Standing for those who stood for us.
Rest in Peace, Ted.
Thank you for your service to your country.
Posted on 05/13/2009 4:00:25 AM PDT by calcowgirl
National and local political activist, decorated veteran, POW advocate, businessman and master potter Ted Sampley passed away Tuesday. He was 62.
Sampley, who was recovering from heart surgery a week earlier, was experiencing difficulties from the surgery at the Veteran's Hospital in Durham on Tuesday. He died while being rushed to surgery.
His sudden passing surprised many in Kinston.
"This is a shock to me," said master shipbuilder Alton Stapleford, the architect of the CSS Neuse II, which Sampley helped bring to fruition. "It's really hard to comprehend right now."
Sampley served several tours of duty in Vietnam in the U.S. Army and won four Bronze Stars, the Army Commendation Medal and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, among other honors. He was honorably discharged during 1973.
His work with prisoner of war and missing in action groups didn't start in earnest until 1983, when he led groups demanding that the United States put pressure on Vietnam to release POWs or explain what happened to them.
(snip)
Sampley was well-known on the national stage. He formed Web sites and led veteran groups against the candidacies of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and Republican presidential nominee John McCain.
Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh mentioned Sampley on his national radio broadcast in 2004 for an incident with Kerry when the senator from Massachusetts allegedly gave Sampley a vulgar finger gesture in front of school children at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Sampley also helped create the Web site "Vietnam Veterans against John McCain."
Sampley was also busy on the local front. During the past decade or so, Sampley helped found the local Salute festival, started construction on the CSS Neuse II and helped begin the National Walk of Honor at Neuseway Park that also honors veterans.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at enctoday.com ...
Pingaroo
Ted was a founding member and Vice President of Rolling Thunder!
RIP Ted. You will be greatly missed. Prayers up for your family and friends.
Another warrior star will shine bright in the skies tonight...
Ditto to that.
Biography from his website, The U.S. Veteran Dispatch
Ted Lane Sampley left Wilmington, N.C. and joined the U.S. Army in 1963 when he was 17. He went through basic training, advanced infantry training and airborne school. In June 1964, Sampley was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade on the island of Okinawa.On May 5, 1965, he was deployed to Vietnam with the 173rd, where he served as a combat infantryman until April 1966. He participated in combat operations in the Iron Triangle, War Zone D, Ben Cat, the Ho Bo Woods and other areas of South Vietnam.
In April 1966, Sampley was reassigned to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, N.C.
After being chosen for training as a Green Beret (United States Army Special Forces), Sampley was assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group on Okinawa.
In 1968, Sampley was one of a handful of American soldiers selected to attend the British Jungle Warfare School in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. He was trained for eight weeks by British, Australian and New Zealand instructors in jungle warfare, including methods of visually tracking humans in the jungle. While in Malaysia, Sampley was required to wear a British uniform because the British at that time did not want to publicize that they were training U.S. soldiers to fight in Vietnam.
While in Okinawa, Sampley took advantage of his off-duty time to study ceramics and the many traditions, designs, techniques, and forms of handcrafted Okinawan pottery. Local craftsmen contributed a wealth of knowledge, eventually allowing Sampley to create his own distinctive works.
In 1969, he was reassigned to 5th Special Forces Group, Vietnam.
In Vietnam, Staff Sgt. Sampley served as company commander of a B-36 Mike Force, Civilian Irregular Defense Group Company (CIDG), assigned to operate along the Cambodian border. During that year of combat service, Sampley received four Bronze Stars, the Army Commendation Medal and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
In 1970, Sampley was reassigned to the Third and later the Sixth Special Forces Groups at Fort Bragg, where he continued his military training.
Sampley's Army training included operations and intelligence, methods of prisoner of war interrogation, escape and evasion training, guerrilla warfare training, understanding, the Viet Cong infrastructure, and High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) parachuting. He gained a working knowledge of both Arabic and Japanese.
From 1971 to 1973, Sampley worked during his off-duty time as a volunteer for Americans Who Care, a POW/MIA group in Fayetteville, N.C. The organization was lobbying for the safe return of all U.S. POWs held by the communists in North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
After 10 years of service, Sampley left the Army with an honorable discharge in 1973.
Sampley returned to Wilmington where he worked for a television station and then a local weekly newspaper. He eventually succumbed to the lure of pottery, built his own kiln, and began teaching pottery. He soon established a production pottery business called The Potters Wheel, and began mass-producing good quality functional and decorative glazed stoneware.
