Posted on 02/22/2004 1:35:58 PM PST by KQQL
VIETNAM has been the defining issue for John Kerry. His status as a decorated war hero has helped to propel him to the front of the pack of Democrat candidates seeking to evict George W.Bush from the White House. Conservative critics believe he has been given a free ride for too long on his war record, however, and are planning a fightback.
Support for their case is expected to come from a book to be published next month by reporters from The Boston Globe in Kerry's home state of Massachusetts. The book, JF Kerry, the Complete Biography, will question the extent of his injuries in Vietnam and whether he was entitled to an early release from the war.
Vietnam, The Washington Post opined at the weekend, "is a double-edged issue" for the 60-year-old Democratic frontrunner. Kerry has not authorised the release of his war records - a strange omission, say his political foes, given the ferocity with which his supporters have demanded to see every last document of Bush's military service in the Texas Air National Guard.
"Vietnam is such a crucial part of his background and his campaign, you would think he would want people to see them," said Rich Lowry, editor of National Review, a conservative journal. "There is going to be pressure on him to release them."
Kerry, who is surrounded on the stump by the "band of brothers" who fought with him in the Mekong Delta, became a fierce public critic of the Vietnam War after he left the navy.
A faked photograph of Kerry sharing a microphone with Jane Fonda was a warning of how his opposition to the conflict would be used against him. There also has been much criticism of the way he threw away another man's medals rather than his own during a 1971 protest demonstration.
Kerry's conduct during the war, however, was until now thought to be sacrosanct. Unlike many of his generation, he volunteered for service in Vietnam. He went on to perform heroically as the skipper of a Swift boat patrolling Vietcong-infested waters, and won a Bronze Star and a Silver Star for bravery.
Kerry served only four months of a year-long tour of duty after he received three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action. The injuries were not serious; by his own account, one shrapnel wound laid him off for two days and the other two did not interrupt his duties.
Five of his friends died in action and his medals show that, at the very least, he had several brushes with death. The future senator then invoked what he insists was a "three and you're out" rule enabling a soldier with three Purple Hearts to be sent home.
He requested a transfer and was given a plum job as an admiral's aide in Brooklyn. He returned to the US a bitter opponent of the war and was released from the army early.
In response to an inquiry from The Sunday Times, Kerry's campaign staff gave the newspaper a copy of naval regulations stating that "all naval personnel" who are "wounded three times, regardless of the nature of the wound or the treatment required for each wound" may be reassigned.
A spokesman for the US Navy said, however, that such redeployment was not automatic: "It would depend a lot on the nature of the injuries."
Ted Sampley, who runs Vietnam Vets Against John Kerry, said if a soldier could be sent home for minor wounds, "there would have been a lot of people claiming scratches, getting their Purple Hearts and getting out of there".
Sampley believes that the well-connected Kerry - photographed with president John F.Kennedy as a young man - simply received favourable treatment. "How many other people were able to get out of Vietnam early and be reassigned to a cushy post?" he said.
You know what else, I'm really starting to form a general dislike for generals.
Are you a Ralph Peters fan? I happen to really like him because, number 1, he's very experienced and knowledgeable (sp?), and number 2, he loves the Soldier, that is the fighting men, and I do too. Anyway, he wrote a piece back several weeks ago on generals, and lets just say that I became more than a little nauseous (sp?).
Once again, cynicom, God bless and keep you and yours.
Alb...
Though he served two tours, there was a big difference between serving on coastal/river patrol and being on a big ship at sea which is not in harm's way.
I will take issue with you somewhat. I served 8 months off the coast on an LPH (including 65 days straight at sea) and one year in country. Just because you were on a big ship didn't mean you were out of harms way. A good friend of mine almost lost his life on the USS Oriskany, CVA 34, which had a major fire that cost 44 men their lives in Oct 1966 off the coast of Vietnam. There were plenty of lives lost and others injured on our ships due to accidents and handling ammo, etc., associated with high temp ops in a war zone. I received combat pay for both assignments, at sea and ashore.
I'm getting the feeling that Kerry requested the Swift Boat assignment in order to get his "JFK PT-109" ticket punched, in order to use it (like LBJ and JFK) to leverage a run for office.
When he got home, war heroes were out of style, and war protestors were the flavor of the month, so he changed tacks to sail with the new wind.
Now, 40 years later, he's trying to run again as a "noble war hero."
Which was it? Depends on what he wants, at the time.
It is possible. When did such info become sealed anyway? I thought the reasons for medals were part of the public record?
The Boston Globe has printed it before......
To show the value of medals, all are not equal, check history about LBJ "winning" a Silver Star. After one does that, you have a better sense of balance when a man broadcasts that he has a Star.
But what we are talking about is VIET NAM, so don't try to be slick here. We know the difference.
After taking a belt of .50 cal from the swift boat, I doubt that VC had much fight left in him anyways. I'm guessing if Kerry even did see the VC....he was in small pieces by that time. It would be interesting to see the narrative on the citation for the silver star.....and to learn who wrote it.
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