Replies

I so much appreciate you posting this. I saw this.

For context you should know that Tim Russert started the ball rolling on this last night. As you know the interview was played in full yesterday morning, then Dateline played about 20 minutes of excerpts last night. Then Stone Phillips asked a very SERIOUS looking Russert, right out of the gate, if this AWOL story had been adequately addressed and Russert said NO. I was stunned and have posted on various threads about it. Then Russert appeared on Imus this morning and continued to push this story as having not been answered adequately by President Bush.

Finally, I see the Chris Matthews exchange with Lester Holt that you also observed. I wanted to cry, they are acting like President Bush is being deceitful.

Matthews, when he mentioned McAuliffe, said "Nobody is trashing the Guard". Has Chris seen the Kerry comments from yesterday where he happens to lump in the Guard with draft-dodgers? There have been many comments from many democrats disparaging President Bush's service.

And the icing on the cake with this Matthews/Holt exchange: Holt points out President Bush has addressed this issue over the years many times. Matthews says this time it's different because he's facing a genuine war hero.

How about seeing Drudge post this as his main story today? I've got to assume everyone in the press knows there is no story here but has nothing else to report today. Or perhaps I'm giving the press too much credit.

"For context you should know that Tim Russert started the ball rolling on this last night. As you know the interview was played in full yesterday morning, then Dateline played about 20 minutes of excerpts last night. Then Stone Phillips asked a very SERIOUS looking Russert, right out of the gate, if this AWOL story had been adequately addressed and Russert said NO."

Who needs more evidence that the presss is out to get the president - just as they went after his father in retaliation for what they considered a media blackout during the Gulf War?

Then Stone Phillips asked a very SERIOUS looking Russert, right out of the gate, if this AWOL story had been adequately addressed and Russert said NO.

What Russert is referring to is this exchange:

Russert: Would you authorize the release of everything to settle this?

President Bush: Yes, absolutely.

We did so in 2000, by the way.

What the President's campaign authorized to be released in 2000 were his records from Texas National Guard files, not his full service records from Air Reserve Personnel Headquarters in Denver. I think the media and the dems are hoping that there is more to this story and they fully intend to pursue it. I think Bush can expect a very nasty and negative campaign from the dems as they attempt to attack his credibility over this and the WMD issue.

Hey FRiend, Just worn out and not up to posting today. I'm sure you've seen this e-mail. We got it from some fellow Vietnam Vets. Feel free to post it. We probably will. REPEATEDLY!!

Later, FRegards.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I received this from my former roommate Lt. Gen. Charlie Bagnal, Retired, US Army. I saw the original article in Atlanta Journal. Kerry is trying to smear our President and others who were in the National Guard and Reserves during Vietnam era as draft dodgers. We need to let others know about Kerry. Carl

Classmates: This is an article by Terry Garlock, who flew Cobras in 334th
Armed Helicopter Company in RVN. He was severely injured when a surface to air
missle blew off his tail rotor and a portion of the tail boom. Terry spent
several years in hospital and therapy. The Atlanta Journal Constitution has an
exclusive on this for 30 days, so it can't be published in a newspaper or magazine
until after that; but he is allowing this to be sent to you with that
understanding. All the Best, Charlie Bagnal

