To the editor:

I asked chatGPT if there were any political candidates in Rhode Island addressing the fact that there is still no Vietnam memorial. The answer was decisively “no.”

There is a four-decade long history in Rhode Island of multiple unanimously passed study bills “timing out” on the house floor with no action being taken. I have a 32-page collection of them. Why?

AI’s thoughts on this matter:

“…given the history of unanimously passed bills that were allowed to die on the floor, I am not sure what I think about any candidate’s reply regarding what support we would get.
“If I were advising an advocacy campaign, I would not wait for candidates to raise it. I would make them take a position.
For example, every candidate for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, general treasurer, and every general assembly candidate could be asked one simple question:
“Do you support creating an official Rhode Island State Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and if elected, what specific action will you take to make it happen?”
Aside from more toothless, unfunded study bills.

Chat GPT seems to understand this never-ending cycle of passing meaningless “study bills,” grandstanding in the process, grabbing photo-ops and donations then letting the bills die. Frankly, had I left even one guy in the field to die when I was flying helicopters in Vietnam, I would have undergone courts-martial at minimum. Dishonorably discharged. Maybe shot by firing-squad as a traitor.

Over 20,000 Rhode Islanders served during Vietnam. They have families, many with great-grandchildren at this point! Over 200 died in the war. Being a small state, a figure on average and equivalent to the other 49 whose totals (area and population) were larger. But that’s really not the point.

The point is that the respect and recognition (that we did not receive at the time) is still missing. Also missing, a welcome home (which we did not receive at the time), and a lasting awareness in the form of the many physical memorials and monuments in our Memorial Park area. Memorials that are dedicated to other events, conflicts, battles… K9s… and wars throughout our history. All through which society can better understand and, hopefully end such conflict, or at least not repeat a befuddled situation like this in the future. As with this memorial now, our hands were usually tied by politicians then too. But I digress.

So while I usually don’t suggest my college students take AI at face value, I recommend following its advice now, this week, before the election… and ask the candidates to take a position, and pursue it.
Ask every candidate for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, general treasurer, and every general assembly candidate one simple question:

“Do you support creating an official Rhode Island State Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and if elected, what specific action will you take to make it happen?”

Or do you just not care?

Tom Morrissey
Lincoln