Posted on 08/30/2007 9:17:57 AM PDT by goldstategop
In the spring of 2004, Sen. John F. Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, made a presidential campaign stop in Pittsburgh. Soltz went, curious about one of the generation's most famous opponents of the Vietnam War. He introduced himself, and the two men spoke briefly. Afterward, Kerry called Soltz at home.
"He said, 'I just want you to know that when I came home from Vietnam, I was angry like you, and that's OK,' " Soltz recalled. "Nobody in my life understood what was going on in my head at the time. Not my friends, not my family. But when someone like that says, 'I was like you, I understand your anger and your pain, do something with that,' that is speaking a language you can understand."
Soltz volunteered for the Kerry campaign, organizing outreach to veterans in Pennsylvania. Afterward, he helped raise money for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans running for Congress. But he was frustrated by the inability of war critics to influence U.S. policy.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
“I understand your anger and your pain,”
I understand you’re a pain in the arse.
Headline: Soldier in Huge Minority Gets Majority of Coverage
My dad saw combat in WWII, saw comrades killed and blown up, he didn't come home 'angry' - a little shaken up, sure, and it took some time to readjust to civilian life (as Bill Mauldin recognized in "Back Home", his sequel to "Up Front"). But he sure didn't go sell out his country for face time before Congress. Nor did my Vietnam veteran friends.
What most people don't realize is that the "Crazed Combat Veteran" is NOT a trope from the Vietnam War -- Bill Mauldin makes the same complaint in his book, that the news media was always ready to badmouth the returning soldiers even then. Every time a former WWII soldier was involved in criminal behavior of some kind, the newspapers would headline the story "VETERAN ROBS BANK" or "VETERAN CHARGED WITH MURDER". It really made Mauldin mad.
Kerry is an insult to the American military people. Especially the Navy. I want to see his military records before I’ll ever listen to him. He’s a coward as far as I’m concerned............until I see his records.
The usual way this pans out is the guy was probably never near combat and probably never in Viet Nam and probably was dishonorably discharged after one year.
I think he was in or fell under the operational control of the same division as I, 1AD.
I don’t know if he did a full tour or managed to weasel himself out early as some did.
Many of the “fair weather” soldiers tried very hard to get out in 2003. Kerry is a good comparison in this respect since he used his three injuries to get removed from any combat but has played his combat Vet status politically to his advantage ever since.
Typically you’ll see that people like him had atypical career progressions. I.e. they were deemed incompetent, unstable, or weak (No nerve to deal with stress) and served in a shorter than usual time in command or were not afforded a company command all together.
Typically you’ll see that people like him had atypical career progressions. I.e. they were deemed incompetent, unstable, or weak (No nerve to deal with stress) and served in a shorter than usual time in command or were not afforded a company command all together.
Puff piece on Stolz, the Soros-funded guy who pulled rank on the SGT at the YearlyKooks convention in Chicago a few weeks back.
I guess that they will have a similar fawning article about one of the Vets for Freedom leaders in a few days. :)
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