"Many Vietnam Vets Will Object to Kerry"
by Terry Garlock
Now that Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is claiming the veteran vote based
on his war record, both sides of that story should be told. To appreciate the
dark side of Sen. Kerry's war record, you should know a few things about
Vietnam veterans.
For example, having fought in an unpopular war 30 something years ago, and
having been awarded medals, is noteworthy. But it doesn't give anyone a pass --
their record and their ideas should be examined on their own merit.
And reporters make a mistake when they divide us into decorated veterans like
Sen. Kerry and then all the others. We like to think of ourselves as
brothers, whether we fought the enemy directly in combat or served in vital support
roles in protected areas that were often exposed to attack.
Even today, after all this time, when two Vietnam veterans meet one
another for the first time they are likely to say "Welcome home brother!" because
many were never welcomed home - they met the cold shoulder of an ungrateful
nation on their return.
Those of us whose job was combat feel a very special brotherhood. We
learned to trust our brothers on the ground, on the water and in the air to do the
right things to protect one another, even under fire. We came to deeply value
the same trust they placed in us, and that mutual trust would form a bond
that cannot be fully explained in words. We quietly feared dying in battle, but
there was something we feared even more. We knew if we should panic under fire
and fail to do our job, we might lose our brothers' trust or we might lose
their lives, and this we feared more than anything.
Like Sen. Kerry, I have a few medals. But among combat veterans, who has what
medal doesn't make a dime's worth of difference between us. What matters is
that we are, for the rest of our life, brothers who kept faith with one another
in a miserable war.
A young John Kerry, however, broke faith with his brothers when he returned
to the US. With the financial aid of Jane Fonda he led highly visible protests
against the war.
He wrote a book that many considered to be pro-Hanoi, titled The New
Soldier. The cover photo of his book depicted veterans in patchwork military
uniforms, holding the American flag upside down and mocking the legendary image of
Marines raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi in the 1945 battle for
Iwo Jima.
Sen. Kerry publicly supported Hanoi's position to use our POWs as a
bargaining chip in negotiations for a peace agreement.
Sen. Kerry played a key role in "Winter Soldier," a Jane Fonda event where
over 100 men, many of whom were later discredited, testified about atrocities
committed in the Vietnam war by American soldiers.
In 1971 Sen. Kerry testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and
said our soldiers in Vietnam were not America's best, as Vice President Agnew
had claimed, but that they were committing widespread rape, torture and murder
of Vietnamese civilians. We who were there know that to be untrue. Later
that same day Sen. Kerry threw what he said were his medals over a fence in front
of the capitol building in protest, on camera of course, but was years later
caught in his lie when his medals turned up displayed on his office wall.
Some say Sen. Kerry's anti-war stance arose from his political ambitions
since the war was so unpopular, and I cannot say I know his motivations. But when
he ran for congress in 1972 maybe he thought his book and it's cover would be
an embarrassment since it remarkably disappeared from store and library
shelves. I would guess Hercule Poirot himself could not find a copy today.
Many good and decent people other than Sen. Kerry opposed the Vietnam war.
Many of us who fought it hated it, too, I know I did. But like Jane Fonda's
infamous visit to Hanoi in 1972, Sen. Kerry's public actions encouraged our enemy
at a time they were killing America's sons. Decades after the war was done,
interviews with our former enemy's leaders confirmed that public protests in the
US, like Sen. Kerry's, played a significant role in their strategy and worked
against our chances of victory. Many of us wonder which of our brothers who
died young would be alive today had people like Jane Fonda and Sen. Kerry
objected to the war in a more suitable way.
Now that it serves his ambition to be President, Sen. Kerry reminds the
public of his war record daily, but the story of the dark side of that record is
not being told. Many Vietnam veterans have taken notice, and many of us will
vigorously oppose Sen. Kerry's election to any office. I will be one of them.

Terry L. Garlock of Peachtree City, GA was a Cobra helicopter pilot in
Vietnam.

(usma1956) Posted By: BAGNAL Charles W 1956 20783 G1

Finally, I see the Chris Matthews exchange with Lester Holt that you also observed. I wanted to cry, they are acting like President Bush is being deceitful.

They're in the middle of a month-long session of hard-core John Kerry butt-kissing. But then again, there's no media bias...

Here you go everyone. Sorry I didn't format this better earlier (just getting over a flu, and really tired). This is an e-mail we rec'd from several fellow Vets. It is obviously going around in *Vietnam Vet* groups and mailings. Feel free to use it.

FRegards, VH&W
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is an article by Terry Garlock, who flew Cobras in 334th Armed Helicopter Company in RVN.

