Cleland: Kerry Won't Release Vietnam Medical File

NewsMax ^ | 2/29/04 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Former Sen. Max Cleland said Sunday there was no reason for Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry to release his full medical file - including records documenting the injuries that won him three Purple Hearts in Vietnam - calling requests for the Vietnam records "the height of hypocrisy."

"That might be the height of hypocrisy, for people who never went to Vietnam [to ask for Kerry's wartime medical file]," Cleland, a leading Kerry backer, told WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg.

"I mean - I felt a wound. John Kerry felt a wound," he added.

Sen. Cleland, who lost three limbs in Vietnam but never received a Purple Heart, said Kerry's physical sacrifice had been just as great as his own, telling Malzberg, "I don't see any difference."

When pressed on why he thought Kerry didn't need to release his full medical file, Cleland shot back, "You read the book 'Tour of Duty.' I'm not going to get into an argument with you here. Let's just say, we have a clear choice in America."

However, when asked two weeks ago about the severity of Kerry's wounds, "Tour of Duty's" author Douglas Brinkley explained, "They were minor."

The issue of whether Sen. Kerry should release his medical files could become a prickly one for the candidate, especially since he has been less than forthright about personal medical issues in the past.

In Feb. 2003, Kerry underwent an operation for prostate cancer. But he had declined to reveal the condition for months, even when reporters asked about his health. When he finally went public with the news, Kerry claimed that the cover-up had been necessary because his doctors "had not settled on a course of treatment."

When he ran for president in 2000, George Bush released his full medical file, a disclosure so complete that it came to include Bush's 1970s dental files this year.

The exchange between Cleland and Malzberg went like this:

MALZBERG: There's been criticism, fair or unfair, that within the first 24-hours [John Kerry] had his first purple heart. He got three in four months without even a day of duty lost from wounds, according to his training officer. But he will not release his Purple Heart medical treatment reports to be released. And he is the only person keeping them from being released. Would you call on him to release all of his records, sir?

CLELAND: Well, look here. I mean - ah, ah - I think - ah - that might be the height of hypocrisy, for people who never went to Vietnam - as Shakespeare said, "Those who jest at scars never felt a wound." I mean - I felt a wound. John Kerry felt a wound.

MALZBERG: But you never received a Purple Heart, sir.

CLELAND: May I just say, when he was the skipper of his boat with five enlisted men in that situation - going into the jaws of death every day - he had to rely on his instincts for survival. And he and his crew were one. They were a band of brothers. Now, under that situation they saved each others lives. He also saved the life of a Special Forces officer out of the Mekong Delta River, Jim Rassmussen [sic]. And he is campaigning around America for Kerry even though he's a Republican.

The point being, we've been there, done that, gotten a few holes in our T-shirt and we've come back to America to say, war is the last resort, not the first resort.

MALZBERG: I understand, sir. But you were a hero. You lost three limbs, sir, and you don't have a Purple Heart. He barely missed day and he has three of them. And I'm just saying, why not end the controversy . . . Why not see what the injuries were, sir?

CLELAND: May I just say to you and all your listeners, if you want know the full story of John Kerry and the Vietnam War, just go out and buy a book that's on the New York Times bestseller's list, called "Tour of Duty." . . . If we get bogged down in guerilla wars in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in the Balkans and all around, we're going to see repeats of Vietnam. . .

Now that people are going after John Kerry for supposedly being weak on defense, especially by those who never went to war. I mean, you talk about a short term, George Bush had eight months dropped from his tour. He never even completed his tour of duty.

MALZBERG: Well sir, Kerry got out early, also - Kerry got out six months early as well.

CLELAND: Yeah, because he got wounded.

MALZBERG: But we don't know the extent of those wounds, sir.

CLELAND: I got out five weeks early because I got blown up.

MALZBERG: Yes, but don't you see the difference? You lost three limbs.

CLELAND: I don't see any difference.

MALZBERG: We don't know what happened to Kerry because he won't let us know.

CLELAND: That's not true. You read the book "Tour of Duty." I'm not going to get into an argument with you here. Let's just say, we have a clear choice in America. And the great citizens of New York have a great choice on Tuesday. . . . We don't have to repeat another Vietnam. [END OF EXCERPT]

[WideGlide]

With Hillary on his ticket he won't make it to the first State of the Union Speech. Vince. Vince Foster! What are you doing here?

[FormerACLUmember]

Bush released all of his records, what is Kerry hiding?

Industrial drum purchases of Botox, to mask his cadaverous, scare-the-children true appearance.

[FairOpinion]

"I know I sure don't want folks who didn't go through it with me paasing judgment on how I performed my duty under fire."


====

How about Kerry's commanding officer, is that good enough?

"When Kerry returned to his base, his commanding officer, George Elliott, raised an issue with Kerry: the fine line between whether the action merited a medal or a court-martial.

"When [Kerry] came back from the well-publicized action where he beached his boat in middle of ambush and chased a VC around a hootch and ended his life, when [Kerry] came back and I heard his debrief, I said, `John, I don't know whether you should be court-martialed or given a medal, court-martialed for leaving your ship, your post,"' Elliott recalled in an interview.

"But I ended up writing it up for a Silver Star, which is well deserved, and I have no regrets or second thoughts at all about that," Elliott said. A Silver Star, which the Navy said is its fifth-highest medal, commends distinctive gallantry in action.

