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Swift boat crew member glad to see nominee (Kerry) fighting back
Chicago Sun-Times ^ | August 20, 2004 | SHAMUS TOOMEY

Posted on 08/20/2004 2:35:56 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

John Kerry was "way too much of a gentleman" when he let attacks on his Vietnam War record go unanswered, a former swift boat mate said Thursday while praising Kerry's decision to fight back.

"I talked to him on Monday. It's eating him up," said Jim Wasser, now an electrician in Kankakee. "He said, 'This is hurting me. It's tearing me up.'

"I know the real John Kerry. And John Kerry is proud of what's he's done," Wasser said. "He waited too long. I'm glad he finally came out. I'm proud of him."

Wasser, an unpaid Kerry campaign worker who spent six weeks on the rivers and canals of Vietnam with the presidential hopeful in the late 1960s, was among the local Vietnam veterans who have anxiously awaited Kerry's response to ads run by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The ads claim Kerry exaggerated his combat record to win medals.

Wasser said that from what he witnessed, Kerry's wartime record is legitimate. Soldiers speaking out against Kerry were on separate swift boats and not close enough to know what they're talking about, Wasser said.

Kimo Williams, a Vietnam vet and executive director of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, said he's been waiting for Kerry to fight back but that exaggeration was part of the culture in Vietnam. "You'll hear this from any veteran who is upfront about it: When we were there, we were always trying to find ways to take advantage of our situation," he said. "So when I look at John Kerry and the situation he was in, it's easy for me to say, 'OK, he may have done that.' But I don't see anything wrong if Kerry not so much falsified it but exaggerated it to make sure he got his Purple Heart."

Other local veterans are far more skeptical and say they will never forgive Kerry for joining the anti-war movement when he got back to the United States.

"I'm a Democrat, but without a doubt, I'm voting for Bush," said Thomas Maher, a Vietnam vet from Mount Greenwood who has never voted Republican in a presidential race. "If everything he did in Vietnam was totally correct, God bless him. . . . But you don't speak out against your own country."

Dennis Rombola, a Streamwood bus driver who was a gunner on Army helicopters in Vietnam, said he just doesn't believe Kerry.

"I got hit by some shrapnel and never took a Purple Heart," Rombola said. "To me, I think Kerry's a phony."

Contributing: AP


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004; johnkerry; swiftboat; veterans; vietnam
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1 posted on 08/20/2004 2:35:56 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: JohnHuang2

What do you think about this?


2 posted on 08/20/2004 2:40:25 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Interesting Times

****Kimo Williams, a Vietnam vet and executive director of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, said he's been waiting for Kerry to fight back but
that exaggeration was part of the culture in Vietnam. "You'll hear this from any veteran who is upfront about it: When we were there, we were always trying to find
ways to take advantage of our situation," he said. "So when I look at John Kerry and the situation he was in, it's easy for me to say, 'OK, he may have done that.'
But I don't see anything wrong if Kerry not so much falsified it but exaggerated it to make sure he got his Purple Heart." ****


3 posted on 08/20/2004 2:41:30 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

"I know the real John Kerry. And John Kerry is proud of what's he's done,"

Yes, he showed his 'pride' in tossing his 'medals' in protest and accusing U.S. troops of committing war crimes as matter of policy. Including himself!


4 posted on 08/20/2004 2:42:17 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Keep the posts coming. LOL!


5 posted on 08/20/2004 2:42:28 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (The media monopoly is broken-America's Berlin Wall has been torn down!)
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To: Jeff Chandler

This is praise!?????????????????????


6 posted on 08/20/2004 2:43:12 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
"Kimo Williams, a Vietnam vet and executive director of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago...[says] "it's easy for me to say, 'OK, he may have done that.' But I don't see anything wrong if Kerry not so much falsified it but exaggerated it to make sure he got his Purple Heart."

The IRS might want to check this guy's account books for that Museum.

