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Growing up in the 1950s, I was frequently exposed to the late-night discussions of my father and his friends, all of whom had served in World War II. One of these men, Ed Fitzpatrick, served in the U.S. Coast Guard and was a launch driver during D-Day, delivering squads of U.S. boys to the beaches in France. Rob Helb served as an Army Air Corps gunner and lost an arm over the oil fields of Turkey. After crashing, he asked a crew member to retrieve his bloodied and severed arm so he could remove from its wrist the gold watch...

John Kerry's frontrunner status among Democratic hopefuls for president has once again, as during the 2000 campaign, placed a spotlight on President Bush's military service during the Vietnam era. It has done so on two levels. First, did Mr. Bush meet all of his obligations as a member of the Texas Air National Guard? The charge here, recycled from 2000, was catapulted into the campaign by the odious Michael Moore, who in the course of endorsing Wesley Clark, called President Bush a "deserter." Second, and more seriously, does President Bush's decision to join the Air National Guard mean that he...

<p>John Kerry seems to have had a way of eluding the bad odor that clings to his old associates. On "Meet the Press" in 1971, he appeared with VVAW member Al Hubbard, a veteran who was exposed around this time for lying about his rank and combat experience (he had seen no combat). While this confirmed suspicions about the dubious identities of many of the winter soldiers, it didn't keep Kerry from becoming famous. The young politician was able to have his cake and eat it, too, becoming the establishment, patriotic face of a radical, anti-patriotic movement. Quite a trick, really.</p>

<p>They were two years apart, these two Yale boys, these sons of privilege, and so the moment of truth came first for John Kerry, later for George W. Bush. Each faced the same life-changing question as did so many others of their generation: What to do about Vietnam?</p>

The following is circulating on the net. I have personally corresponded with the author to verify his and its authenticity. Because it has not been picked up by any media outlet yet, the link is to the blog entry. Kerry Discussion: Thoughts of a Vietnam POW by Joe Crecca 28 Jan 04 The rigors and hardships of being a POW aside, I remember the so-called, "Peace Movement," and "Peace Marches and Rallies" that were taking place back home in the USA Our captors were more than willing, within their means, to provide us with any and all anti-US and anti-Vietnam...

A Vietnam veterans organization and a Vietnamese-American group have united in opposition to Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. John Kerry. "We represent hundreds of thousand of American veterans who do not want to see John Kerry anywhere near the Oval Office," said Ted Sampley, founder of Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry. Sampley is a U.S. Army Green Beret and veteran of two combat tours in Vietnam. Said Sampley: "I have personally dealt with John Kerry on the issue of U.S. POWs left behind in Vietnam. Kerry is not truthful and is not worthy of the support of U.S. veterans. Many Vietnam...

Sen. Kerry, the "noble statesman" and "highly decorated Vietnam vet" of today, is a far cry from Kerry, the radical, hippie-like leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in the early 1970s. Soon after Kerry, as a Navy Lieutenant (junior grade) commanding a Swift boat in Vietnam, was awarded the Silver Star, he used an obscure Navy regulation to leave Vietnam and his crew before completing his tour of duty. After returing home, he quit the Navy early and changed the color of his politics to become a leader of VVAW. Kerry wasted no time organizing opposition in the...

<p>A photograph of John Kerry together with Jane Fonda at an anti-Vietnam War rally in 1970 in Pennsylvania has surfaced on the Internet, angering veterans who say his association with her 34 years ago is a slap in the faces of Vietnam War veterans.</p>

VIETNAM VETERANS AGAINST JOHN KERRY P.O. Box 246, Kinston, N.C. 28502www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnkerry. orgFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 5, 2004U.S. VETERANS & VIETNAMESE UNITE TO OPPOSE JOHN KERRYContacts: Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry Mike Benge, former Vietnam POW - (703) 698-8256 Ted Sampley, Vietnam veteran - (252) 527-0442 Jerry Kiley, Vietnam Veteran- (845) 947-3058 Vietnamese Americans Against John Kerry Dan Tran, president of the Vietnam Human Rights Project - cell (281) 772-0510 Duc D. Tran, public relations - cell (856) 297-5585 work( 610) 407-8826 Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry (V.V.A.J.K.) today announced a national coalition with Vietnamese Americans for Human Rights in Vietnam....