He exhibited his version of a hand-turned clay piggy bank at the Atlanta Merchandising Market. Stuffed in small burlap bags, Sampley's Pig-in-a-Poke banks became an immediate hit. Within two years The Potters Wheel had produced and sold nearly 90,000 pieces of handcrafted pottery, all marked with either a PW (The Potters Wheel) or TLS, his own initials.
Sampley's whimsical Pig-in-a-Poke banks were featured beside some of North Carolina's most prominent potters in the 1980 April/May issue of Country Living Magazine. The magazine article was headlined "North Carolina's Country Potters."
In 1983, after he became aware that Hanoi had not released all living American POWs in 1973, Sampley became re-involved as a POW/MIA activist, demanding for the U.S. government to exert more pressure on Hanoi either to release the men or explain what happened to them.
Sampley has led many demonstrations in Washington, D.C., demanding that both the U.S. and Vietnamese governments account for American servicemen known to have been alive in captivity, but never released. The Washington, D.C.-based National Vietnam Veterans Coalition honored him for "Exemplary Service to Veterans" on May 6, 1985, in New York, at the Coalition's Leadership Breakfast.
On April 17, 1988, Mayor "Buddy" Ritch of Kinston, N.C., gave special recognition to Sampley for an "excellent job and continued interest in and service to the handicapped."
In October 1988, Sampley led a group of activists into communist Laos, where they handed out leaflets offering a reward for missing U.S. servicemen. Two members of the group were captured by the communists and held for 41 days. Sampley was detained by Thai authorities for illegally crossing back into Thailand from Laos.
During Kinston's All-American City celebration, Sampley was awarded a "Key to Kinston" as recognition for his support for Kinston.
Sampley is publisher/editor and a writer for the U.S. Veteran Dispatch. He was appointed chairman of the non-profit Last Firebase Veterans Archives Project in 1988. That group created one of the largest collections of privately held POW/MIA files.
From 1986 to 2003, the Last Firebase kept a non-stop, manned 24-hour vigil for POWs and MIAs in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Sampley testified in 1991 before the Senate Select Committee of POW/MIA Affairs.
The Lenoir County (N.C.) Chamber of Commerce gave Sampley special recognition in December 1991 for his help in the restoration of Kinston's historic downtown.
North Carolina's Raleigh News and Observer honored Sampley on Sept. 28, 1992 as its "Tar Heel of the Week and member of a very special group of North Carolinians who have contributed their time, skills and talents toward making North Carolina a truly great state and a wonderful place to live."
After conducting many hours of research, Sampley found compelling evidence proving that the remains buried in the tomb of the Vietnam War Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery belonged to Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. It was evidence Sampley said the Pentagon had deliberately overlooked.
Sampley first made the Unknown Soldier's identity public in the July 1994 issue of the U.S. Veteran Dispatch.
Five years later (1999), the U.S. government, under pressure from CBS television, finally used a DNA sample and confirmed that the Vietnam War Unknown Soldier was indeed Lt. Blassie. A military honor guard returned Lt. Blassie's remains to his family in St. Louis, Mo., where he was buried again with full military honors in a national cemetery.
In February 1996, Sampley was nominated for The Kinston (N.C.) Free Press "Citizen of the Year" award. The Free Press cited Sampley for the "good work" he was doing in the community.
VietNow, a national veterans' organization, named Sampley Veteran of the Year. He was also named Citizen of the Year by the Wheat Swamp (N.C.) Ruritan Club of Lenoir County. He is a founding member of the National Alliance of POW/MIA Families and is one of their annual guest speakers.
Sampley is a co-founder of Kinston's annual Salute to Veterans celebration. He recently led two major community service programs in Kinston: The building of a 158-foot replica of Kinston's Civil War ironclad CSS Neuse, and the National Walk of Honor for Veterans.
Sampley is vice president of Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally Washington, D.C. He is one of the original founders of the 18-year-old veteran's organization. Last year, nearly a half million veterans and Rolling Thunder supporters attended the annual rally in the nation's capital.
Rolling Thunder has developed into Washington's largest annual Special Event.
Sampley continues his pottery, focusing primarily on creating face jugs.
He lives in Kinston, N.C.
