Posted on 03/07/2004 7:14:00 PM PST by Hon
Joe Bangert has been a friend and supporter of John Kerry for many years. He was in the Vietnam Veterans Against The War (VVAW) with Kerry.
He was with Kerry when he spoke from the same stage as Jane Fonda at Valley Forge in the culmination of the four day Operation RAW rally:
"[Kerry] was our ragtag commander at Valley Forge," says veterans organizer Joe Bangert. Source
Bangert was with Kerry at the Winter Soldier Investigation in Detroit where he gave this testimony which was later submitted into the Congressional record and included in then included Kerry's suppressed book "The New Soldier".
When Kerry turned to running for office, Bangert was there. He helped Kerry during his Senate campaign in 1984, for instance:
US Senate candidate John Kerry is flanked by fellow Vietnam veterans in front of the State House on September 12, 1984, as he receives their endorsement. Speaking is Joe Bangert, US Marine Sergeant and helicopter gunner. Source
So of course when Kerry decided to run for the Presidency, Bangert was there again with him by his side:
Bangert among group in New Hampshire stumping for senator
Joe Bangert attended a great party in New Hampshire Tuesday night - the victory rally for Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, whose presidential campaign got a boost with a win in the nation's first primary.
Bangert, a longtime Kerry friend and supporter, was in the Granite State working at the Kerry Headquarters as part of Veterans for Kerry.
Bangert was busy "working the phones," calling veterans and their families. It was a tough job at times, because voters were becoming somewhat jaded. "The poor people from New Hampshire, they've been courted" by all the campaigns," he said. "You'll call someone and they'll say, 'This is the eighteenth call I've gotten today.'" But his status as a veteran reaching out to a fellow veteran helped a lot, he said. "There is a connection immediately."
Bangert, who served as a Marine in Vietnam, first met Kerry shortly after he came home in 1970 and joined Vietnam Veterans Against the War, of which Kerry was a prominent member. The group marched to Valley Forge in September of that year, and Kerry spoke at the event. Bangert was impressed, and years later, in 1984, worked on Kerry's campaign.
Many veterans are drawn to Kerry - who served two tours of duty in Vietnam - because of his military service, said Bangert. Veterans, Bangert said, have been an untapped political resource. "Veterans account for 19 percent of the population, and they've never been mobilized," Bangert said.
Major America Veterans for John Kerry
Kerry's Veterans Brigade
Support the Troops - My Son and Daughter are TROOPS
They want a Commander-In-Chief they can be PROUD of -
a combat VETERAN with the COURAGE to stand up for what he believes!!!
BRING ON THE CHICKENHAWKS -
BRING IT ON
OUT THE DOOR IN 2004!!! Source
And Bangert was with Kerry on the stage when he celebrated his break through victory in New Hampshire:
Joe Bangert of Brewster can be seen directly behind Teresa Heinz Kerry in this photo from CNN of the Kerry camp celebrating John Kerry's victory in the New Hampshire primary. Bangert, like Kerry a Vietnam veteran, was in New Hampshire for five days working on Kerry's campaign. Source
One wonders then how many veterans know the other side of Joe Bangert. The one that got up on a stage with Pete Seeger last year at Joe's Pub in New York to sing the Viet Cong's Anthem and to sing the praises of Ho Chi Minh.
Songs Performed at Joe's Pub
Click on highlighted song titles for mp3s.
| PETE SEEGER Give Peace A Chance (Lennon) Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Harburg) Take it from Dr. King (Seeger) |
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| JOE BANGERT Ballad of Ho Chi Minh (MacColl) Giai Phong Mien Nam (Luu Huu Phuoc) |
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When Vietnam veteran Joe Bangert took the stage, he announced he'd been waiting to perform the "Ballad of Ho Chi Minh" for 30 years. He gave an acappella reading of Ewan MacColl's ode to the president of North Vietnam, and everyone joined in on the familiar refrain. As they marched down the Ho Chi Minh trail, soldiers sang a tune less familiar to western audiences, "Giai Phong Mien Nam." Bangert, who lived in Vietman for several years in the '90s, sang the song in its original Vietnamese.
It's not the first time that Bangert has sung these songs for an audience. He sang them for the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese representatives when he visited them (probably with John Kerry) in France in 1971.
From the Peggy Seeger (sister of Pete) website:
Dear Sister Peggy,
Greetings from Cape Cod! My name is Joe Bangert, and I eyed your name on the email list from an email I received today from a mutual friend- Barbara Dane- and was motivated to introduce myself to you and tell you- apart from my love of both you and your brother's musical and artistic contributions to at least three generations of my family- how gratified I am to share with you my deep admiration of Ewan's 'Ballad of Ho Chi Minh'.
