Sandinista!

The return of Daniel Ortega to the presidency of Nicaragua gives me an excuse to use the title of an album by my all-time favourite rock band in a subject line.

The Clash recorded Sandinista! (exclamation mark included) in 1980. In a confluence of events that most bands can only dream of, The Clash were provided with what must have seemed like unlimited studio time while they were at their creative peak. The resultant triple album was remarkably eclectic, certainly self-indulgent, and undoubtedly brilliant.

It helped me to ease my way into the Eighties, following the tragedy and disillusionment of the death of John Lennon. I recorded my favourite tracks from Sandinista! onto a two-hour tape (and my favourite tracks barely fitted on a two-hour tape) so that I could play it constantly in my car.

From my point of view as a Vietnam veteran, it is interesting to note that Clash biographies suggest Joe Strummer (Clash singer and songwriter, who sadly died in 2002) had an almost obsessive interest in the Vietnam War. Sandinista! included a track called Charlie Don't Surf, obviously influenced by Apocalypse, Now! (another title with an exclamation mark). The following album, Combat Rock, included a track entitled Sean Flynn, about the son of Errol Flynn, who was killed in Vietnam. It also included my personal favourite Clash song, Straight To Hell, which has a verse about Amerasian children in Vietnam. It is worth noting also, that at the time of Combat Rock, Joe Strummer changed his appearance so that he resembled Travis Bickle, the fictional, troubled Vietnam veteran character portrayed by Robert De Niro in the film Taxi Driver.

Surge is to Escalation as Iraq is to ?

The United States is involved in a distant war. The war drags on, with no end in sight. Support for the war among the people starts to drop. Some of the people change their vote because of the war. The president promises a solution. The president announces to the people that his solution is - to send more of their sons and daughters to the war!

Does that sound at all familiar?

Mission Accomplished in New Zealand

Just before Christmas, the New Zealand government announced a package of reforms in their treatment of Vietnam veterans. This was the government's response to an inquiry by its Health Select Committee, into the health effects of Agent Orange on New Zealand veterans and their families.

Readers will be aware that I made a submission to the inquiry, and also appeared in person. New Zealand veterans had asked me to respond to a government-funded report, known as the McLeod Report, which I regarded as nothing short of a disgraceful whitewash.

The title of Part One of my report was "The McLeod Report: False Central Premise," while in my conclusion I expressed the opinion that the McLeod Report should never be allowed to be used as the basis for future government policy. I am pleased to say that the New Zealand government has agreed with me. They have actually stated that the McLeod Report was based on a false premise, and that it should never be used as the basis for government policy. They have quoted me almost word for word in their own conclusion.

It remains to be seen how New Zealand's veteran community responds to the government report, but at least my part in this process has resulted in a rare victory.