Rest in Peace Ted, you are with your brothers now, and I’m sure they welcomed you with open arms because you never, NEVER forgot them.
Thanks. I didn’t know Ted personally, though we swapped information when he was running Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry (VVAJK) in 2004. RIP...
A great patriot died yesterday. Ted Stampley was with the 5th Special Forces Group in RVN, was an original founder of Rolling Thunder, was very active in POW/MIA issues, kerrylied and bootmurtha. He lived in Leland, NC, near Wilmington.-—————————————————————————
Slide Show: Ted Sampley
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7652724@N04/sets/72157617974711025/
RIP.
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You’re welcome!
RIP Sgt. Sampley, the USA is most grateful for soldiers like you.
*HUG*
You are most welcome!
BTTT
Ping
God Bless Ted. He helped focus the efforts of millions of veterans who changed the course of the 2004 elections.
This is from the night before the BOOT MURTHA rally in Johnstown Pennsylvania. Ted is the first man on the left with the tan pants.
I have met him on 2 or 3 occasions and thought he was a great guy.
RIP Ted Sampley
Man, what a loss!
Prayers for his family and THIS NATION that needs more Patriots like Ted.
Rest in peace, trooper.
May he now rest in peace knowing he served his nation well.
Oh no. Prayers for a whole lot of folks out there who will be impacted by his death.
Sad to hear it. Prayers for his family and friends.
Ted L. Sampley
KINSTON - Theodore Lane “Ted” Sampley, 62, of 2317 Hull Road, passed away on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at the Veteran’s Hospital in Durham. He was preceded in death by his father, Theodore Higgins Sampley; his son, Tim Sampley; his half-brother, Michael Smith; and his first wife, Wendy’s mother, Kiku Uehara Sampley Penley. He was born July 17, 1946, and left Wil-mington in 1963 at the age of 17 to join the United States Army. He went through Basic Training, Advanced Infantry Training and Airborne School. In June 1964, he was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade on the island of Okinawa. On May 5, 1965, Sampley was deployed to Vietnam with the 173rd, where he served as a combat infantryman until April 1966. He participated in combat operations in the Iron Triangle, War Zone D, Ben Cat, the Ho Bo Woods and other areas of South Vietnam. After being chosen to be trained as a Green Beret (United States Army Special Forces), Sampley was assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group on Okinawa. While in Okinawa, Sampley took advantage of his off duty time to study ceramics and the many traditions, designs, techniques, and forms of handcrafted Okinawan pottery. Local craftsmen contributed a wealth of knowledge for Sampley, allowing him to eventually create his own distinctive works. In Viet-nam, Staff Sergeant Sampley served as company commander of a B-36 Mike Force, civilian Irregular Defense Group Company (CIDG), assigned to operate along the Cambodian border. During that year of combat service, Sampley was awarded four Bronze Stars, the Army Com-mendation Medal and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. In 1970, Sampley was reassigned to the 3rd and later the 6th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg where he continued his military training. Sampley’s training in the Army included Operations and Intelligence, methods of pris-oner of war interrogations, escape and evasion training, guerrilla warfare training, understand-ing, the Viet Cong infrastructure and High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) parachuting. He had a working knowledge of two languages, Arabic and Japanese. From 1971 to 1973, Sampley worked during his off-duty time as a volunteer for Americans Who Care, a POW/MIA group in Fayette-ville, N.C. that was lobbying for the safe return of all U.S. POWs held by the communists in North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. After 10 years of service, Sampley left the Army with a Honorable Discharge in 1973. Sampley returned to Wilmington where he worked for a television station and then a local weekly newspaper. He eventually succumbed to the lure of pottery and built his own kiln and began teaching pottery. He soon established a production pottery busi-ness called The Potters Wheel and began mass producing good quality functional and decora-tive glazed stoneware. In 1983, after he became aware that Hanoi had not released all living American POWs in 1973, Sampley became re-involved as a POW/MIA activist demanding for the U.S. government to put more pressure on Hanoi to either release the men or explain what happened to them. Sampley has led many demonstrations in Washington, D.C. demanding that both the U.S. and Vietnamese governments account for the U.S. servicemen known to have been alive in captivity but never released. He was honored for “Exemplary Service to Veterans” by the Washington, D.C. based National Vietnam Veterans Coalition on May 6, 1985, in New York at the Coalition’s Leadership Breakfast. During