Vietnam Vet Has No Regrets for Spitting in Jane Fonda’s Face

By Linda Orlando

Actress Jane Fonda, 65, appeared at Kansas City’s Plaza shopping district Tuesday night for a book signing to hawk her new book, "My Life So Far," as well as her new movie with Jennifer Lopez, "Monster-In-Law." About 900 people showed up, among them Michael Smith, 54, a veteran of the Vietnam War who is still angry at Fonda for her trip to Hanoi in 1972. Fonda actively and outspokenly opposed the war in 1972 and was photographed sitting in a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft tank, essentially supporting the enemy. She recently apologized for the photos, calling her actions an "incredible lapse in judgment." During her book signing in Kansas City, she spoke about the highly publicized picture. "We were sending people to die--believing we were helping South Vietnam," Fonda said. "I made a terrible mistake, and for that I'm very sorry. I really hurt people."

One of the people she hurt was Michael Smith, who says that his actions Tuesday night were planned in advance and he has no regrets about what he did. Smith, who was sent to fight in Vietnam when he was 19, had some bitter comments about Fonda after the incident. "She's a traitor, and she cost the lives of a lot of good men," Smith told KMBC-TV in Kansas City. "She didn't do anything to the government; she slapped us in the face. For a lot of us, the war will never end. And our war with her will never end," he added. "I expressed my opinion of her, to her," Smith said. "I had the opportunity--a lot of guys won't have it--and I did it for them."

In 1978 when Fonda visited Hanoi as part of a "peace delegation" visit, a group of American prisoners were cleaned, fed, dressed in clean pajamas, and ordered to describe to Fonda the 'lenient and humane treatment' they were receiving at the hands of their captors, to deny they had been tortured, and to decry the American war effort. She went home and told the world that the POWs had assured her they were in good health. "When I asked them if they were brainwashed, they all laughed. Without exception, they expressed shame at what they had done." But during her visit to Hanoi, Fonda apparently didn't notice (or care) that the POWs were delivering scripted lines under duress or find it unusual that she was not allowed to visit the actual prisoner-of-war camp (commonly known as the "Hanoi Hilton") itself. One POW who was told that he would be meeting Jane Fonda replied that he would like to tell her about the real treatment the POWs were receiving—treatment that was far different from the treatment purported by the North Vietnamese and parroted by Jane Fonda as being 'humane and lenient.' Because of his rebellion, the soldier spent three days on a rocky floor on his knees with outstretched arms, with a piece of steel rebar placed on his hands, and beaten with a bamboo cane every time his arms dipped.

When American POWs finally began to return home (some of them having been held captive for up to nine years) and began to describe the tortures they had endured at the hands of the North Vietnamese, Jane Fonda quickly told the country that they should "not hail the POWs as heroes, because they are hypocrites and liars." Fonda said the idea that the POWs she had met in Vietnam had been tortured was "laughable," claiming: "These were not men who had been tortured. These were not men who had been starved. These were not men who had been brainwashed." The POWs who said they had been tortured were "exaggerating, probably for their own self-interest," she asserted. She told audiences, "These are military careerists and professional killers" who are "trying to make themselves look self-righteous, but they are war criminals according to law."

Although Fonda has publicly apologized for her "indiscretions" during the Vietnam War, she has never owned up to the fact that her actions actually cost lives, and she has never had to pay for what were essentially acts of treason. And she has evidently not learned to keep her mouth shut in public rather than condemning the government of the country that has made her a millionaire. During the Unique Lives and Experiences lecture series in Vancouver early in April, Fonda talked about Canada, her acting career, her three marriages and divorces, and the war in Iraq, saying that the campaign will turn people all over the world against America. According to The Associated Press, Fonda told the Canadian audience that the conflict frightens her, but she is not sure what Americans can do about it. "I don't know if a country where the people are so ignorant of reality and of history, if you can call that a free world," Fonda said.

Many Americans have not accepted Fonda’s two-faced apology for her actions in 1972, since she continues to make public statements that criticize the American government. So Michael Smith decided he would step up to the plate and represent Fonda’s critics by making his own public statement during Fonda’s appearance in Kansas City. At about 9 p.m., after waiting in line for 90 minutes, Smith passed a book to Fonda and then spit a large wad of tobacco juice into her face. He whirled and spit at the same time, and then ran away before being caught and arrested by off-duty officers who were providing security for the event. He was taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct, a city charge, although Fonda declined to press formal charges.

Fonda’s reaction to the incident was a mild one; the tobacco juice was wiped off and she continued to sign autographs for the next people in line without even getting up from her chair. She commented to onlookers that she was fine, and Smith "just has issues." In a statement issued through her publisher, Fonda commented, "In spite of the incident, my experience in Kansas City was wonderful and I thank all the warm and supportive people, including so many veterans, who came to welcome me last night."

Organizers of the event in Kansas City have said that Michael Smith’s actions were "dishonorable." They apparently don’t realize that honor is not automatically afforded to a person simply because they are a celebrity. Honor must be earned, and Jane Fonda has not earned it.