Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

When I Met Kerry
unk | unk | unk

Posted on 03/10/2004 10:14:43 AM PST by silverleaf

When I Met Kerry Posted by Guest Blogger at February 7, 2004 11:50 AM Writes Hal Cranmer :

I would like to add my two cents about my John Kerry experience. During my career as an Air Force pilot, I spent two years flying a small twin engine prop plane around the Pacific from my base in Okinawa, Japan. On one trip we had to fly Senator Kerry, his congressional aide, and a Navy Captain (Vietnam, A-4 fighter pilot) who was also in Kerry's party to various locations in Vietnam and Cambodia as part of the MIA/POW talks. When I met him, he was wearing a shirt with a picture of his sailboat on it. I told him I had a small 27 sailboat in Okinawa, he remarked "Oh I never sail on anything less than 135 feet." When we first flew him into Phnom Penh, he went to the back of the airplane and grabbed the pizza that was put aside for the crew and passed it around to his staff. He was never offered any pizza because they were supposed to have lunch with the Cambodian government once we landed. The pizza would have been our only meal that day. Then when we picked him up in Cambodia, he was an hour late getting to the airport. We could not start the engines and therefore the air conditioning until he arrived. Phnom Penh at that time was over 100 degrees with 95% humidity and we were basically sitting in a greenhouse behind the cockpit windows. When he finally did arrive, we were wringing out our clothes from the perspiration. He walks out of the air conditioned car, into the airplane and asks us "Could you guys get the air conditioning running, I'm a little warm?" The other pilot had to physically restrain me from going back there and picking a fight. Then we took him into Noi Bai airfield in Hanoi. After we picked him up the next day (he stayed the night in Vietnam, we stayed in Bangkok) we taxied out, ran up the engines for takeoff, and noticed that our prop rpm was vibrating all over the place. We taxied off to the side to look at it, but there was a good possibility that there was an engine malfunction and the engine may fail if we took off with it. Well, Mr. Senator sticks his head up in the cockpit and says "This plane WILL take off, I have a press conference in Bangkok in three hours!" (Maybe this is an indication of how he will run the FAA). We ran the engines again, and did not have the problem, so we took off and made it back. During the flight, he told everyone how he had taken a Cessna (a small General aviation plane) up with a fighter pilot, and the fighter pilot remarked that Kerry was one of the best pilots he had ever seen. I don't know about other pilots out there, but it's hard to imagine a little, single-engine prop plane pilot being able to show the "right stuff." After Kerry left the plane, the Navy Captain came up to us, apologized and said basically that "he knows Kerry is a jerk" and that we should be glad we don't have to deal with him every day.


TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: 2004; cambodia; character; johnkerry; kerry; mia; military; ohnopostedagain; personalaccount; pow; vietnam
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-43 next last
To: silverleaf
We should treasure every minute of the last 4 years. We have been blessed to have a God fearing Christ centered President who has the respect of our military.
21 posted on 03/10/2004 11:21:11 AM PST by teletech (Friends don't let friends vote DemocRAT!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
This story is somewhat fishy, especially the pizza in Cambodia (where would you get it) and supposedly not being able to start the engines so they couldn't run the AC.

Some kind of verification should be in order.

22 posted on 03/10/2004 11:24:38 AM PST by Lance Romance
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
I once sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a 36' sailboat. I don't even know what a 135' sailboat looks like.
23 posted on 03/10/2004 11:31:12 AM PST by King David (Kerry can't take a punch...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AppyPappy
it was, and has been around for a while. I recieved the same thing in an e-mail last month.
24 posted on 03/10/2004 11:44:31 AM PST by armyboy (Posting from Sustainer Army Airfield Balad, Iraq. All Gave Some...Some Gave All. 58 more days!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

Comment #25 Removed by Moderator

To: silverleaf
More.
26 posted on 03/10/2004 12:00:18 PM PST by Consort
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lance Romance
Kerry made his rounds to "bury" the POW issue and consort with the Cambodians and Vietnamese circa 1992.
As for this account being fishy- well, if you dont think an aircrew could find a pizza in Saigon/aka Ho Chi Minh City (where the flight originated) in 1992, I can't bring you up to speed on the military world, buddy. Sorry.
27 posted on 03/10/2004 12:53:17 PM PST by silverleaf (Fasten your seat belts- it's going to be a BUMPY ride.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: sam_paine
Yeah- until private citizens with stories about Kerry come out of their shells and expose themselves to God knows what kooks, I guess we'll just have to take "the measure of the man" (Kerry) from what seems plausible in what we read.
Not evidence to indict nor an excuse to investigate (arrogance and being a jerk is no crime anyway),- but maybe one more tool in the box of why MY gut says Kerry is a Clinton-clone. Over thirty years of self- seeking narcissitic preoccupation with his own ambition....and damn little regard who gets trampled in his rush to fulfill his "destiny".
Out here.
28 posted on 03/10/2004 12:59:14 PM PST by silverleaf (Fasten your seat belts- it's going to be a BUMPY ride.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
Put it back in your pants pal, I wasn't looking for a pissing contest. I am just somewhat suspect of the story due to lack of details, such as dates and names.