Kinston’s “All America City” celebration, Sampley was awarded a “Key to Kinston” as recognition for his support for Kinston. Sampley was publisher/editor/writer of the U.S. Veteran Dispatch. He was appointed chairman of the non-profit Last Firebase Veterans Archives Project in 1988. That group created one of the largest collections of privately held POW/MIA files. From 1986 to 2003, the Last Firebase kept a non-stop, manned 24-hour vigil for POWs and MIAs in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Sampley testi-fied in 1991 before the Senate Select Committee of POW/MIA Affairs. The Lenoir County Cham-ber of Commerce gave Sampley special recognition in December 1991 for his help in the resto-ration of Kinston’s historic downtown. North Carolina’s Raleigh News and Observer honored Sampley on September 28, 1992, as their “Tar Heel of the Week and member of a very special group of North Carolinians who have contributed their time, skills and talents toward making North Carolina a truly great state and a wonderful place to live.” After conducting many hours of research, Sampley found compelling evidence proving that the remains buried in the tomb of the Vietnam War Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery belonged to Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. It was evidence that Sampley said the Pentagon had deliberately over-looked. Sampley first made the Unknown Soldier’s identity public in the July 1994 issue of the U.S. Veteran Dispatch. Five years later (1999), the U.S. Government, under pressure from CBS television, finally used a DNA sample and confirmed that the Vietnam War Unknown Soldier was indeed Lt. Blassie. A military honor guard returned Lt. Blassie’s remains to his family in St. Louis, Missouri where he was buried again with full military honors in a national cemetery. In February 1996, Sampley was nominated for the Kinston Free Press “Citizen of the Year” award. The Free Press cited Sampley for the “good work” he was doing in the community. VietNow, a national veteran’s organization, named Sampley Veteran of the Year. He was also named Citizen of the Year by the Wheat Swamp Ruritan Club of Lenoir County. He was a founding member of the National Alliance of POW/MIA Families and was one of their annual guest speak-ers. Sampley was co-founder of Kinston’s annual Salute to Veterans celebration. He led two community service programs in Kinston; the building of a 158-foot replica of Kinston’s Civil War ironclad CSS Neuse and the National Walk of Honor for Veterans. Sampley was currently Vice President of Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally in Washington, D.C. He was one of the original founders of the 22-year-old veterans organization. Last year, nearly a half million veterans and Rolling Thunder supporters attended the annual rally in the nation’s capital. Rolling Thunder has developed into Washington’s largest annual special event. Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2009, from Tanglewood Church of God, 2103 Rouse Road with the Reverend Allen Stocks, Pastor Allen Ham and Robert Register officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the funeral service at the church. Interment services will be held at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 18, 2009, from the Dyson Family Cemetery in Ivanhoe, N.C. with full Military Honors. Survivors include his mother, Dorothy Pate Smith of Wilmington; his daughter, Wendy Sampley Shehane of Columbus, Ga.; his son, Owen Lane Sampley of Kinston and his son’s mother, Robin Owen Goodman of Wilmington; his granddaughter, Chaney Huan Shehane of Columbus, Ga.; his brother, Ronnie Sampley and wife Debra, of West Virginia; his special cousins, Janice Lanier of Leland and April Jones and her son, Kevin Williams of Leland; other cousins, nieces, and great nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lane Sampley Education Fund, c/o Frances Parrott at First Citizens Bank, 607 Plaza Blvd, Kinston, NC 28501. Garner Funeral Home in Kinston is in charge of the arrangements. Sign the guest book at www.kinston.com.
http://www.legacy.com/kinston/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=127273486
Ted L. Sampley
KINSTON - Theodore Lane "Ted" Sampley, 62, of 2317 Hull Road, passed away on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at the Veteran's Hospital in Durham. He was preceded in death by his father, Theodore Higgins Sampley; his son, Tim Sampley; his half-brother, Michael Smith; and his first wife, Wendy's mother, Kiku Uehara Sampley Penley.
He was born July 17, 1946, and left Wilmington in 1963 at the age of 17 to join the United States Army. He went through Basic Training, Advanced Infantry Training and Airborne School.
In June 1964, he was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade on the island of Okinawa. On May 5, 1965, Sampley was deployed to Vietnam with the 173rd, where he served as a combat infantryman until April 1966. He participated in combat operations in the Iron Triangle, War Zone D, Ben Cat, the Ho Bo Woods and other areas of South Vietnam.