Asked why he had raised the issue of a court-martial, Elliott said he did so "half tongue-in-cheek, because there was never any question I wanted him to realize I didn't want him to leave his boat unattended. That was in context of big-ship Navy -- my background. A C.O. [commanding officer] never leaves his ship in battle or anything else. I realize this, first of all, it was pretty courageous to turn into an ambush even though you usually find no more than two or three people there. On the other hand, on an operation some time later, down on the very tip of the peninsula, we had lost one boat and several men in a big operation, and they were hit by a lot more than two or three people."

http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061603.shtml

[FairOpinion]

Kerry to undergo surgery for cancer
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/02/11/kerry.cancer.ap/


Kerry heads home after prostate surgery

BALTIMORE, Maryland (CNN) -- Presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry was discharged from Johns Hopkins Hospital on Saturday, three days after undergoing surgery to remove his cancerous prostate.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/02/15/kerry.prostate/

But we shouldn't talk about this too loudly, or Edwards will end up with the nomination. ;)

[RichInOC]

Why? Did he forget to sit on his helmet once, and get his nads blown off?

[kellynla]

whoa, whoa, whoa...wait just a frigging minute here!!! This clown Kerry has been in office for thirty frigging years and he hasn't released his medical records yet??? And he wants to be POUS? I DON'T THINK SO????... The American people may have been hoodwinked by the last "hero" JFK but this JFK is going to have to pony up or forgetaboutit!!! I've got dollars to donuts that those 3 Purple Hearts are suspect to say the least. We already know the guy is a bald faced liar and a traitor. And I agree with my brother Viet Nam vets, Cleland was a moron to pick up a grenade that had fallen to the floor. That whole deal didn't pass the smell test either! He got blown up because of his stupidity! Semper Fi, Kelly

[river rat]

"That might be the height of hypocrisy, for people who never went to Vietnam [to ask for Kerry's wartime medical file]," Cleland, a leading Kerry backer, told WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg.

Don't talk to me of hypocrisy - you insulting bastards..

I'll ask in the name of my brothers, whose names are inscribed on that wall in Washington..

I'll ask in the name of my brothers whose worse wounds were to their minds - where they continue to fight the horrors and ghosts of that war - and still live in a continuous nightmare...

I'll ask in the name of the widows and orphans - whose love ones couldn't manage a trip back to the world after receiving three or more REAL wounds --- they refused to leave us behind.

I'll ask in the name of all my brothers, that were treated like animals and cursed when we returned - because of the lies spread by assholes like you, Fonda and the VVAW...

I'll ask in the name of loyal ethnic tribes - that stood by us up until the time we deserted them to be murdered and pursued for DECADES after we left....

Perhaps you can hear their voices -- they should haunt you as they haunt me...

For myself - I couldn't care less what you do..
I learned long ago how to distinguish friend from foe......and I've known you as my enemy for decades now...

Semper Fi

[onyx]

BTTT

[onyx]

FO, I can't imagine another democrat candidate making me as raging mad as Kerry does.

[FairOpinion]

"I can't imagine another democrat candidate making me as raging mad as Kerry does."

==

One word for you: Hillary.

I am concerned, what if something happens with the Dem nominee, or if they just get bad polling numbers -- will the Dems pull a switcheroo, as they did, when they substituted Lautenberg for Torricelli, AFTER the primary, for no real acceptable reason, except they were afraid that Torricelli might lose?

I can just see Hillary rise up.

THEN you can be raging mad. ;)

[river rat]

"Why? Did he forget to sit on his helmet once, and get his nads blown off?

Believe it or not....that is the Corps "snipe hunt"... I actually had to ask the old salts in the chopper I joined -why they were siting in their pots.

I really had to think that through for myself...
A head shot risked, to save my jewels......

Dead rather than impotent.....

I kept my helmut on my upper head....hell, it was the largest target anyway.

Semper Fi

[onyx]

One word for you: Hillary.
I can just see Hillary rise up.

THEN you can be raging mad. ;)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -




WHOA! You got me, big time.

[river rat]

"Cleland was a moron to pick up a grenade that had fallen to the floor."

Given that Cleland must have been a fool his entire life --- leading men in a dangerous area.....I wonder why his "accident" was never considered a possible fragging event....

Perhaps it WAS someone else's grenade, flipped out of the departing chopper that he decided not to catch....

I hear it wasn't that uncommon in the Army....

Semper Fi

[Kaslin]

Do you suppose Cleland also considers it the "height of hypocrisy" for people who never served in the National Guard to ask for Bush's military records?

Do you mind if I rephrase that to

Do you suppose Cleland also considers it the "height of hypocrisy" for people who never served in the National Guard or US military to ask for Bush's military records?

[Mudboy Slim]

"3 Band-Aids and I'm Out Kerry"

Zackly...MUD

[Mo1]

If Kerry is soooooooooooo proud of his military record .. One would think he'd want to release them so he could brag some more

[Mudboy Slim]

"I wonder why his "accident" was never considered a possible fragging event...."

Howdy, my FRiend...we get no extra credit fer taking Cleland down...he's a sad enuff character as it is, imho.

FReegards...MUD

[kellynla]

And can you believe this Kerry received 3 PH's, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star in less than four months in Nam...I mean Audie Murphy would have had a difficult time matching that record. LOL The officers must have wrote those commendations up for each other in the Officers Club. S/F Kelly

[Interesting Times]

Not at all...

[Intolerant in NJ]

MALZBERG: Well sir, Kerry got out early, also - Kerry got out six months early as well...the more I read about Kerry, the more I think he was a loose cannon (beaching his boat and jumping ashore to go after a wounded cong, refusing to fire on an enemy village and asking instead to send in psychological warfare specialists, etc) whom his superiors were probably more than happy to endorse for purple heart awards for the least mosquito bite kind of wound just to get him out of their command - and eventually out of the military upon his request for early separation so he could run for political office (really bizarre - how many times has it happened that someone asking to be let go early for any reason - except hardship excuses - actually get to leave, especially in time of war?) - had his family not been well-connected, he just might have been courtmartialled and sent to the brig instead......