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“In recognition of their service as part of the security mission at the U.S. Capitol and other facilities in Washington, D.C., before, during and after the 59th Presidential Inauguration, the District of Columbia National Guard plans to present all Soldiers and Airmen who took part in the mission one or both of the following decorations: the District of Columbia National Guard Presidential Inauguration Support Ribbon and/or the District of Columbia Emergency Service Ribbon,” Carver said in a statement. “Both ribbons are District-level decorations. Plans for their presentation are not yet final. Other federal decorations are also being considered.”

Happy Birthday, and many more to our wonderful host and great patriot—creator of Free Republic—Jim Robinson! Post your good wishes here!

Pink ribbons are cute. They have become very trendy. Everyone has caught on to them, too. A couple of airlines wear pink during October…some yogurt companies have pink ribbons on their merchandise…everyone is doing it. Well, not me.I hate breast cancer. I REALLY hate it. Breast cancer stole one of the most important people in my life from me…my father’s twin sister…my aunt. Both of my grandmothers had breast cancer. My cousin died of breast cancer. Breast cancer is like a terrible virus that keeps sweeping through my family. And like all viruses, you can’t get rid of them; they...

It's time for every patriotric American to wrap their trees with yellow ribbons and send a message to terrorists and Washington that we support our troops. I have a yellow ribbon around my tree for my grandson in Baghdad, but I intend to display another one for our captured, wounded, and KIA troops and for those serving in all foreign lands, but particularly Iraq and Pakistan. I hope all Freepers will join me in sending this message of support. Please, let's beribbon as many trees in America as possible. Thank you all.

For any who may be interested here is an excellent tool to help you keep your military award and service ribbons in the proper order. Ribbon Rack Builder

I just read John Kerry's Silver Star citation and almost fell out of my chair. Having served at one time as an "awards and decorations officer", which is an additional duty assignment for staff officers, I know full well how these citations can be colored and worded to change an "oh no!" into a "attaboy." That is what happened with Kerry's situation. He probably would have been disciplined for endangering his boat and crew, but instead, because of his political connections, they gave him what is known as a "coverup award." One of the oldest tricks in the military book...

A Vietnam veteran questions how Kerry can cavalierly parade his Vietnam experience, considering service in Vietnam was a nightmarish experience that still brings back unpleasant flashbacks. [Zak became an anti-Kerry activist following the DNC convention, and wrote this moving piece for Intellectual Conservative.com at that time.] At age 57, I still relive Viet Nam every day. How someone else who has been there could be so cavalier about the subject is beyond me. I’ve never seen a “home movie” of Viet Nam before, until the Prince of Boston showed us his. This man, so proud of throwing his ribbons and...

Magnetic ribbons of all colors, sizes and varieties are being attached to the tails of SUVs and compact cars alike, like so many dot-commers swarming to the deceiving stock market rise of the late '90s. In particular, the yellow and red, white and blue ribbons sporting the phrases "Support Our Troops" and "Freedom Isn't Free" have become as common as taillights.

Open Letter to Senator Kerry From a Veteran Sunday, October 24, 2004 Dear Senator Kerry, I never met my uncle Will. He was a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II. He was killed in action on his PT boat in the Pacific. For his fatal wounds, he received the Purple Heart posthumously. The first-captain of my West Point class took a bullet through the heart while leading a South Vietnamese airborne battalion into combat. For this fatal wound, he was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. My senior-year roommate at West Point became a tunnel rat. A booby trap...

It's All About Character, Stupid! Written by the White Knight Wednesday, October 20, 2004 It is disingenuous for the media to characterize Kerry simply as an “Antiwar Protestor.” What Kerry did went far beyond protesting against the war -- Kerry supported the goals of the North Vietnamese. And, they honor him in their museums for his support to this day. George Mc Govern was a patriotic American against the war – but McGovern didn’t go to Paris 3 times and meet privately with high-ranking North Vietnamese leaders like Madame Binh. McGovern did not join Vietnam Veterans Against the War, a...