7 posted on 08/20/2004 2:46:29 AM PDT by mass55th (We are The Knights Who Say "Ni!" No! Not The Knights Who Say "Ni!" The same!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

The rat "journalist" front-loaded the kerry supporter, but the rest of the article is negative towards lurch.

This story has more legs than a centipede!


8 posted on 08/20/2004 2:47:28 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (The media monopoly is broken-America's Berlin Wall has been torn down!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Kimo Williams, a Vietnam vet and executive director of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, said he's been waiting for Kerry to fight back but that exaggeration was part of the culture in Vietnam.

Exaggeration, Kerry be thy name.
9 posted on 08/20/2004 2:48:56 AM PDT by pt17
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

So, Kerry is getting support from Wasser?

What happens, when Kerry's medals are proven to be based on fraudulent claims by Kerry?

Does that mean Kerry failed his Wasser, man? Like a Wasserman test.


10 posted on 08/20/2004 2:51:29 AM PDT by punster
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
G'morning, Cincy :-)

Whenever Clinton was in hot water, recall how invariably a flurry of "news" pieces quickly followed, as if on cue, aiming to gin up 'sympathy' from the public? This reminds of it. Won't work. Kerry's reaction yesterday smacks of whinning (Mommy! Mommy! The Republicans are being oh soooooooo mean to me! Do something!). If anything, he looks defensive, emotional, reactive, but worse, he comes across as weak. Moreover, rather than addressing the charges, he tries to kill the messenger -- only fueling the controversy further.

Other local veterans are far more skeptical and say they will never forgive Kerry for joining the anti-war movement when he got back to the United States.

Cincy, that just about sums up the views of an overwhelming majority of Vets.

11 posted on 08/20/2004 2:54:18 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
"I know the real John Kerry. And John Kerry is proud of what's he's done," Wasser said. "He waited too long. I'm glad he finally came out. I'm proud of him."

Hmmm, that's news.

12 posted on 08/20/2004 3:01:15 AM PDT by Dahoser (Kevin Martin for Congress. The campaign begins now.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife; All
To read the latest on the Franchurian Candidate's bizzare exploits, click the picture, goto "last," and work backwards:

If you would like to help the Swift Boat Vets ( as I have, and I urge all to do-- even a few dollars will help ) kindly click on this logo:



13 posted on 08/20/2004 3:15:47 AM PDT by backhoe (Just an old Keyboard Cowboy, ridin' the Trackball into the Sunset...)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

And, wasn't Kerry supposed to 'go dark' in August, to 'conserve' resources for the fall battle? hehehe, the Swift Boat ad was so ineffective, eh? ;-)


14 posted on 08/20/2004 3:18:27 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
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To: punster

lol--lying does sseem to be a pox on the dim party.


15 posted on 08/20/2004 3:21:27 AM PDT by freeangel (freeangel)
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To: freeangel

The result from those PSA tests are being changed as we speak.

My prediction is this bozo will never make it to the first debate.


16 posted on 08/20/2004 3:26:41 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Control the information given to society and you control society.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
"I talked to him on Monday. It's eating him up," said Jim Wasser, now an electrician in Kankakee. "He said, 'This is hurting me. It's tearing me up.'

Rubbish! The internal polling data is what is eating Kerry up.

17 posted on 08/20/2004 3:29:04 AM PDT by nathanbedford (Attack, repeat, attack... Bull Halsey)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
"I talked to him on Monday. It's eating him up," said Jim Wasser, now an electrician in Kankakee. "He said, 'This is hurting me. It's tearing me up.'

Ummm-that's because Kerry is a liar and he knows it. Glad to see he is enduring some justice for this lies.

He should just come "out" as the article says, hold a press conference with Tereeeeza smiling beside him and say:

"I am an War-Crime Committing American."

18 posted on 08/20/2004 3:41:36 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: Jeff Chandler
This story has more legs than a centipede!

Bump!

19 posted on 08/20/2004 3:44:01 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: mass55th
The IRS might want to check this guy's account books for that Museum.

He's a perfect LIBERAL.

20 posted on 08/20/2004 3:44:33 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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