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Actor Val Kilmer
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Actor Val Kilmer, whose closest brush with the military was his role as "Iceman" in the Tom Cruise hit movie Top Gun, is reported to be seriously considering a run for Governor of New Mexico. In 2010, current Governor Bill Richardson will be out of a job due to term limits.[Klosterman]: You mean you think you literally had the same experience as Doc Holliday? Kilmer: Oh, sure. It's not like I believed that I shot somebody, but I absolutely know what it feels like to pull the trigger and take someone's life. [Klosterman:] You understand how it feels to shoot someone as much as a person who has actually committed a murder? [Kilmer] I understand it more. It's an actor's job. A guy who's lived through the horror of Vietnam has not spent his life preparing his mind for it. He's some punk. Most guys were borderline criminal or poor, and that's why they got sent to Vietnam. It was all the poor, wretched kids who got beat up by their dads, guys who didn't get on the football team, couldn't finagle a scholarship. They didn't have the emotional equipment to handle that experience. But this is what an actor trains to do. I can more effectively represent that kid in Vietnam than a guy who was there. |
Are you kidding me?
Can he possibly be serious?
First, it's comical how seriously Kilmer takes himself and his "craft." I mean, really, can he possibly think his job is that important in the grand scheme of things?
Next, his egotism is astounding, topped only by his ignorance.
Then, it's just plain insulting to a huge group of American citizens, some of whom even vote in New Mexico. Perhaps Kilmer doesn't realize that there are 8.2 million Vietnam-era veterans, and that they make up the largest group of U.S. veterans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 3-in-10 veterans are Vietnam-era veterans. No doubt some of them vote in New Mexico. We know a few of those ourselves, and will be sure to let them know what their potential gubernatorial candidate thinks of them.
So, Mr. Kilmer, let me address your condescending allegations.
Although I am not a Vietnam vet, I know quite a few, because they are close friends of the one I married. I don't know a single one who fits Kilmer's typecasting. Without exception, the Vietnam veterans I know are fine men whom I'm proud to know.
Let's see, of the Vietnam veterans I know, most volunteered to serve (some volunteered for more than one tour), most have a college degree, some have advanced degrees (in disciplines like engineering), several were on their high school and college football teams (one played with Roger Staubach at the Naval Academy), some were on scholarships and/or graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Some came from families who weren't financially wealthy, but they have a wealth that Kilmer, for all his millions, will never know. It's comprised of courage, integrity, responsibility and respect for their families, their country, and their fellow man. They volunteered to serve because they felt it was their patriotic duty. And many of them volunteered to serve more than one tour "in country." Some of them chose to make the military a career, and many even made Admiral or General. Yep, serious under-achievers.
Some of those "worthless" guys that Kilmer describes are now self-made multi-millionaires who own businesses that provide jobs for American workers. Many are still serving this country in various ways, although no longer in uniform. And every one that I know would put on a uniform and go again if the military would accept them back at their current ages!
We earlier mentioned Kilmer's role in Top Gun. Perhaps he doesn't realize that most of those military consultants who helped prepare him to play the role of a fighter pilot in the film were Vietnam veterans. Somehow, I don't think they'd appreciate his characterization of them. Kilmer has made lots of money from that film, much of it spent by veterans, and he should have enough sense to treat our military veterans with more respect than he displayed in that Esquire interview.
Sadly, he is not alone in that view. There are many who believe that is an accurate description of our Vietnam vets. To each and every one of them, I say, "You haven't a clue what you're talking about. Before you expose your ignorance by repeating that gross generalization, take the time to do some research and find out what you're talking about. Meet a few Vietnam vets. Treat them like human beings. Ask them a bit about their lives and their backgrounds. And show them the respect they deserve. Thank them for their service on your behalf."
I am a member of that generation who was just a bit too young to have served in Vietnam. The war was winding down as I finished high school. I only knew one guy who went to Vietnam, and only because he was my boyfriend's older brother -- I didn't really know him. To me, as to all of you who are younger, that war was something that happened in another place, to other people. It didn't really have any impact on my life. America wasn't at war -- her military was at war (Gee, does that sound familiar?).
But I do remember at the time thinking how deplorable it was that people treated the returning veterans with such disrespect and outright contempt, as though they were responsible for our government's unpopular policies which sent them there. And I still think it's deplorable that high-profile ignoramuses such as Val Kilmer shoot off their mouths with such obvious lack of interest in the truth about a whole class of our countrymen.