Sure I learned it by heart- after returning home from my stint as a door gunner on a Marine helicopter in Quang Tri, Viet Nam circa 1969. Six months later I upped and joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), and later met Barbara in Paris at the World Assembly for the Peace and Independence of the Indochinese Peoples at Versailles. We had a great banquet with the diplomatic delegations of both the DRVN and the PRGSVN and later some music began- Barbara sang the 'Song of the Coats' and the only song the young boisterous delegation from the USA could all agree on singing together by heart when asked to sing 'an American worker's song' was "Mercedes Benz" by Janis Joplin.
Barbara then asked me to join her on the stage- for I had boldly decided to wear a close fitting shirt which had emblazened on the front of it- the flag of the National Liberation Front of south Viet Nam. It was then that I belted out both "We Will Liberate the South" (Giai Phong Mien Nam) the national anthem of the NLF in Vietnamese- for I am a linguist- and ended that portion of the show with the Ballad of Uncle Ho. It was a show stopper to say these least
Since then I have sang Ewan's delightful song over one thousand times indeed- and when I was working back in Viet Nam, in Ha Noi from 1992-1997 I had the occasion to sing it and teach it to virtually thousands upon thousands of younger Vietnamese boys and girls-I always give Ewan the credit for penning it.
I just wanted you to know that this song rocks even in 2002~!
Best Regards,
Joe Bangert
For those of you who might not be familiar with the National Anthem of the Viet Cong, here are a few lyrics from "Giai Phong Mien Nam":
A good chance for the country has come
Dawn is lighting up everywhere
And our task is to build a more beautiful country
--by Huynh Minh Sieng.
And here is the start of the song, "The Ballad Of Ho Chin Minh":
Now Ho Chi Minh went to the mountains
And he trained a determined band
Heroes all, sworn to liberate the Indo-Chinese people
Drive invaders from the land.
--by Ewan MacColl
Again, I wonder how many veterans know that Joe Bangert gave aid and comfort to the enemy during a shooting war. And that he is so proud of it.
Duties of a WWII Combat Medic (submitted by Alain Batens)
Medical Corpsmen : First-Aid Man, Hospital Orderly, Litter Bearer or Ambulance Driver have identical Classification or Military Occupational Specialty which is MOS 657 . (Classification is the awarding of a MOS number based on all pertinent data concerning ability, education, training, intelligence, aptitude, occupational history, military experience, interests, personal traits, and other demonstrated qualifications . Such information will be clearly recorded so that each individual’s skills will be evaluated and used to the end that the individual will be assigned to duties in which he is of the most value to the Armed Forces) . Duties of a Medical Corpsman : Administers first-aid treatment to sick, injured, or wounded . Performs various duties to assist technicians in Medical Department activities . Treats minor injuries and wounds, such as cuts, blisters, contusions, and lacerations, applying medicants and bandaging wounds . Makes and applies arm or leg splints, treats patients for shock, and stops bleeding by applying tourniquet at pressure points . Lifts patient onto litter, and carries to Aid Stations, Ambulance Loading Points, or Collecting Stations . Performs routine duties in the care and treatment of patients, taking temperature and pulse readings, bathing and feeding patients, and preparing patients for operations . Makes beds, cleans and washes equipment and floors, and assists in sterilizing instruments . Performs related duties as directed . Must have received medical basic training .
Other specialties & related MOS numbersEnlisted Men Dental Laboratory Technician (067) Instrument Repairman Non-Electrical (098) Laundry Technician (102) Laundry Maintenance Mechanic (104) Sanitary Technician (196) Radiology Technician (264) Optician (365) Orthopedic Mechanic (366) Medical Technician (409) Medical Administrative Specialist (673) Medical Supply Technician (825) Medical Laboratory Technician (858) Pharmacy Technician (859) Surgical Technician (861) Officers Medical Registrar (2431) Post Surgeon (3001) General Duty (3100) Gastro-Enterologist (3105) Opthalmologist & Otorhinolaryngologist (3106) Cardiologist (3107) Obstetrician & Gynecologist (3108) Urologist (3111) Dermatologist (3112) Allergist (3113) Anesthetist (3115) Communicable Disease (3116) Ophthalmologist (3125) Otorhinolaryngologist (3126) Neuropsychiatrist (3130) Neurosurgeon (3131) Internist (3139) General Surgery (3150) Thoracic Surgeon (3151) Plastic Surgeon (3152) Orthopedic Surgeon (3153) Venereal Disease Control (3155) Dental Officer (3170) Oral Dental Surgeon (3171) Exodontist (3172) Periodontist (3174) Prosthodontist (3175) Medical Inspector (3301) Medical Laboratory (3303) Radiologist (3306) Bacteriologist (3307) Biochemist (3309) Parasitologist (3310) Serologist (3311) Entomologist (3315) Pathologist (3325) Physical Therapy Aide (3418) Hospital Dietitian (3420) Administrative Nurse (3430) Operating Room Nurse (3443) Anesthetist Nurse (3445) General Duty Nurse (3449) Medical Supply Officer (4490) Laundry Officer (4830) Sanitary Engineer (7960)
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Please email me with any comments mailto:steinert@worldnet.att.net David Steinert © Copyright 2000 |
http://home.att.net/~steinert/duties_of_a_wwii_combat_medic.htm
3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
If this is the case, Kerry can be stopped unless the Congress approves him PRIOR TO THE ELECTION by a 2/3 vote in both the House and Senate. Hummmmmm? Might be worth a try - it might bring on Hillary, but we are going to have to defeat her sometime, why not now, when she's not ready and doesn't want to run.....it would destroy the Clinton's strategry.