Kerry's Vietnam service now fair game Jack Kelly http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | I would not have contemplated writing anything even mildly critical of John Kerry's Vietnam service, were he not making it the centerpiece of his campaign, and were not he impugning President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard. But as lawyers say before cross examination: "if the witness opens the door..." Kerry joined the Navy after graduation from Yale in 1966, became an officer, and volunteered for Vietnam. After service on a destroyer, Kerry volunteered again to be a swift boat commander. This was courageous and commendable. Service on...

Vietnam Veteran Exposes Kerry's 'Phony' Anti-war Testimony http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/1/26/124222.shtml More and more facts are surfacing about the untrue claims John Kerry made as an anti-war activist after returning as a hero from Vietnam. "Unfortunately, Mr. Kerry came home to Massachusetts, the one state George McGovern carried in 1972. He joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and emceed the Winter Soldier Investigation (both financed by Jane Fonda)," Stephen Sherman, who was a first lieutenant with the U.S. Army Fifth Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Vietnam in 1967-68, writes in today's Wall Street Journal. "Many veterans believe these protests led to more...

February 12, 2004 Vietnam-Era Kerry Saw a Military Led by U.N.By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG ASHINGTON, Feb. 11 ? The student newspaper at Harvard University has unearthed a 34-year-old interview with Senator John Kerry, in which Mr. Kerry, then fresh out of Vietnam and an underdog candidate for Congress, suggested that he would cede authority over the military to the United Nations and rein in, or perhaps eliminate, the C.I.A. "I'm an internationalist," Mr. Kerry told the newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, on Feb. 18, 1970. "I'd like to see our troops dispersed through the world only at the directive of...

<p>Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has used his combat record in Vietnam as a major campaign asset in his drive to become the Democratic candidate for president.</p> <p>His ads feature testimony from veterans, and a number of political pundits have claimed Mr. Kerry could compete with President George W. Bush for the military vote, which normally goes for the GOP. The Washington Post's Mark Leibovich has argued that if Republicans attack Mr. Kerry "as a 'Massachusetts liberal,' Vietnam will be his patriotic armor."</p>

<p>I have come to the National Vietnam War Museum in search of John Kerry's brothers in arms.</p> <p>Located in east Orange County on North Tanner Road, a torn-up dirt strip awaiting pavement, the museum doesn't quite live up to the title.</p>