Like most of you, I'm tired of hearing Vietnam vets being disparaged. They are one of the most under-appreciated, unjustly-denigrated groups of veterans in our country's history. They deserve better -- they deserve our appreciation and our respect.
Oh, and one more thing:
I guess poor, delusional Val isn't aware that Chesley Sullenberger, the new "Hero of the Hudson," the US Airways pilot who last month saved 155 lives by making the only successful ditching of a commercial airliner in aviation history, was one of those pitiful Vietnam vet rejects that he describes. AND that Sully's military flight training and combat flight experience in Vietnam played a large part in his nerves of steel and his confidence that he had the necessary skills to set her down in the river. He knew that trying to make a runway would have ended in certain disaster, likely killing everyone onboard plus more on the ground. Too bad he was such a loser that he got sent to Vietnam.
I guess we have to realize that poor Val had to find a job in Hollywood, because he clearly doesn't have the brains, tact or diplomacy to land any other job. I hope the people of New Mexico aren't so delusional and won't consider giving him a job, either.
There were several interesting comments posted to the Independent's article, including this one by Howie, of Chandler's Watch:
"Wow!!!! I will give Val the trophy for biggest balls, along with the trophy for stupidity!!!!!! I am personally sick and tired of these actors that think that they know it all.Hey Val, I would love to see you act out a life threatening training exercise, I wouldn't want to risk the lives of our guys in Iraq or Afghanistan to prove my point!!
Val, email me at howie [at] chandlerswatch.com and I will set the scene for you, you cowardly moronic imbecile!!!"
Bottom line: I'm with Howie -- IF he really said those things, Val Kilmer gets my vote for brass-balled moron of the year!
Update: Kilmer says he didn't make those comments.
Santa Fe New Mexican political reporter Steve Terrell, who blogs at Roundhouse Roundup, happened to run into Kilmer in the New Mexico capital today, and asked him about his remarks about Vietnam vets.
"While leaving a press conference in the Governor's Cabinet Room about an hour and a half ago, who did I run into, but possible future Gov. VAL KILMER. He smiled for this photo, but went in the door of Gov. Richardson's office before I could even ask him about his comments on Vietnam vets. UPDATE: I just ran into Kilmer up in Sen. Phil Griego's office. (Griego and Kilmer tangled years go over that Rolling Stone statement.) I asked him about his statements in the Esquire article. "I didn't make that statement," he said. "I have nothing but praise and respect for veterans." |
As Terrell points out, that's the same response Kilmer had in 2003 on another controversial remark. "Rolling Stone quoted him saying, '80 percent of the people in my county are drunk.' That of course caused an uproar and Kilmer said he was misquoted."
But that's not the part of the article Kilmer disputed. The Rolling Stone article also quoted Kilmer as saying that he lived in the "homicide capital of the Southwest," which understandably caused quite an uproar in a town (Pecos) with a population of around 1,400. Kilmer says he never made that comment, and Rolling Stone "stood behind the article."
Hmmm, could there be a trend here?
Update 2: Response from Kilmer
Military-Money-Matters.com has received a statement from Val Kilmer concerning the comments attributed to him in the Klosterman interview.
Update 3: Esquire Confirms Kilmer Quote
Military-Money-Matters.com has received a statement from Esquire confirming the comments attributed to Val Kilmer in the Klosterman interview.
Are you a Vietnam (or Viet Nam) veteran? Do you have a story you'd like to share with our readers to help correct some of those persistent myths?
Would you like to receive our blog updates by e-mail, so you'll be notified when something new has been added to the site?
What about you? Have some comments for Mr. Kilmer? (Keep 'em clean -- this is a family site, and we've tread pretty close to the line already with our comment. That's as far as we're willing to let it go. Let's prove to Mr. Kilmer that we're smarter than he give us credit for, and we don't need four-letter words to express our outrage at his ignorance and arrogance.)
Give Val Kilmer a Piece of Your Mind!
Tired of Vietnam vets being unfairly maligned?
Sound off! Let us hear from you.
Other Readers' Comments
Click below to read contributions from other visitors to this page...
Vietnam Vet and Proud, Responding to Val Kilmer's Comments 
To Punk Actor Val Kilmer,
I am a Vietnam Veteran and very proud.