On the other hand there was never any declaration of war in Vietnam. Also, no charges were ever filed against Kerry, so there's not any court verdict saying he guilty of giving aid and comfort to the enemy. This amendment was written just after the Civil War. I'm sure if a former Confederate general tried to run for president, Congress would not have approved him. It really is a part of the Constitution with no teeth.
I agree. However you never met John (I never knew his last name) who was the dockmaster at the Kona Kai Marina in San Diego. (Now called the Shelter Point Marina and Inn)
He was in the first wave on Guadacanal, Pelieu, Tarawa and Iwo Jima. He was a wonderful tough old bird that didn't talk much about his experiences - but on the few times I was around when it came up, you could see the fight, the pain and the hate for the enemy in his eyes.
John passed on a year or so ago. He was a hunble hero.... a breed we will never have enough of.
Victor Davis Hanson's cousin Victor Hanson was killed on Sugar Loaf Hill on May 19, 1945...perhaps he was one of the casualties Uncle Joe tried to save.
Maybe Joe Bangert was a My-Cong! Yikes. I think I saw him once doing Agent Orange stuff, like 25 years ago, same Joe Bangert ya think?
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A lot of the Winter Soldier testimony is made up, you know. I think a lot of vets were sick of the war. They received no acclaim for serving, but suddenly got stature from both being "disturbed and traumatized" by the war. Suddenly they got their 15 minutes of fame by laying bare their souls about war crimes.
I have frequently heard people claiming to be Marine Vets talk about the awful times they had in "the Nam". They usually claim to be Marines, and go at length about the atrocities they were engaged in. I usually ask them what unit they served in, and they will make up some number that is not in the Marine Corps. They won't know what bases they operated out of. So only believe about 1% of what you hear.
A typical example of an individual who is slinging BS big time is this guy Bangert from the Winter Soldier Investigation. Here's a summary of what he told the Winter Soldier "Investigation":
Joe Bangert enlists in 1968, and serves in VMO-6, an aviation unit that flies very small observation planes. Banger does not state his MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), but almost all the enlisted men in these units were maintenance types - fix airplanes, attach bombs, fix radios, etc. They usually did not fly, and they saw very little combat.
Bangert says he sees a truck load of Marines murder a bunch of children on his first day with two officers present. Then he sees bodies "crucified" on perimeter wire, apparently cut up with knives and hung on the wire. Then he has a friend who is CIA who takes him somewhere, murders a woman with twenty shots, then cuts open her vagina, takes out her organs and skins her. The perpetrator was a former military officer, and two other field grade officers knew about it.
Then Bangert works with the pacification program in Vietnam, and travels extensively through Quang Tri Province. He sees approximately twenty deformed infants under the age of one.
Bangert sees journalists, specifically women journalists who were readily welcomed into the unit. There was always this whitewashing thing. Well, sometimes these people would go right past the bodies and come into our base to get a story. They were kept away from the enlisted men, away from the people who were involved. The typical thing was to take them down to the Officers Club, get them soused.
Elsewhere in his testimony, Bangert claims to be a door gunner with two helo units.
Anybody who believes these tall tales is awfully gullible. Bangert worked for a light observation squadron - very little combat. The men worked like coolies, often 16 hours a day 7 days a week, servicing planes, refueling, rearming, preparing, cleaning, maintaining. Usually they did not fly. They did not get to wander off on secret CIA missions. They did not participate in the CAP program - these were separate small units who lived permanently in villages, protecting the villages from the VC. They did not get to wander around Quang Tri looking at deformed kids. He states on his first day he sees a bunch of kids murdered on Route 1 -- this the main thoroughfare through the area, not some remote area. Can you imagine the press coverage? He says the press saw the crucified bodies, but were wooed with booze and did not report on this. Come on, get real.
So how much is the rest fabricated? Some no doubt is true. When a story is limited, it is more credible. But a lot of it is people telling tales, pathological liars and just plain liars. Bangert leads a rich fantasy llfe suitable for Stephen King.
As the song says, "lie lie lie, lie lie lie lie, lie lie lie, lie lie lie..."
Sen Star
We're accumulating reports that subject the wild claims of the Winter Soldier witnesses to the harsh light of reality. Thanks for this excellent example.
-- Admin
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