Uncovering Code Pink(o)’s Lies, Vandalism and Libel Against Our Military


Author: The Editors

Date Published: 2007-10-12


 

FSM finds it particularly repugnant when screwball Americans choose to defame our military.  One such example is that of Marine Captain Richard Lund, who is the target of a harassment campaign by protestors trying to chase the military out of the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Uncovering Code Pink(o)’s Lies, Vandalism and Libel Against Our Military

By The Editors

Marine Captain Richard Lund was recently the target of a misguided harassment campaign by anti-war protestors who are trying to chase the military out of the greater San Francisco Bay Area.  The anti-war protestors, in a particularly egregious and offensive display of infantilism, called Captain Lund a "traitor" and defaced the U.S. Marine Recruiting Center where he works in Berkeley, California.  

But fear not!  On Wednesday, October 17, 2007 at 12:00 Noon (Pacific) Americans will fight back!  Move America Forward, in conjunction with other patriotic groups and individuals, will conduct a rally/demonstration in support of Captain Lund, and of our military men and women who are currently serving or are veterans.

They need a huge turnout. They need to show Code Pink that Americans will not sit back and allow them to defame a great man, dishonor our military, and deface their buildings.

If you don't live in Northern or Central California, you surely know someone who does.  Contact them right away and make sure they make it out to this event.  If you do live in the area, please do whatever it takes to make it to this event.  See if you can bring 2 or 3 friends/family members.  If everyone does this, they can make the crowd quite large!  For futher information, please contact Catherine Moy at catmoy@MoveAmericaForward.org.  Be prepared on October 17 at 12:00 Noon PST for a rollicking good time and a chance to honor our valiant troops!

Below is Captain Lund’s moving, reasoned and heartfelt letter, penned in response to Code Pink’s libelous charges.

- The Editors


Letter from Captain Richard Lund:
While the protest that you staged in front of my office on Wednesday, Sept. 26th, was an exercise of your constitutional rights, the messages that you left behind were insulting, untrue, and ultimately misdirected. Additionally, from the comments quoted in the Berkeley Daily Planet article, it is clear that you have no idea what it is that I do here. Given that I was unaware of your planned protest, I was unable to contest your claims in person, so I will therefore address them here.

First, a little bit about who I am: I am a Marine captain with over eight years of service as a commissioned officer. I flew transport helicopters for most of my time in the Marine Corps before requesting orders to come here. Currently, I am the officer selection officer for the northern Bay Area. My job is to recruit, interview, screen, and evaluate college students and college graduates who show an interest in becoming officers in the Marine Corps. Once they’ve committed to pursuing this program, I help them apply, and if selected, I help them prepare for the rigors of Officer Candidate School and for the challenges of life as a Marine officer. To be eligible for my programs, one must be either a full-time college student or a college graduate. I don’t pull anyone out of school, and high school students are not eligible.

I moved my office to Berkeley in December of last year. Previously, it was located in an old federal building in Alameda. I choose our new site because of its proximity to UC Berkeley and to the BART station. Most of the candidates in my program either go to Cal or to one of the schools in San Francisco, the East Bay, or the North Bay. Logistically, the Shattuck Square location was the most convenient for them.

Next, you claim that I lie. I have never, and will never, lie to any individual who shows an interest in my programs. I am upfront with everything that is involved at every step of the way and I go out of my way to ensure that they know what to expect when they apply. I tell them that this is not an easy path. I tell them that leading Marines requires a great deal of self-sacrifice. I tell them that, should they succeed in their quest to become a Marine officer, they will almost certainly go to Iraq. In the future, if you plan to attack my integrity, please have the courtesy to explain to me specifically the instances in which you think that I lied.

Next, scrawled across the doorway to my office, you wrote, “Recruiters are Traitors.” Please explain this one. How exactly am I a traitor? Was I a traitor when I joined the Marine Corps? Is every Marine, therefore, a traitor? Was I a traitor during my two stints in Iraq? Was I a traitor when I was delivering humanitarian aid to the victims of the tsunami in Sumatra? Or do you consider me a traitor only while I am on this job? The fact is, recruitment is and always has been a part of maintaining any military organization. In fact, recruitment is a necessity of any large organization. Large corporations have employees who recruit full-time. Even you, I’m sure, must expend some effort to recruit for Code Pink. So what, exactly, is it that makes me a traitor?

The fact is this: any independent nation must maintain a military (or be allied with those who do) to ensure the safety and security of its citizens. Regardless of your opinions of the current administration or the current conflict in Iraq, the U.S. military will be needed again in the future. If your counter-recruitment efforts are ultimately successful, who will defend us if we are directly attacked again as we were at Pearl Harbor? Who would respond if a future terrorist attack targets the Golden Gate Bridge, the BART system, or the UC Berkeley clock tower? And, to address the most hypocritical stance that your organization takes on its website, from where would the peace-keeping force come that you advocate sending to Darfur?  Guess you didn’t think about that one.

Finally, I believe that your efforts in protesting my office are misdirected. I agree that your stated goals of peace and social justice are worthy ones. War is a terrible thing that should be undertaken only in the most dire, extreme, and necessary of circumstances. However, war is made by politicians. The conflict in Iraq was ordered by the president and authorized by Congress. They are the ones who have the power to change the policy in Iraq, not members of the military. We execute policy to the best of our ability and to the best of our human capacity. Protesting in front of my office may be an easy way to get your organization in the headlines of local papers, but it doesn’t further any of your stated goals.

To conclude, I don’t consider myself a “recruiter.” I am a Marine who happens to be on recruiting duty. As such, I conduct myself in accordance with our core values of honor, courage, and commitment. I will never sacrifice my honor by lying to anyone who walks into my office. I will never forsake the courage that it takes to restrain myself in the face of insulting and libelous labels like liar and traitor. And, most importantly, I will never waver from my commitment to helping individuals who desire to serve their country as officers in the Marine Corps.

 

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Captain Richard Lund is the United States Marine Corps’ officer selection officer for the northern Bay Area.

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If you are a reporter or producer who is interested in receiving more information about this writer or this article, please email your request to pr@familysecuritymatters.org.

Note -- The opinions expressed in this columfn are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of The Family Security Foundation, Inc.




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