Yes, I made the football team, baseball team on a full-ride scholarship at a private …
Disgusted with Val Kilmer
I'm thoroughly disgusted with Val Kilmer after reading your article on Val's comments about Vietnam vets to Esquire magazine .
I thought I couldn't …
Veteran's Daughter Disappointed in Val Kilmer
I will make sure to NEVER watch another movie by Val Kilmer or Jane Fonda.
I have nothing but the highest respect for any and all vets whether they …
Other Vietnam Veterans -- Actors, Even
Tom Selleck, actor, Vietnam Vet, has just volunteered to be the National Spokesman for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund future Education Center next …
Better Men Than He
I would like to inform Mr. Kilmer that I'm a Marine Vietnam veteran, that I volunteered for the Marines and for Vietnam, and that after serving I earned …
Casting The First Stone
I think it's sad that an article from a fashion magazine can cause grown ups to act so irresponsibly. Who says this trash is even true. Do you believe …
A Bad Mood, a Six-Pack,
and a Typewriter
Fred says it a lot better than I can.
Signed,
A three-tour volunter nam vet (swiftboats)
A Bad Mood, a Six-Pack, and a Typewriter
by Fred Reed …
More Hollywood Nonsense
I was in the Air Force for almost 23 years, all through the Cold War, from Korea in 1953 through all the Vietnam years to 1975.
I have been hearing …
Lest You Forget
Mr Kilmer,
How dare you make such comments as you did about Vietnam vets being PUNKS, borderline crims, and they wouldn't make a football team.
…
Val Kilmer is Not That Person
The people of New Mexico deserve an INTELLIGENT and MATURE candidate to replace Mr. Richardson.
Val Kilmer is not that person...unless, of course, …
Arguing With a Fool
I was there, served in Theater, mostly up country Thailand.
Sorry, but I have not met any of Mr. Kilmer's descriptions in my fellow veterans including …
Kilmer is the new Jane Fonda
Mr. Kilmer, get over yourself!
You believe you understand more than the Vietnam Vet or any veteran what it's like to find yourself in the middle of …
Disgusted with Val Kilmer
Sir,
Let me begin by saying I am not American, nor a Vietnam Veteran.
However, I am a veteran of my country's armed forces. I also have American …
Val Kilmer is Bacchus
This cowardly, moronic imbecile, as so aptly put by Howie, is King of Bacchus 2009 , the Mardi Gras Krewe to which I belong.
All members are being …
Really?
You are talking about an interview where the conversation was about method acting. I read the whole interview and didn't see anything that even resembles …
Give Val A Break 
People need to stop believing whatever the media says as if it were Gospel. Especially the right wing media which has a nasty habit of painting those with …
Val Kilmer Thinks He is Tough? Not rated yet
Possibly Val Kilmer thinks he is badass because he played BATMAN in a movie?
Marcus Luttrell IS BADASS !!!!!!
He is doing this movie ( Lone Survivor …
Val Kilmer, Make-believe is Not Reality! Not rated yet
Val Kilmer, make-believe is not reality! Your comments make me wonder if you know the difference.
Unless you have or have had issues with low self- …
Worthless Val Kilmer Not rated yet
Unknown writes:
Val is only an Actor! And not that great at acting! He has no real useful skills.
If he lived any place but this great USA, he …
Pride You'll Never Understand, Val Kilmer Not rated yet
Val Kilmer sounds a lot like a man I knew that had himself "stationed" in Canada during the Vietnam era, while my father and I were in a war zone together. …
Val Kilmer AKA Hanoi Val Not rated yet
Mike writes:
Val Kilmer, I was a Combat Medic with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in 1968. Any combat soldier in Viet Nam knows what I did there.
Kilmer, …
Kilmer's Bad Judgment Not rated yet
Tom writes:
Mr Kilmer,
As A Vietnam vet I can't sit by and let you criticize, malign, and tell lies about my fellow comrades. I feel as though you …
Arrogant Val Kilmer Not rated yet
Kevin writes:
Another Hollywood elitist. Maybe he should just say "thanks" and keep to acting.
I am a Marine veteran, not of Vietnam but of Somalia …
You Do Not Understand, Mr. Kilmer! Not rated yet
Angie writes:
I do not understand how such a long paragraph of ignorance by Val Kilmer could have been misquoted. I can understand a sentence or two …
UNBELIEVABLE Not rated yet
Val, you're done with me, as an actor I thought was fairly good at his craft. You have obviously not done enough research.