John Kerry, a Lifetime of Wasted Opportunities Written by Michael Ashbury Tuesday, October 19, 2004 Unlike the average American, John Forbes Kerry was born into a family of wealth and privilege. His mother, Rosemary Forbes, was a French national, and heiress to the Forbes family fortune. Her father James Grant Forbes was born in Shanghai, China. Family members, including her father were leading opium dealers in China during the Opium War accumulating a considerable fortune. With support of the Forbes wealth, John Kerry had the opportunity of the finest education being trained at boarding schools in Switzerland and Massachusetts, including...

The Emperor Has No Clothes By: Brian Tracy John Kerry is neither a “war hero” nor a “patriot.” It is about time that someone pointed out that “the emperor has no clothes” and that Americans are being presented with a false choice. If you read the newspapers long enough, a series of facts emerge that appear undeniable and irrefutable. But no one seems to want to “connect the dots” for fear of offending the powers that be in the national media, such as CBS. Here is what we know. First of all, Kerry did not “volunteer” for service in Vietnam....

Editor: I didn’t write this piece but I salute the man who did. He has said exactly what so many veterans have been thinking for so long. When I returned from Nam, my roommate in the 82d Airborne was SSGT Charles B. Morris, awarded the Medal of Honor while serving with the 173rd Airborne in Vietnam. I know firsthand it’s true that warriors like Charley are tormented in their dreams and cry out in their sleep as they re-fight their battles; yes that I know from bunking with him. But one thing I never heard him do was boast. Not...

In the Kerry Edwards Dbunker page, there is a section devoted to Kerry's Vietnam protests. This page claims that it is right wing fiction that John Kerry lied about throwing his medals during a protest. Then, at the very end of the next paragraph, he admits that he never threw his medals. He only threw his ribbons. He also quotes Oliphant from the Boston Globe who was quite clear that about the fact that John Kerry never threw the medals. So, we get the situation where the Kerry campaign claims that it is a right wing lie that he never...

I saw a thread several days ago talking about GWB's ribbons and the documentation for them. It is a big topic of discussion on DU (the vitriolic rants on that board are unbelievable, many are in need of therapy). Could someone provide a link to the previous discussion and the picture in question? Also, does anyone have a good picture of Kerry and his ribbons? Thanks.

<p>While I disagree with you on just about every domestic issue a liberal could dream up, I strongly agree with your assertion that "Bush Must Win" if we are to continue to send the bin Ladens of this world crawling into their caves and spider-holes in the ground. Your comparison of the George Bush Doctrine to the Monroe and Truman Doctrines is fitting indeed. Thank you also for discussing the anti-American activities of the unconvicted manslaughter-criminal and Senator-for-life Ted "Chappaquiddick" Kennedy. That was refreshing to read coming from someone in the same political party. It is important that you know now that I am not a Republican, I am an Independent who believes political parties have stolen representative government from the people by voting party line instead of constituent line.</p>

The 2004 Presidential race has re-focused the public's attention on the Vietnam War and its legacy. Many of the myths of the 1960’s and 1970’s have been revived as “truths” and these “truths” are now weapons in the political debate. Vietnam was a formative experience for me and for many of my comrades, including John Kerry. I’m sure that this was not unique to the Vietnam War, but Vietnam veterans had to add to their military experience the impact of the distorted lens through which they were viewed – both when they came home and later. False distortions of how...

Videotape Contradicts John Kerry’s Own Statements Over Vietnam Medals Contradicting his statements as a candidate for president, Sen. John Kerry claimed in a 1971 television interview that he threw away as many as nine of his combat medals to protest the war in Vietnam.

THE LOGIC OF RIBBONS AND MEDALS - PART II: Be warned, this is an extremely long post. But it's time to finish off the thought I started last Tuesday: why did John Kerry throw his ribbons in protest in 1971 but not his medals? Kerry's answer to this question - at least since 1984 - is that he didn't have time to go home and get them. That answer strikes me as two things: impossible to disprove and less than convincing. We know that from 1971 to 1984 Kerry clearly wanted people to believe he'd thrown his own medals. We...