"Dave Marsh took me to task in Before I Get Old - his book about the Who - for doing a commercial in 1967 for the U.S. Aerospace Programme during the Vietnam War," wrote Pete Townshend in his Website diary. www.petetownshend.co.uk "Maybe I was naïve. But recent events make me wonder who was right or wrong."

Being the honest man he is, Townshend offers a RealMedia file of the ad. He speaks while the Who plays "Happy Jack" in the background. But Pete misremembers what he was peddling: "Hi, this is Pete Townshend of the Who. I just want to say that the United States Air Force is a great place to be, a great place to learn a space-age skill and serve your country too. The aerospace team, that's where all the breakthroughs are. See your United States Air Force recruiter. See how you too can fly the skies, reach for the moon and touch the stars in the United States Air Force."

This omits a few things, such as the war in Vietnam, and the fact that joining the Air Force is _not_ exactly your basic "reach for the moon career opportunity," no matter what recruiting pimps claim.

I don't know if such commercials are effective or not - my daughter heard me playing the spot while I transcribed it and announced, "I'm off to the recruiting office." I took it as a plea to stop playing that drivel, laughed and shut it off.

It wouldn't have been funny then. As my colleague John Swenson said when he read my book, "If I'd heard that spot in 1967, I'd never have become a fan of the Who." The teenage boys who loved the Who took such things personally in 1967. Not only because we didn't want to be drafted, but because we didn't want to kill. It was way different for Townshend, who did not live in a country with military conscription and whose father had been part of the heroic Royal Air Force (albeit in the band) in World War II. Still, my wife was involved with anti-Vietnam demonstrations at the London School of Economics in '67, so the atrocities of Vietnam weren't unknown in Pete's neighborhood.

Have things changed? It's futile to compare Afghanistan and Vietnam, and I'd rather not. But even if you think that the U.S.'s legitimate military objectives (if any) are being reached in Afghanistan, that doesn't erase history. One of the grave dangers of the propaganda battle being waged right now is an attempt to blame all that has happened since 9-11 on resistance to imperial might. The idea that our civilization would fall if there were dissent was bullshit in 1967, and it is an even more dangerous lie now. As long as it persists, we will never have the discussion about alternative methods of dealing with the likes of Al Qaeda. Our lives depend on that discussion.

I notice that none of the Townshend offspring are serving in the British military in Afghanistan. I love Pete, but that figures. As soon as I run into my first '60s revisionist who is willing to put his own life - or a life he's created - on the line, I'll take their opinions seriously.

Meantime, the House Armed Services Committee has just been considering the Universal Military Training and Service Act, which would restart the draft. If it passes, I expect to man the barricades once again, even though I doubt it'll apply to men in their 50s, maybe not even to daughters in their 30s.

Peace out

(c) Copyright 2002 Dave Marsh
Syndicated by Paradigm News, Inc.

Not all wars merit our support. Neither do all military agencies deserve our respect. Defense (Afghanistan) is not to be confused with offense (Vietnam) and while Mr. Townsend may see current events as a justification for his past shilling efforts, I see no such relevant connection.

Go sell more some more cars Pete.

Freedom has never been FREE! Freedom has always come with a very high price tag. Freedom will probably always come with a very high price tag. If you don't believe me then just go ask a vet. Thank God for your life and thank vets for your way of life.

If a country doesn't have people who are willing to serve in it's military then that country will fall and freedom will be lost. Without freedom there is NOTHING.

Vietnam was a not a righteous war by anyone's standards. The men and women who represented the US government in those days made terrible mistakes in regard to the Vietnam war. However, the men and women who served in the US military during the Vietnam era were there for the same reasons that men and women have always served in the US military. They
were there to serve the nation, to preserve freedom and our way of life. They served at thousands of different duty stations all over the world, not just in Vietnam. They knew freedom wasn't free because they were paying the price for freedom. The men and women who stood up back then and ask not what their country could do for them but ask what they could do for their country are hero's in my book. The Vietnam Memorial Wall and the soon to be erected Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial will keep the names and memories of those heroes who paid a terrible price for freedom alive forever.

To address this news article head on. Terrorists don't want to talk, they want to eliminate all of us and all we stand for. We all need to fight against terrorism in every way we can. If the House Armed Services Committee fires up the draft again, I hope you will stand up and be counted firmly on the side of freedom.

NotAlone, I hope!