I am a Vietnam veteran …
WELCOME HOME BROTHERS! Not rated yet
Kilmer is just another member in the Jane Fondaism religion. They need to go to a VA hospital and put some time with the heroes there. Then go visit the …
This guy is full of You-Know-What! Not rated yet
If anybody who has never been shot at or wondered where the next incoming will land, thinks he knows what it's like to be a soldier, he is wrong.
When …
Val is unfit to live in this Country Not rated yet
I believe Val and all the other Loud Mouth Actors and People in the Movie Industry should be Banned from Making any Statements about something they Know …
Too much make-believe makes mush of the brain Not rated yet
Oh, me. It is astounding how many "stars" I have had to remove from my "must watch" list. The list was never long, but almost daily it gets shorter and …
Greatest Generation II Not rated yet
We overlooked them when fighting in Nam, but they will soon emerge as the generation that brought America out of the Second Great Depression.
I AM A VIET NAM VET Not rated yet
This guy spent his career preparing for a part in a movie, Ha.
A Viet Nam vet spends his whole life living the part in which he has been placed.
…
Grapevine news Not rated yet
He said, she said..... I really don't think he said those things.
He is an educated man and that seems of of character from all of the other inter …
Kilmer FOR Govenor!!! Not rated yet
After reading this article and analysis, I am all for Val Kilmer running for Governor of New Mexico! Especially after being "misquoted" for those comments …
Be A Man Not rated yet
Mr Kilmer,I know you must regret your dopey remarks and realise what a fool you have made of yourself.
Be a man and make a public retraction and apology. …
You Have No Idea! Not rated yet
Val? You should have shut your pie-hole while you had the chance. Now, I'll stop attending movies and never buy any of your DVD's.
The same as I, …
Paintball Game Not rated yet
Hey Val, how about a game of paintball to show your courage?
We'll make a minor modification and use .45 ammo, let's see how brassy those balls are. …
POOR SOUL Not rated yet
Being a Korean War Veteran and a Vietnam Veteran, I think that you had better stop, pull your ears our of your behind, wake up and discover the world again, …
Regard the source--ignore the moral Not rated yet
The term in the title was once the expression that literate people used to describe the comments of fools.
Why do you get so wrought up over the public …
I'll Take a Vietnam Vet Any Day Not rated yet
My Father served 2 tours in Vietnam, and as a veteran myself, in the event something bad were to happen, I would much rather have a Vietnam vet by my side …
Kilmer needs a reality check! Not rated yet
How dare this man! HE and his 'craft' need an adjustment for reality! I am so tired of HOLLYWOOD and the spoiled brats that have taken over the big and …
Make believe Not rated yet
Val, I have always been a major fan of your acting. In all honesty, you are very good at what you do.
Please don't assume that playing make believe …
It is a shame Not rated yet
. . . to see such poor cranial genetics in one human being. He is such an arrogant, stupid, egotistical and uninformed male who can only wish he had the …
Hey Hero! Not rated yet
Val Kilmer is a punk! He's like the rest of the hollywood fags who believe they're actually the part they played in a movie but never have or never will …
Another Wannabe Not rated yet
Val Kilmer,
Please remember that Ignorance can be corrected, but Stupidity is forever. In your case, "Better to be silent and thought an Idiot than …
Another Hollywood Know-It-All Not rated yet
Mr. Kilmer, not sure were you were during the Vietnam era or after. I quess you were past the point after the draft was over.
I was not one of those …
Another One Bites the Dust! Not rated yet
Well, here is just one more self-serving moron who I will now boycott along with the myriad of others already on the list. Mr. Kilmer, you will get no …
Try an Escape TO Reality Not rated yet
Dear Val,
You and your fellow actors, with a few exceptions, have no knowledge about real things. Why should you? You have spent your whole adult life …
Kilmer Confesses He is A Coward Not rated yet
When you read between the lines of what Kilmer says, he's saying he was and is a coward because he did NOT serve in the "real" military, and he was afraid …
Cocaine Fantasy Not rated yet
Mr. Kilmer,
Please be mature enough to apologize for your grievous indiscretion and then shut your mouth, forever.
As a former Marine, 84-09 90-91, …
Ignorant or Stupid Not rated yet
I can't decide if Kilmer is too ignorant to know how stupid he is, or too stupid to know how ignorant he is.
