Vietnam War Illuminates, Shadows Kerry's Campaign ["John Kerry was a traitor to the men he served wi

LA Times ^ | February 16, 2004 | John M. Glionna

[Hon]

[Please note that this article was posted twice before, but the excerpts only featured the first couple of paragraphs, so no one seems to have noticed these comments from retired Naval Commander, Paul Galanti:]

On April 22, 1971, the day before he threw away his combat ribbons, Kerry testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivering a powerful message that Brinkley says convinced many Americans their country was waging an immoral war.

Kerry's testimony was the lead news story on all three networks that evening, making him one of the faces Americans attached to the antiwar movement.

Dressed in his combat fatigues and ribbons, he told Congress that U.S. soldiers had "raped, cut off ears, cut off heads … randomly shot at civilians … in a fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan." He later acknowledged that he did not witness the crimes himself but had heard about them from others.

The speech prompted the Nixon administration to open a file on Kerry, who was placed under FBI surveillance. It also brought him lasting enmity among some Vietnam veterans who say Kerry broad-brushed them as a group of maladjusted, dysfunctional losers.

Paul Galanti learned of Kerry's speech while held captive inside North Vietnam's infamous "Hanoi Hilton" prison. The Navy pilot had been shot down in June 1966 and spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war.

During torture sessions, he said, his captors cited the antiwar speeches as "an example of why we should cross over to [their] side."

"The Viet Cong didn't think they had to win the war on the battlefield," Galanti said, "because thanks to these protesters they were going to win it on the streets of San Francisco and Washington."

He says Kerry broke a covenant among servicemen never to make public criticisms that might jeopardize those still in battle or in the hands of the enemy.

Because he did, Galanti said, "John Kerry was a traitor to the men he served with."

Now retired and living in Richmond, Va., Galanti, 64, refuses to cool his ire toward Kerry.

"I don't plan to set it aside. I don't know anyone who does," he said. "The Vietnam memorial has thousands of additional names due to John Kerry and others like him."

[GOP_1900AD]

Excellent!

[miserare]

Traitor John is a disgrace to the men he served with in Vietnam. Reading stories about his exploits and all the medals he received in the six months that he was there is unbelievable. The three purple hearts were probably received for cutting his finger while opening a rations can with the can opener we were all issued during our time in service which we hung on our dog tags for future use. The bronze star was probably given for his harrowing trips up the Mekong river, and the silver star was probably given because he supposedly went back to pick up a G.I that he left on the beach. Probably the only reason he went back was because he had somebody like a higher rank or that G.I.'s buddy screaming at him.
What I would like to know is why didn't he pull a Teddy Kennedy and get himself declared 4F or buy his way out of service?
All I can say is that if he becomes the president, our country are in for a bad time. He'd want to sell our souls to the UN which has been a usless organization since the day it was set up and which I'm sure 90+ percent of Americans would like to throw out of the U.S..

[SAMWolf]

I've never seen anyone turn a 4 month tour into such a circus. I know people who did multiple tours and they don't play it up as much as this POS.

[Palladin]

Kerry is a phony from the word go. Chameleon-like, he changes shapes and colors according to whichever way the wind is blowing. He'll do anything to get elected, like marrying that ugly hag with all the money, or voting to legalize the sucking-out of babies' brains in partial birth abortions to get the feminazi vote.

Then he goes to the altar rail and receives Communion!

Not even Fat Teddy is as much of a hypocrite as John Kerry.

[SAMWolf]

Then he goes to the altar rail and receives Communion!

And the Bishops and Cardinals don't have the Guts to refuse him Communion.

[Palladin]

They're too busy having orgies in their Pink Palaces.

[SAMWolf]

Yeah. They definately need some house cleaning there.