About Kerry's Purple Hearts And Reassignment

Boston Globe ^ | 6/16/2003 | Michael Kranish

[Polybius]

Is shooting a downed and wounded VietCon warrant a Silver Star...

It depends on whether or not you have friends in high places.

LBJ’s Silver Star: The Mission That Never Was

[cookcounty]

"Since Kerry served both before and after that date, he served in Johnson's and Nixon's War"

Ah, but Kerry has repeatedly and falsely stated that Nixon sent him to Viet Nam, when in fact it was Johnson who sent him to Vietnam, and it was Nixon who sent him home.

[cookcounty]

" Despite this, out of a total production of 340 aircraft, 112 (including 17 two-seat F-106Bs) were lost in crashes or in ground fires during the 29 year career of the Delta Dart...."

Thanks, Cookie. Makes me crazy when people just assume fighter pilot is like taxicab driver with wings on.

I believe it was the F-104 that they dubbed the "Flying Coffin" because of all the crashes and deaths --even though they never were "in combat."

[Alamo-Girl]

Great catch!

[My Dog Likes Me]

I agree. Getting hit three times means that maybe God is telling you something. I, for one, wouldn't be as Gung Ho after the third PH.

[My Dog Likes Me]

I think the reason the military has a three PHs and you're out policy is that - especially in Kerry's case - the mental effects of getting wounded three times may impair a commander's ability to accomplish the mission, or a soldier's ability to "walk point" and carry out orders effectively.

[Travis McGee]

LBJ ran for Congress on the strength of his silver star, which history proves was totally bogus, a made up thing. So no, this is NOT out of bounds.

Especially if an officer requested to didi out of the war zone after 3 flesh wounds, which did not require hospitalization, or take him off of duty.

[Travis McGee]

LBJ's silver star was bogus 7 ways from sunday. Purely made up, a lie, a fraud, a prop to use in a run for Congress.

[Squantos]

Well shame on me then because Kerrys medals were tossed away in protest and now he want's to ride to the white house on em......pure BS !

[Travis McGee]

Amen. You nailed it.

More recently, I have read about badly wounded soldiers and marines evacuated to hospitals in Kuwait, who have snuck out of their hospitals and hitched rides back to their units in Iraq.

The opposite of what Kerrey did to sea-lawyer three minor flesh wounds into a get-out-of-combat ticket.

[Travis McGee]

Cleland was wounded by dropping his own grenade accidentally, not in combat.

[Travis McGee]

Most folks with scratches did NOT put in for PHs, and did not get them. I am referring to Kerrey-like wound requiring no hospitalization and no lost duty.

OTOH, if you were looking for a quick ticket out, you would catalog each and every scratch.

[breakem]

pathetic

[truth_seeker]

"Ah, but Kerry has repeatedly and falsely stated that Nixon sent him to Viet Nam, when in fact it was Johnson who sent him to Vietnam, and it was Nixon who sent him home."

I seem to recall he was in country twice, the second time being after 20 Jan. 1969. If correct, Kerry could be parsing it such that Nixon did, in the sense necessary for him, "send him to Vietnam."

Whatever the case, I don't view this topic of discussion to be fruitful for the Bush cause.

More fruitful I believe, is his frequent flip-flop on major issues. And the basic Mass. liberal tag.

Bush will have his hands full. But these are only the primaries, to select who will please dems, who are primarily anti-war, pro-higher taxes, pro-abortion, pro-environment, etc.

They don't represent 100 percent of voters. The election is usually won/lost by successfully appealing to the center/independents.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

PS: Might want to reconsider citing "Platoon" as a valid starting point for debate.

LOL - that's what I was thinking!

[My Dog Likes Me]

But, I think a soldier owes it to himself to get checked out by the medics for all "injuries incurred on active duty." This protects him when he applies for veteran disability services years down the road. Especially when the injury is in a combat zone.
I know a guy who hurt his back when he was in the Army (peacetime). Seems minor to me. Today he has a disabled veteran license plate and a federal job. Anything that happens on active duty is service-related.
This ain't a football game, Travis. You don't just "suck it up" and fail to report to sick call the next day. Vets who do this get the shaft. I'm sorry to be so cynical, but you know I'm right.

[Robert A Cook PE]

No.

His first "partial" trip was as a SEA-GOING electrical officer OFF-SHORE sitting in the air-conditioned "comfort" of a frigate off-shore.

Then, he left after only 6 months.

[river rat]

A Silver Star - earned more than 3 decades ago, should not trump Kerry's leftist and anti-American behavior for the duration of his post Vietnam period and his entire political career..

His book, his relationship with Jane Fonda and the many false accusations made my Kerry and his group containing several "phony vets" -- should not be swept under the table..

Kerry needs to acknowledge his voting record, his relative's business relationship with communist Vietnam and his whitewash of the communist explanations on our MIAs...

Kerry has a house full of skeletons...

Kerry clearly has a problem with remaining on ONE SIDE of any issue...
He's a whore.

Semper Fi

[Travis McGee]

No, I don't. Most vets DO suck it up on scratches and climb back into the turret.

They don't try to sea-lawyer their way out of combat this way, leaving their buddies behind to fight. Not when their wounds are superficial, not even leading to a day of lost duty.

Remember, this 3 PHs rule is NOT mandatory. It's there for extreme cases, guys who keep getting shot or blown up, and who have used up all their chances. Even then, it's purely optional.

Kerry was never "shot up" and operated on to put him back together. He used three scratches as a means to escape combat. Any way you cut it, that's a fact.