Feel free to "bring me up to speed" on where you would purchase that pizza.

29 posted on 03/10/2004 1:03:37 PM PST by Lance Romance
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
Thanks for the post.
30 posted on 03/10/2004 1:50:28 PM PST by lilylangtree (Veni, Vidi, Vici)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
Too bad the pilot didn't beat the crap out of kerry. He's such a jerk a little a$$ beating would do him good.
31 posted on 03/10/2004 3:12:08 PM PST by Lucky2 (Before I die, I want Bill and Hillary tried for treason and jailed (executed) for their crimess.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
Why am I not surprised. Kerry is very bad news. He's a self-centered, narcissistic, carpetbagging loser of a liar. Besides which, he's a botoxificated dullard and stalker of rich men's daughters and widows. Have I left anything out?
32 posted on 03/10/2004 3:12:51 PM PST by hershey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
bump.


http://W-04.com

33 posted on 03/10/2004 4:14:30 PM PST by W04Man (Bush2004 Grassroots Campaign visit W-04.com for FREE STICKERS)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
I don't know how true this is, but it certainly sounds true.
34 posted on 03/10/2004 5:55:06 PM PST by ItisaReligionofPeace (I'm from the government and I'm here to help.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maceman
Never underestimate the arrogance and nerve of a limousine liberal.
35 posted on 03/10/2004 5:57:09 PM PST by ItisaReligionofPeace (I'm from the government and I'm here to help.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
Bump
36 posted on 03/10/2004 6:03:36 PM PST by Fiddlstix (This Space Available for Rent or Lease by the Day, Week, or Month. Reasonable Rates. Inquire within.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: YepYep
M-m-m-m, wonder if Kerry has every shown this side of his personality to any others, perhaps to any people of color...??

And wonder, if so, will this information ever make it to the news media?

Well here is some campaign footage of Bill Clinton groping a stewardess (note his hand moving to her inner thigh while she tries to restrain him). The press didn't make a big deal out of it (even though it appears that there is an ABC logo in the corner):

The press gives a pass on some personality issues and not on others (depending on the party). Anyone remember the "Clymer" issue and how it was used to paint a portrait of candidate Bush?

37 posted on 03/10/2004 7:38:29 PM PST by weegee ('...Kerry is like that or so a crack sausage.')
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: TonyRo76
Egads! The Howells were paupers by comparison.
38 posted on 03/10/2004 7:41:29 PM PST by weegee ('...Kerry is like that or so a crack sausage.')
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
Formatting?
I can't read this- maybe HTML bootcamp is in order.
39 posted on 03/10/2004 8:20:02 PM PST by Limbaudda
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lance Romance
Gee, I wear bloomers, and what I put in there is none of yer businesss.

Obviously the posting lacks details- an investigator (not me) could narrow this down by checking out who was the USDAO flying VIPs around at a time when Kerry and some strap-hanging Navy O-6 minder/baggage boy pranced thru Cambodia and Vietnam to make it look like they were interested in finding our POW/MIA's before Vietnam gave Stewie Forbes (Kerry Cousin by marriage) a $10 billion development contract.

Now- IF the guy who wrote this is retired from the military and free to speak his mind on politics, and IF he realizes his story has reached internet "legend" status, and IF he wants to put up with the shit that will be flung at him and his family by rabid leftwingers- then MAYBE we'll get a verification of his bona fides. MAYBE he'll step forward and take a bow.

BTW- IF he was USDAO and IF he was based out of Bangkok like he says- he prob'ly picked up his dinner from the Pizza Hut at Don Muang. Anything beats those crew-dog box lunches with mystery meat sandwiches and a shriveled up apple.
40 posted on 03/11/2004 8:24:09 AM PST by silverleaf (Fasten your seat belts- it's going to be a BUMPY ride.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-43 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson