commander-in-chief is here to honor those whose names
are on this memorial. ... It is as simple as that."
The president made no apology for his opposition to
the Vietnam War, but told the crowd: “No one has come
here to disagree about the heroism of those who we hon
or."
Clinton noted that four of his high school classmates
from Hot Springs, Ark., were listed on the wall. After
wards. Clinton took a nibbing from the wall of one of the
names, that of lames Herbert Jeffries.
Memorial Day: honoring vets, barbecue in backyard
(AP) — Americans did double
holiday duly on Memorial Day.
paying tribute to fallen war vet
erans and heading to the great
outdoors — or just the backyard
barbecue — for family get
togethers.
lire original intent of the hol
iday has clearly merged with the
need to get away for a long
weekend and unofficially
launch the summer season.
"It means I get off work at
noon Friday and don't have to
be back until Tuesday morn
ing." said Bruce Barton of Boise.
Idaho. "It means beer and raft
ii>8 "
On the Gulf Coast in Missis
sippi. hotels and motel wore
booked solid throughout the
weekend. Beaches and parks
wore parked
"Memorial Day is a good
barometer for the summer, and
with all the advance reserva
tions we had. it's an outstanding
weekend," said Kddio McGuire,
manager of the Biloxi Beach
Resort Motor Inn. "That means
it's probably going to be the
biggest summer we've ever hod
on record."
On the shore in Atlantic City,
gray skies matched the moods of
many vendors unhappy with a
slow start to the mid-Atlantic
beach season. Hut in other
coastal New Jersey towns, busi
ness was brisk and beach
crowds were heavy.
Smalltown parades and
graveside ceremonies by the
hundreds took place across the
country, honoring those who
fought and died for their coun
try.
"We can't let people forget
what the day is about." said Lisa
Pereira, attending a service Sun
day in Provident*, K.l.
A couple of veteran memori
als gave the traditional events
novel twists. Native American
vets were remembered in South
Dakota and a Southern Califor
nia ceremony honored military
gays and lesbians who died in
wartime.
"I'd like for us to be recog
nized. all of us. including the
gay. lesbian and bisexual veter
ans." said Tom Swann, a pro
gram analyst at the Navy's Point
Mugu Pacific Missile Test Cen
ter.
Swann, who battled for the
right to join the ceremony at Los
Angeles National Cemetery hon
oring all veterans, placed a
wreath of pink roses and yellow
stargazers on the stage before
about 1,500 people in atten
dance.
Some say the day's real pur
pose is a victim of bad timing.
"It falls at a time when every
body thinks about picnics and
boating, and 1 understand that,”
said Mel Napier, adjutant for the
American Legion in Idaho. "But
there also have been a lot of peo
ple who gave their lives, ana we
should take a few moments to
remember them."
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