After being chosen to be trained as a Green Beret (United States Army Special Forces), Sampley was assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group on Okinawa. While in Okinawa, Sampley took advantage of his off duty time to study ceramics and the many traditions, designs, techniques, and forms of handcrafted Okinawan pottery. Local craftsmen contributed a wealth of knowledge for Sampley, allowing him to eventually create his own distinctive works.
In Vietnam, Staff Sergeant Sampley served as company commander of a B-36 Mike Force, civilian Irregular Defense Group Company (CIDG), assigned to operate along the Cambodian border. During that year of combat service, Sampley was awarded four Bronze Stars, the Army Com-mendation Medal and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
In 1970, Sampley was reassigned to the 3rd and later the 6th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg where he continued his military training. Sampley's training in the Army included Operations and Intelligence, methods of prisoner of war interrogations, escape and evasion training, guerrilla warfare training, understanding the Viet Cong infrastructure and High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) parachuting. He had a working knowledge of two languages, Arabic and Japanese.
From 1971 to 1973, Sampley worked during his off-duty time as a volunteer for Americans Who Care, a POW/MIA group in Fayetteville, N.C. that was lobbying for the safe return of all U.S. POWs held by the communists in North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
After 10 years of service, Sampley left the Army with a Honorable Discharge in 1973.
Sampley returned to Wilmington where he worked for a television station and then a local weekly newspaper. He eventually succumbed to the lure of pottery and built his own kiln and began teaching pottery. He soon established a production pottery business called The Potters Wheel and began mass producing good quality functional and decorative glazed stoneware.
In 1983, after he became aware that Hanoi had not released all living American POWs in 1973, Sampley became reinvolved as a POW/MIA activist demanding for the U.S. government to put more pressure on Hanoi to either release the men or explain what happened to them. Sampley has led many demonstrations in Washington, D.C. demanding that both the U.S. and Vietnamese governments account for the U.S. servicemen known to have been alive in captivity but never released.
He was honored for "Exemplary Service to Veterans" by the Washington, D.C. based National Vietnam Veterans Coalition on May 6, 1985, in New York at the Coalition's Leadership Breakfast. During Kinston's "All America City" celebration, Sampley was awarded a "Key to Kinston" as recognition for his support for Kinston. Sampley was publisher/editor/writer of the U.S. Veteran Dispatch. He was appointed chairman of the non-profit Last Firebase Veterans Archives Project in 1988. That group created one of the largest collections of privately held POW/MIA files.
From 1986 to 2003, the Last Firebase kept a non-stop, manned 24-hour vigil for POWs and MIAs in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Sampley testified in 1991 before the Senate Select Committee of POW/MIA Affairs.
The Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce gave Sampley special recognition in December 1991 for his help in the restoration of Kinston's historic downtown. North Carolina's Raleigh News and Observer honored Sampley on September 28, 1992, as their "Tar Heel of the Week and member of a very special group of North Carolinians who have contributed their time, skills and talents toward making North Carolina a truly great state and a wonderful place to live."
After conducting many hours of research, Sampley found compelling evidence proving that the remains buried in the tomb of the Vietnam War Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery belonged to Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. It was evidence that Sampley said the Pentagon had deliberately overlooked. Sampley first made the Unknown Soldier's identity public in the July 1994 issue of the U.S. Veteran Dispatch. Five years later (1999), the U.S. Government, under pressure from CBS television, finally used a DNA sample and confirmed that the Vietnam War Unknown Soldier was indeed Lt. Blassie. A military honor guard returned Lt. Blassie's remains to his family in St. Louis, Missouri where he was buried again with full military honors in a national cemetery.
In February 1996, Sampley was nominated for the Kinston Free Press "Citizen of the Year" award. The Free Press cited Sampley for the "good work" he was doing in the community.
VietNow, a national veteran's organization, named Sampley Veteran of the Year. He was also named Citizen of the Year by the Wheat Swamp Ruritan Club of Lenoir County. He was a founding member of the National Alliance of POW/MIA Families and was one of their annual guest speakers. Sampley was co-founder of Kinston's annual Salute to Veterans celebration. He led two community service programs in Kinston; the building of a 158 foot replica of Kinston's Civil War ironclad CSS Neuse and the National Walk of Honor for Veterans.