Never forget that these people make their …
Who is He Kidding? Not rated yet
I am not a football star and I didn't go to college and we were not rich by any means. I went because I had to, not because they said I had to, because …
Pretty Boy Val Not rated yet
This pretty boy living in the fantasyland of Hellyweird, val kilmer, is typical of the Hellyweird crowd who think that we "common folk" need to hear their …
Stolen Valor Not rated yet
Before these folks spout off, perhaps they should check the readily available facts. There is an excellent book titled "Stolen Valor" that sets the …
Iceman Not rated yet
Val,
When you played Iceman, I thought you were only ACTING like an egocentric jerk.
Now I understand why you did such a convincing job, you weren't …
Val Kilmer's Make Believe World Not rated yet
Just another Swifty.
And you think you know what it's like to shoot someone and to be shot at by acting it out? There is no way.
You live in a …
Val Kilmer is an Arrogant Idiot Not rated yet
Unfortunately, another example of the Hollywood types who become delusional subject matter experts due to a little success in the film industry.
His …
Val Kilmer Dumb Ass Not rated yet
I am a Vietnam Vet. I served in the USAF during that time. It's people like him that show their ignorance in public.
I'm not sure how old you were …
Hollywood Trash Not rated yet
That a**h*** don't merit all that text you wrote, nor political consideration of any sort. He's just Hollywood trash.
One requirement for any consideration: …
Not a punk actor Not rated yet
I had one quarter of graduate school, when I enlisted. And while I was in Nam, 12B20, APO 96325, one of my friends was a bar-certified lawyer, serving …
Proud Swiftboat Sailor/
Vietnam Veteran Not rated yet
I am ashamed to say that at one time I thought you were a good actor. I no longer have any like for you or your acting.
You have shown your ignorance …
Poor Egotisical Val Kilmer Not rated yet
OK....I'm going to be as nice as I possibly can about this.
I came from an educated family. I decided to join the military after I graduated from high …
Captain, USAF Ret Not rated yet
I think Mr. Kilmer played himself very accurately when he was talking down to Maverick in the early part of Top Gun.
A sneering, self-appointed expert …
Retired Vietnam Veteran Not rated yet
How can a rational person with any intelligence comment on such "air head" babblings of such a total non-entity.
A vote for him would be a vote for …
Big Dave Not rated yet
They ended the draft before I turned 18.. and to this day I have mixed feelings about not joining up. I missed out on so much in the area of discipline, …
Proud Nam Vet Not rated yet
Mr. Kilmer, and I use the term "Mr." with reservation, is a victim of his trade.
Typical of "most" thespians, he has "immersed" his relatively uneducated …
Val Kilmer, Three Bagger Not rated yet
Mr. Kilmer,
You have to be one of the most out-of-touch idiots to walk the face of this earth! I am a Viet Nam Era vet and am still, after 33 years, …
Val Kilmer is a Wannabe Not rated yet
I think Val Kilmer is just like the millions of Wannabe soldiers who roam the bars telling war stories about a war they were never in and battles they …
Kilmer's Top Gun Scenes
Shot on the Ground! Not rated yet
Yep, he is so good at research and "being" the character, he threw up all over the cockpit on his first, and last, flight in a Tomcat.
Every one of …
Utter Nonsense Not rated yet
Arrogance is but one of the attributes that occurs to me.
None of the Vietnam Vets I've known fit your description.
Your point of view, that …
Vietnam Vet's daughter Not rated yet
Mr. Kilmer,
I would like you to know that my father is a very, very proud Vietnam Vet. He is far from a deadbeat, was not beaten by his father, nor …
Another despicable
Hollywood elite.... Not rated yet
He is now right up there on my hate list -- after John F. Kerry, and Hanoi Jane Fonda.
When will these brainless leftists just go away?
It is …
Inadequacies Not rated yet
Arrogance is generally a cover-up for inadequacy. And Mr. Kilmer seems to have plenty of both.
Apparently one of his inadequacies is a failure to …
Stay Out of Dark Alleys Not rated yet
I'm glad he wasn't on my fire team. We saw a lot of "90-day wonders" that thought they had it together unravel at their first encounter.
Val, just …
Former Navy LT Not rated yet
From the quotation it sounds like Mr. Kilmer must have sustained head injuries in the third-rate films Batman Forever and The Saint .
It would be …
The Truth Was Far Different Not rated yet
In my case I gave up a 3-year, draft-deferred fellowship to grad school to enlist in 1967. My choices were not unique. Many of my fellow soldiers were …
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