Kerry supports probe of Vietnam War atrocities

Toledo Blade ^ | February 26, 2004 | JOE MAHR

[secretagent]

- Three decades after testifying to Congress about Vietnam war crimes, Sen. John Kerry voiced support for an investigation of the longest-known series of atrocities by a U.S. fighting unit in Vietnam and what led the Army to conceal the case for decades.

"I think the truth ought to (come) out," the Democratic presidential front-runner told The Toledo (Ohio) Blade after a speech at the University of Toledo.

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, became the second Democratic candidate to push for answers in the wake of the Blade's October series, "Buried Secrets, Brutal Truths."

The newspaper documented how a special Army platoon called Tiger Force brutalized civilians and enemy prisoners during a sweep of 40 villages in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1967 - with an estimated death toll in the hundreds.

Since publication of the series, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has asked acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee to investigate what happened to the case.

That has prompted Army investigators this week to begin interviewing former soldiers about the war crimes they saw committed by fellow members of Tiger Force, a special platoon of the 101st Airborne Division created to "out-guerrilla" the communist guerrilla fighters.

Kerry said he would not yet support a congressional hearing on the case - contrary to fellow presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, a congressman from Ohio. But he would not rule one out, either, if the Army does not do a good job probing the case.

"Obviously, if I'm president of the United States ... I can promise you that we'll get to the bottom of it," Kerry said. "Hopefully, these guys (in the Army) will be able to do that now. If they don't, maybe we need to do something further."

Kerry is no stranger to the issue of war crimes. After the former Navy lieutenant returned from Vietnam, he became a lead spokesman for a veterans group opposed to the war and testified at an April 1971 Senate hearing about brutalities relayed to him by other Vietnam veterans - garnering national attention.

By then, the Army already had spent two months investigating the allegations against Tiger Force. The case would continue to be investigated through 1975.

The murder suspects included the platoon's lieutenant, who told the Blade last year that he was summoned to the Pentagon in November 1975 and told the case had been closed with no charges.

It remains unclear just who made the decision to kill the case.

Top Pentagon generals of that era have said they do not remember the case. So has Rumsfeld, who took over as secretary of defense the same month that the platoon lieutenant was summoned to the Pentagon.

Rumsfeld served for more than a year in that Cabinet post under President Gerald Ford. He was reappointed to it in 2001 by President Bush.

[secretagent]

Move and countermove.

[steplock]

Sure - Let's start with Kerry, Fonda, clinton, clark, and to be non-partisan, even McCain's accepting of 'special favors'.

[cyncooper]

It is becoming more clear why Chris Matthews and Bob Kerrey said President Bush owes the American people comments about Vietnam.

I about fell out of my chair because they made it sound like he was responsible. I guess the tack will be to tag him with this investigation or risk being labeled as hiding something.

[plain talk]

"Hopefully, these guys (in the Army) will be able to do that now.

Do what? Ignore your sorry arse?

[Williams]

Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me.

[savedbygrace]

"Obviously, if I'm president of the United States ... I can promise you that we'll get to the bottom of it," Kerry said. "Hopefully, these guys (in the Army) will be able to do that now. If they don't, maybe we need to do something further."

Translation: If they don't find anyone guilty, I will."

[Kakaze]

Great....... terrorist wander the country , we've got a real live war on 3 fronts. Not to mention the normal problems with being the worlds policeman and Kerry's idea of leading us to the future is to re-fight the vietnam war.

[Ragirl]

If ketchup boy wants to continue to open the wounds of Vietnam, he should be ready to answer some difficult questions as well! After all, he admitted to being a war criminal and he's running for president. The people deserve to know the truth about John Fing Kerry.

[pabianice]

Oh, THIS will sure make the Vietnam issue go away. Kerry is proving to be a moron kept alive only by his handlers.

[Kakaze]

" The people deserve to know the truth about John Fing Kerry. "

I'm with you. They say the guilty always return to the scene of the crime....and Kerry always returns to vietnam. I think theres a war criminal inside him just dieing to be exposed and punished. He's a sick man.

[joesnuffy]

If persons who are planting booby traps...manning spider hole sniper positions...or command det 105 mm rounds strung up in trees and kill to maim our guys...at night are considered Viet Cong

Then how can these same persons be considered civilians during the day as they tend to their farms gardens and pretend to live the lives of innocent non combatants?

If it is only legal to kill them if you catch them in the act...how many GIs will you have to allow them to kill while you are trying to be in the right place at that exact moment in time.....when they spring their trap and miss...and aren't able to escape into the jungle...and you can catch them?

How many times do you think you will be able to catch them at exactly that moment and at that time...? What do you suppose their kill ratio will be compared to yours?

And how many times will they be able to strike kill and get away back to their daylight cover where the Politically Correct back home...believe they must be allowed to stay unharmed...to regroup resupply and strike again the next night or the night after that....

And if some of these pseudo civilians happen to be women and what the good average American feels are children (but the VC and NVA don't consider them children but valuable guerrilla assets)...do they get to kill you and you cannot them because they are off limits (much like certain sanctuaries were off limits ...where of course the enemy stores personnel and equipment)

So according to Kerry...killing VC and NVA assets rather than letting them kill our guys...
is a war crime...

I really detest that hypocrite POS and anyone who thinks like him...

Of course...his Forbes relatives are making big real estate deals for beach front property on the South China Sea? ..and Kerry has proven himself to be a good loyal commie fellow traveler
scum bag

imo

[MEG33]

I found this Toledo Blade series .The Pentagon is investigating now(February 15,2004 Blade story).While we examine our atrocities ,I'd love some testimony about what the Cong did to the Vietnamese. Just a little balance about the enemy's habits.

[MEG33]

Google "atrocities,Toledo Blade".It is a series they did last year.

[Dallas59]

This man is not 21st century Presidential material.

[MEG33]

#10..

[MEG33]

Oops#12.

[Bogey78O]

Oh this is gold.

Kerry to Army- "When I'm president your asses will serve under the UN and your retirees will go to jail."

[eeriegeno]

Seems to me that Kerry was AWOL as a US Senator if he didn't call for an investigation (if this, and a big IF, was a problem) during his years in the Senate? Surely, the good people of this country can't be believing the bilge that he is spewing?????

[wagglebee]

If Kerry wants to start investigations of things that happened 30+ years ago, maybe he should look a little closer to home and start asking Teddy how much much scotch it took to forget there was another person in the car he drove off a bridge. Until then, if we were so cruel to the Vietcong, why did we "lose" the war?

[MEG33]

I think one could say that if he had only his voting record exposed.

There is something about him that makes me very afraid of putting our nation in his hands.I believe he wants to punish America for the wrongs he perceives in Viet Nam.I believe he is a communist sympathizer.I know he is left wing.