Sampley was currently Vice President of Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally in Washington, D.C. He was one of the original founders of the 22-year-old veterans organization. Last year, nearly a half million veterans and Rolling Thunder supporters attended the annual rally in the nation's capital. Rolling Thunder has developed into Washington's largest annual special event.
Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2009, from Tanglewood Church of God, 2103 Rouse Road with the Reverend Allen Stocks, Pastor Allen Ham and Robert Register officiating.
The family will receive friends immediately following the funeral service at the church. Interment services will be held at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 18, 2009, from the Dyson Family Cemetery in Ivanhoe, N.C. with full Military Honors.
Survivors include his mother, Dorothy Pate Smith of Wilmington; his daughter, Wendy Sampley Shehane of Columbus, Ga.; his son, Owen Lane Sampley of Kinston and his son's mother, Robin Owen Goodman of Wilmington; his granddaughter, Chaney Huan Shehane of Columbus, Ga.; his brother, Ronnie Sampley and wife Debra, of West Virginia; his special cousins, Janice Lanier of Leland and April Jones and her son, Kevin Williams of Leland; other cousins, nieces, and great nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lane Sampley Education Fund, c/o Frances Parrott at First Citizens Bank, 607 Plaza Blvd, Kinston, NC 28501. Garner Funeral Home in Kinston is in charge of the arrangements.
Lord, I didn’t even notice. Thanks, smooth.
Thanks for posting it, ma... and thanks for fixing it, ss!
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From the obituary for Mr. Sampley as published in today's Washington Post (warning: the obit is written by a liberal and viciously attacks Mr. Sampley): But Mr. Sampley reserved his most venomous attacks for McCain, a Navy pilot and fellow Vietnam veteran who spent five years as a prisoner of war. Mr. Sampley believed many missing soldiers and airmen were still alive and was upset that McCain did not champion an effort to bring them home. . . . . . In a 1992 article in his magazine, U.S. Veteran Dispatch, Mr. Sampley called McCain "the Manchurian candidate," suggesting he had been brainwashed by his captors and might have been a dupe or secret agent of the Soviet KGB. When McCain recommended that the United States establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, Mr. Sampley accused him of abetting the enemy. . . . . . In 2004, McCain called Mr. Sampley "one of the most despicable people I have ever had the misfortune to encounter." As we all know from the recent elections, McCain was truly a "Manchurian candidate." There is no other logical means of explaining his bizarre and erratic behavior, including his and his staff's abuse of Palin, his failure vis-a-vis the financial services bailout and TARP, his effective endorsement of Obama as "a decent man," and his post-election conduct as the "loyal opposition." As for Mr. Sampley, may he rest in peace. And now, it's time to put the RINO McCain out to pasture in 2010...by any means necessary. |
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#32
Yep — most of his old articles were posted at FR.
(If it says “No such file (give_legacy_article)” just hit refresh about 5-10 times and it will show up)
He also set up Vietnam Vets Against John Kerry — some of those are on FR, too.
Here are just a few regarding McCain:
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a389f22e7279b.htm
John McCain: The Manchurian Candidate
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a389b52f02f1d.htm
A “Flying Squad” Of Returned POWs Are Protecting McCain’s Image
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3897b1006cda.htm
McCain’s Ties with Vietnam, Special US Report, No. 143
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a389b9f5560d3.htm
John McCain is bad news! Another evil scum like Clinton!! MUST READ!
But it is a conservative site — and Sampley did some great work for the cause of conservatism.
Are we to ignore that?
Your name-calling attacks certainly don’t belong on this thread.
Hey, thanks for those links! I had seen Mr. Sampley’s Web site before but I didn’t know what to make of it, being a young’un. When he called McCain a “Manchurian candidate” back in ‘92, I was still in first grade...
It’s your thread, so I’ll push the abuse button on myself and have my posts removed.
If McCain bashing is in vogue, so be it.
That’s not why I showed up here.
Know this, Ted Sampley is my brother in arms, a man I respect.
‘Nuff Said.
We have said all this and more.
To know that this was what an esteemed American hero like Ted Sampley thought, is just more proof of McCain's complicity in the hiding of the fate of the left behind Vietnam POWs.
In 1992, I was shocked at how McCain dissed the POW/MIA families;I didn't know much about Kerry back then.
But I knew one thing--McCain could not be trusted.I could not understand how a POW of 6.5 years could be that cold to the families of those who were his fellow prisoners.You have to be a particularly callous, selfish individual to do something like that.