<p>Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has used his combat record in Vietnam as a major campaign asset in his drive to become the Democratic candidate for president. His ads feature testimony from veterans, and a number of political pundits have claimed Mr. Kerry could compete with President George W. Bush for the military vote, which normally goes for the GOP. The Washington Post's Mark Leibovich has argued that if Republicans attack Mr. Kerry "as a 'Massachusetts liberal,' Vietnam will be his patriotic armor." Missing from this coverage of Mr. Kerry's record is what he did when he got home. He immediately entered the political arena with the radical New Left outfit Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). This was an extremist fringe group. Some 21/2 million Americans served in Vietnam, but by the VVAW's own accounting only 30,000 joined its ranks. This is a very low number given that the Army was filled with draftees during an unpopular war. But then VVAW was not a mainstream organization like the American Legion or the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Its portrayal of U.S. troops as war criminals turned off most vets. Mr. Kerry testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 21, 1971, as the VVAW spokesman. Sen. Kerry's campaign Website mentions this event in passing. The VVAW gives a transcript of Mr. Kerry's testimony on its Website, which it hails as "his greatest contribution to the antiwar movement and to VVAW." Mr. Kerry opened by stating "war crimes committed in Southeast Asia, [are] not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command." According to tales related by Mr. Kerry, Americans had "raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam." As to what endangered America, Mr. Kerry stated "the crimes threaten it, not Reds." The VVAW showed more sympathy for those who refused to serve than those who did. According to the group's own history, "VVAW fought for amnesty for war resisters, including vets with bad discharges."This is an interesting fact to set beside Kerry's attempt today to denigrate President Bush's honorable service as a fighter pilot with the Air National Guard. The Vietnam War was part of the larger Cold War struggle. Mr. Kerry acknowledged this in his testimony, but attributed it to "paranoia about the Russians." The Soviets provided North Vietnam with the heavy weapons that allowed it to invade South Vietnam — and to kill 50,000 Americans. In return for this military aid, the victorious Hanoi regime allowed the Soviets to base bombers and warships at the former U.S. base at Da Nang. This deployment was of strategic importance as it outflanked the U.S.-Japanese alliance which hemmed in Russia's northern naval bases. VVAW is still active in left-wing circles, protesting American imperialism. Two weeks after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, VVAW issued a statement declaring "The use of massive military power will only escalate the cycle of violence, spreading more death and destruction to more innocent people with no end in sight. ... We see many parallels between Vietnam and Afghanistan." It went on to blame America for provoking the attacks, saying "our country has to address the reasons behind the violence that has now come to our shores. The seeds of this anger and hatred were sown over many years. For over a century, Western corporations have dominated the Middle East to profit from its oil. For the last 50 years, the United States has supported Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands and has helped prop up corrupt regimes in some Arab countries." In March 2002, it issued another statement: "We in VVAW call upon all who support peace with social justice to act on their principles and join with others in their communities to oppose the 'war on terrorism' as it is currently being waged, and to oppose domestic terrorism in the guise of 'public safety' as it is codified in the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act." It has, of course, taken part in antiwar protests concerning Iraq, proclaiming "We do not have to go along with this empire building." Mr. Kerry cannot be held directly responsible for what VVAW has done since he left the group, but neither has he denounced its activities. His campaign Website proudly mentions his VVAW membership, and the VVAW prominently displays its ties to Mr. Kerry. And many of their public positions continue to match. VVAW thinks "Iraq, along with its oil and humanitarian problems should be turned over to the U.N. and international humanitarian organizations," which is also candidate John Kerry's position. And Mr. Kerry's long Senate career has been marked by opposition to military programs and defense spending. It would seem Mr. Kerry's service with the VVAW has had much more to do with shaping the senator's public record on the issues than did his military service in Vietnam. He did what he had to do under fire and deserves praise for that. But what he has chosen to do since in politics is the better predictor of what he would do as president.</p>

SAN FRANCISCO - PipeLineNews - John F. Kerry is fond of telling any and all within earshot that he is a decorated Vietnam War veteran. He has also called into question the nature of President George W. Bush's service record while a member of the Texas Air National Guard. President Bush has released all available information regarding his service records. Mr. Kerry has refused to do the same. If Mr. Kerry is going to wrap himself in the flag, we demand that he immediately order the Department of Defense to release his service records, including those detailing the nature, severity...

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has used his combat record in Vietnam as a major campaign asset in his drive to become the Democratic candidate for president.His ads feature testimony from veterans, and a number of political pundits have claimed Mr. Kerry could compete with President George W. Bush for the military vote, which normally goes for the GOP. The Washington Post's Mark Leibovich has argued that if Republicans attack Mr. Kerry "as a 'Massachusetts liberal,' Vietnam will be his patriotic armor." Missing from this coverage of Mr. Kerry's record is what he did when he got home. He immediately...

The campaign season is still young, yet we already have a strong contender for what might be the most dishonest paragraph of this election year. It was spoken by Sen. John Kerry, by way of explaining how a candidate wrapping himself in Vietnam veterans made his public reputation by accusing them of war crimes. In his famed 1971 anti-war congressional testimony, Kerry cited the so-called Winter Soldier Investigation, which gathered falsified testimonials of atrocities committed by American soldiers. Kerry regurgitated stories of rapes, beheadings, torture and pillaging ("in a fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan") as part of his indictment against...

DALLAS -- It's as if common sense has gone AWOL from the presidential campaign. Some news media players and Democratic Party operatives are painting President Bush as nothing less than a deserter amid questions about whether he fulfilled his obligations to the Air National Guard 30 years ago. No surprises here. Democrats and a lot of folks in the Fourth Estate who are cozy with them would like to give Bush a first-class ticket out of Washington. Besides, a lot of the people raising concerns about Bush's service record are baby boomers, whose defining experience in early adulthood was opposing...

In Kerry's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971 he testified that America was waging a “merciless and immoral war” in Vietnam. He claimed that Americans were committing war crimes “on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command.” How did Kerry come about the knowledge of these “day-to-day” war crimes unless he participated in them directly? Kerry needs to fess up, either he lied to Congress in 1971 or he’s guilty of war crimes.