Lying Legion Chief Claims to be Vietnam Vet

It used to be that the membership of the American Legion consisted of veterans who were actually in a war on foreign soil. I don't know exactly when that changed, but you'd at least think that the Supreme Kommandant of that fine organization would be an actual war veteran.

But not one Paul Morin, who ran for the office using the statement in his official bio as "Morin is Vietnam veteran of the U.S. Army".

The closest Morin got to Vietnam was ... Fort Dix, NJ.

I've been a stickler over the years about who is and who is not a Vietnam veteran. To my way of thinking, if you weren't boots-on-the-ground, butt-in-the-air or feet-in-the-water, then you really can't call yourself a Vietnam veteran. Period. You are a Vietnam-era veteran. Not that there's anything wrong with that, let me make that perfectly clear. Those of us who were drafted had a chance to be sent anywhere. Several friends of mine who were drafted around the same time as me spent their time stateside, and a lucky few got to go to Germany. We were all in the service and we all served honorably. But they don't describe themselves as "Vietnam veterans".

Wannabes like Morin make a mockery of the service of real Vietnam vets and he ought to be ashamed of himself. This is yet another in a long line of reasons why I have never joined -- and will never join -- the American Legion, the VFW, etc.