I'm a fair bit older than you, and I grew up during the Vietnam period. These things are not just history to me.
In 62 years, Mr. Sampley did more than I imagined.
I hope your exams are going, or have gone well,rabs.Thank you for the ping.
The Wilmington paper did a somewhat nice job with the announcement:
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090514/ARTICLES/905144006/1004?Title=Vietnam-veterans-advocate-Sampley-dies-after-surgery
But then Si Cantwell dug up his opinion piece from
2004, stating, “I thought it might be appropriate to repost this column.”
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090514/ARTICLES/905149976/1004
FWIW, the Star News is a NYT paper.
"...I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth … and touched the face of God".
If John would quit playing into the hands of the most radical leftists in our nation, I wouldn’t criticize him so much.
When he teams up with Goerge Soros, Teressa Heinz Kerry, the Tides Foundation, Ted Kennedy, Russel Feingold, and makes public statements supportive of Obama and his policies, I cannot remain mute on his predilection to do severe almost fatal damage to our cause.
People like John McCain can utter one sentence, and totally destroy our stand on issues. And John does this constantly. We need Gitmo. Obama wants to close it. So what does John do? He suggests we need to close Gitmo. We’re fighting against the global warming crowd right now. So what does John do? He says they are right and he wants to support their efforts.
On issue after issue, John McCain defeats Conservative momentum, and provides support to our ideological enemies.
Do I think John is a Manchurian candidate? No. I honestly don’t. What I do think, is that John has never in his life paid attention to any authority other than himself. He didn’t as a youth. He didn’t in his military training. He didn’t as a Freshman Congressman. He hasn’t as a Senator. So John spouts off do to a lack of understanding on issues, and fowls things up constantly.
He is one of the most ignorant, self-absorbed, destructive forces I have seen in my lifetime.
I find it almost impossible to believe that John handled himself with honor as a P.O.W. That may be my failing. Perhaps I’m being very unfair to him. I can only judge the likelihood of him handling himself well, based on how he has handled himself during the non-military parts of his life.
That being the case, this man is untrustworthy on every level.
D1, while I agree with what you said, I must also reinforce what I think smoothsailing was concerned about. (I’m not singling you out — just think it needs to be said)
Let’s keep the thread about Ted Sampley, not John McCain.
I expressed to SS in freepmail, that I think mention of his work in exposing those he felt unfit to be president (Kerry/McCain) should rightfully be mentioned on this thread because it was a large part of his legacy. Smoothsailing remembers him as a brother; others (incl. me) remember him as an activist; and probably hundred of others have their own memory of his all-too-short life.
Ted passionately worked for causes he believed in. May he RIP.
Oh sure, single me out!!!! ;-)
I think your comments are reasoned. I touched on the McCain issue after I saw that others had.
SmoothSailing, no offense was intended. I am very sensitive to RINOs destroying our party, and so my passion sometimes overtakes my reverence for individuals in passing.
Please accept my apology. I was off topic and I am did not mean to slight Ted at all.
Calcowgirl,
I recieved this via e-mail this morning from a good friend and brother-in-arms, John Molloy.
I think it is appropriate for this thread, and wanted to share it with you.
(No offense taken, Doughty One, all is well) :)
...........................................................
Hi R....,
I thought that you might want to see this testament to Ted.
John
-—— Forwarded Message -——
From: John Molloy
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 1:31:15 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: Ted’s Celebration
To Lane who is no longer the little boy who sat with me at Coalition Breakfasts and to my Brothers and Sisters - Veterans & POW Activists.
THE PASSING OF A GREAT AMERICAN PATRIOT
I awakened just about sunrise on Monday morning, May 11, 2009 and as I usually do, I checked the perimeter. On the northern boundary of the property, about three hundred yards out, I saw what appeared to be the image of a man. Wondering who might be so audacious to be trespassing
in the middle of what is a vast open area, I reached for my binoculars. On closer examination, what I thought was a man was actually a hawk perched on my no trespassing sign. I gazed at the hawk for a few moments and then suddenly it took flight. It was only this morning that I realized what might have been the significance of what I had observed. The next day, I learned that my old friend, Ted Sampley, ‘Red Hawk’ (of Red Hawk Construction)
who had undergone extensive bypass surgery on Monday had expired suddenly on Tuesday. In restrospect, I cannot help but wonder, not having seen Ted as frequently over the last few years (the last time at dinner in June 2007 with Earl and Patti Hopper, Billy Hendon, Top Holland, Jerry Kiley, Joe Millner, Frank Emiro,et al) if the hawk was a message from Ted.