He was severely injured when a surface to air missle blew off his tail rotor and a portion of the tail boom. Terry spent several years in hospital and therapy. The Atlanta Journal Constitution has an exclusive on this for 30 days, so it can't be published in a newspaper or magazine until after that; but he is allowing this to be sent to you with that understanding. All the Best, Charlie Bagnal

"Many Vietnam Vets Will Object to Kerry"
by Terry Garlock

Now that Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is claiming the veteran vote based on his war record, both sides of that story should be told. To appreciate the dark side of Sen. Kerry's war record, you should know a few things about Vietnam veterans.

For example, having fought in an unpopular war 30 something years ago, and having been awarded medals, is noteworthy. But it doesn't give anyone a pass -- their record and their ideas should be examined on their own merit.

And reporters make a mistake when they divide us into decorated veterans like Sen. Kerry and then all the others. We like to think of ourselves as brothers, whether we fought the enemy directly in combat or served in vital support roles in protected areas that were often exposed to attack.

Even today, after all this time, when two Vietnam veterans meet one another for the first time they are likely to say "Welcome home brother!" because many were never welcomed home - they met the cold shoulder of an ungrateful nation on their return.

Those of us whose job was combat feel a very special brotherhood. We learned to trust our brothers on the ground, on the water and in the air to do the right things to protect one another, even under fire. We came to deeply value the same trust they placed in us, and that mutual trust would form a bond that cannot be fully explained in words.

We quietly feared dying in battle, but there was something we feared even more. We knew if we should panic under fire and fail to do our job, we might lose our brothers' trust or we might lose their lives, and this we feared more than anything.

Like Sen. Kerry, I have a few medals. But among combat veterans, who has what medal doesn't make a dime's worth of difference between us. What matters is that we are, for the rest of our life, brothers who kept faith with one another in a miserable war.

A young John Kerry, however, broke faith with his brothers when he returned to the US. With the financial aid of Jane Fonda he led highly visible protests against the war.

He wrote a book that many considered to be pro-Hanoi, titled The New Soldier. The cover photo of his book depicted veterans in patchwork military uniforms, folding the American flag upside down and mocking the legendary image of Marines raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi in the 1945 battle for Iwo Jima.

Sen. Kerry publicly supported Hanoi's position to use our POWs as a bargaining chip in negotiations for a peace agreement. Sen. Kerry played a key role in "Winter Soldier," a Jane Fonda event where over 100 men, many of whom were later discredited, testified about atrocities committed in the Vietnam war by American soldiers.

In 1971 Sen. Kerry testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and said our soldiers in Vietnam were not America's best, as Vice President Agnew had claimed, but that they were committing widespread rape, torture and murder of Vietnamese civilians. We who were there know that to be untrue. Later that same day Sen. Kerry threw what he said were his medals over a fence in front of the capitol building in protest, on camera of course, but was years later caught in his lie when his medals turned up displayed on his office wall.

Some say Sen. Kerry's anti-war stance arose from his political ambitions since the war was so unpopular, and I cannot say I know his motivations. But when he ran for congress in 1972 maybe he thought his book and it's cover would be an embarrassment since it remarkably disappeared from store and library shelves. I would guess Hercule Poirot himself could not find a copy today.

Many good and decent people other than Sen. Kerry opposed the Vietnam war.

Many of us who fought it hated it, too, I know I did.

But like Jane Fonda's infamous visit to Hanoi in 1972, Sen. Kerry's public actions encouraged our enemy at a time they were killing America's sons.

Decades after the war was done, interviews with our former enemy's leaders confirmed that public protests in the US, like Sen. Kerry's, played a significant role in their strategy and worked against our chances of victory.

Many of us wonder which of our brothers who died young would be alive today had people like Jane Fonda and Sen. Kerry objected to the war in a more suitable way.

Now that it serves his ambition to be President, Sen. Kerry reminds the public of his war record daily, but the story of the dark side of that record is not being told.

Many Vietnam veterans have taken notice, and many of us will vigorously oppose Sen. Kerry's election to any office. I will be one of them.

Terry L. Garlock of Peachtree City, GA was a Cobra helicopter pilot in Vietnam.

(usma1956) Posted By: BAGNAL Charles W 1956 20783 G1