Sadly, American prisoners of war have have lost one of their greatest defenders. Ted has gone to the place where he will be welcomed by other great POW`activists: Col. Nick Rowe, Col. Ear Hopper, Senator Jeremiah Denton, Col. Laird Gutterson... and all the American prisoners of war who have expired in enemy captivity but who Ted so ably defended. These giants and heroes will be in their rightful place in heaven and one can only hope that their (and our) opponents and detractors, opponents of truth, justice and freedom, will go to their rightful place.
I first met Ted on Sunday, November 4, 1984 in Lafayette Park, in Washington, DC at a POW Rally. I was in town to attend a meeting of representatives of veterans organizations from Long Island (NY) with government representatives (the usual dog and pony show) at the White House Executive Office Building. Along with other members of the RELEASE Foundation, I met with a few activists at the rally and I noticed a veteran wearing a green beret who did not seem to be feeling well. The veteran and I spoke briefly and he asked what I intended to discuss at the meeting. Unlike the others who were going to attend the meeting, I was wearing camouflage fatigues and green and black face paint. After emerging from the meeting, he learned that I had upset the other attendees not only because of my appearance but also from my comments about our government who was deceiving us under the facade of ‘the highest national priority’. The veteran in the green beret was Ted Sampley. Our friendship began on that day over two decades ago. Thereafter, we shared many experiences in Washington DC, at the Mall, the White House, the Capitol the Laotian and Vietnamese Missions and at the UN fighting for the return of our missing men. POW-MIA family members, activists, organizations and the National Vietnam Veterans Coalition proudly accepted the label given to us by the government opposition in 1985: ‘ the Rambo Faction’ as our nom de guerre and Ted though his actions and defiance was Rambo in every sense of the word.
Over the years, we continued to apply pressure to our government and communist adversaries though the number of activists and energy began to diminish. Ted was instrumental in revitalizing the effort by helping to initiate the first Rolling Thunder Rally in DC in 1988 and founding a newspaper devoted to the plight of our prisoners of war and missing in action: ‘The Bamboo Connection’ which over the years blossomed into the U.S Veterans
Dispatch which continued to provide vital information on our POW-MIAs and on veterans issues. Ted’s initiative, energy and brilliance enabled the POW issue to emerge from the activist stage to the intellectual via Ted’s early mastery of the computer and the information highway. For a number of years Ted served as a senor officer of the National Vietnam Veterans Coalition and he continued to provide motivation for later activist and legislative efforts on behalf of our POW-MIAs. In the midst of all his efforts on behalf of our POW-MIAs, including traveling to Thailand to distribute the reward offer across the Mekong River, Ted managed a profitable business, and even had a personal life. His energy was boundless.
During one of my several ‘interviews’ with federal law enforcement officials (terrorist task force) during the 1980s who considered the activities of the RELEASE Foundation suspect, they asked me about Ted. I replied then and I still feel today: ‘that Ted Sampley is one of the finest Americans with whom I would be most proud to serve in the save foxhole and die with’. I was called incorrigible, but Ted was incorrigibility personified and a true representative of the Spirit of America.
Ted, my friend you shall be greatly missed by many. You were truly today’s Brave Heart and your boots will be extremely difficut to fill.
RED HAWK is on the wing and an inspiration to us all!
John J Molloy
Chairman
National Vietnam & Gulf War Veterans Coalition
Thank you for sharing that. A wonderful tribute.
I never had the honor of meeting Ted, but I heard plenty about him. I owe him (and others) a great debt of gratitude. He fought to keep John Kerry from harming my son.
Thanks Freema. I think that’s an excellent point.
You bet it is.
He was one who stood in the trenches between Kerry, et al, and my son’s generation.
JUST A COMMON SOLDIER
(A Soldier Died Today)
by A. Lawrence Vaincourt
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho’ sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we’ll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world’s a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won’t note his passing, though a soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?
A politician’s stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It’s so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier’s part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he’s here to hear the praise,
Then at least let’s give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country Is In Mourning, For A Soldier Died Today.
© 1985 A. Lawrence Vaincourt
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