More on Kerry's Medals...

email to WinterSoldier.com | March 10, 2003 | David W. Murray

[harpseal]

There is a group of game Warden vetrans arround the New London area and though I did not know Kerry personally his reputation there was not good.

It does irritate me that they might not be justified. All medals are awarded not earned except t

[redhawk34]

"Thanks to Mr. Murray for his service to our country."
Your comment is much appreciated, Sir, but I could do no other. I'm proud to say that my family has a tradition of "showing up", and I grew up with the assumption that I, too would serve.
WWI; both grandfathers, US Navy and Ulster Rifles.
WWII; Dad, Royal Navy (He's a war bride)
Mom, US Army Nurse, North Africa, Italy, Sardinia, Southern France.
Uncle, turned 18 on Guadalcanal, USMC
Korea; Same Uncle, still in, got to visit scenic Chosin.
Vietnam; Cousin, Infantry Lieutenant.
Brother-in-Law, Navy Corpsman with a Marine Rifle Platoon.
Myself, Infantry Boat Coxswain.
Desert Storm; My Baby Sister went as a US Army Nurse
(Mother and daughter Army Nurses, deployed 50 years apart!)
No 20 year men, not one was drafted.
Please excuse this post, but I am very proud of this.
Redhawk34
Dave Murray

[Kenny Bunk]

This post points out one of the most glaring inequities of military service in that era. The Army, Air Force, and Navy had different, and constantly changing standards for awarding decorations of any kind.

In outfits like the post writer's, with a CO of integrity, there was obviously a much different standard at perhaps a different time-frame than the one that concerned Kerry.

Also notice that the tiny patrol craft skippered by Kerry obviously called for an officer in command, while the Army boats, much larger, much more strategically important, and much better armed and armored, were under the command of Sergeants!! Of course the Sergreant's operational comments are absolutely correct, and if Kerry did as advertised, he deserves a court martial, not a medal.

Again, I don't know my chronolgies here, but if Kerry were already a Kennedy protege, the medal thing could have been run from DC, to which the Navy had a much more direct pipeline than anyone else, being in charge of our (scandalously compromised) communications. At any rate, my impression was that a Naval Officer recommended for any decoration was a great deal more of a "sure thing," than any recommendation for an officer from the Army or Air Force... and definitely more than any enlisted man. (Althought from time to time, I always thought the whole enterprise was so medal-happy that we'll never be able to separate medal fact from medal fancy! E.G., my PH was for VERY MINOR wounds, (cut about the face and neck by fragments and flying debris and nicely stitched up in two small places) but I was not allowed back on full duty for 10 days. And I certainly had nothing to do with awarding the medal to myself!)

At any rate, I do believe that Kerry has very adroitly removed the in-VietNam service-and-medal issue from the table up front by his attack on George's ANG service, which while entirely praiseworthy, was frankly not of "stellar" quality.

So as a practical matter, let's commend Kerry for his service while in theater, or maybe not mention it, but condemn him long and loud for his traitorous post-service career as a member of groups which advocated assassination of political and military leaders here at home and caused untold grief to people like John McCain and other POW's.

We are up against a very wily and tenacious opponent with a lot of cards up his sleeve, and with a powerful built-in media cheering section. That doesn't mean he gets to name the game all the time. The VietNam medals thing is not a winner for us...the treasonous behaviour could be if we play it right.

[river rat]

Being a Jarhead, I've never served aboard either a Swift or PBR....

BUT --- in our earlier positions, we relied heavily upon the small PRBs for control, interdiction and cover on the narrowest waterways... and to practice capitalism in the boonies by trading with their crews from time to time with "unmentionable tradegoods"... We interfaced routinly with a couple of specific crews and came to know them and their tactics in the VERY close quarters they operated within....when they worked in our immediate area..

I would bet my mother's farm --- and my grandmother's rum producing cow - that they would never BEACH their craft during a firefight or while under attack.... unless it was necessary to evacuate their crew to a safe haven...

I would love to hear from anyone that could defend the actions of Kerry - to have beached his craft in a hot zone - to pursue a wounded charlie...

Our gunny would have called Kerry's action a dumb assed John Wayne stunt - and "I'll shoot the next sonofabitch that pulls a stunt like that on my watch"....

Kerry put his entire crew and ship at risk, to conduct a worthless stunt, and stage a political career bragging point....

Just one old man's opinion....


Semper Fi

[river rat]

"The VietNam medals thing is not a winner for us...the treasonous behaviour could be if we play it right."

A double AMEN on that!

Semper Fi

[river rat]

Agreed....

Two words express my opinion of Kerry's "truncated tour in country"...

Scripted and Choreographed.

Semper Fi

[river rat]

"It galls my ass that their bravery will be lost once me a few others are gone...."

Let me assure you, that is NOT the case..

The men whose actions led to their ETERNAL recognition upon that wall, will never be forgotten.

One need only visit that hollowed place in the quiet of predawn, place his hands against the cold stone - and call out to his lost brothers..

They are still there, they are now ageless and they are there to see to it that America never forgets them or ever again betray her warriors as she did during that ugly period..

Just as you still see your brothers in your mind's eye and in your night terrors --- so will America..

Semper Fi

[auboy]

Please excuse this post, but I am very proud of this.

My sincere gratitude goes to you and your family members for "showing up". You are rightfully proud!

[Travis McGee]

Roger that!

[Deb]

It would be ironic justice for a small group of obviously wounded ex-Vietnam vets to appear at every Kerry rally, silently holding signs calling for him to release his military records. The Democrats wouldn't dare trash them.

And you are wonderful. Thank God for you and your brothers.

[hosepipe]

[ I'm starting to wonder if Kerry and his powerful Kennedy associates didn't have his tour and medals pretty much scripted before he ever went to Vietnam. They needed a clean-cut, upper class officer with heroic combat experience to front their disinformation campaign. Kerry was a perfect fit for the part, and was hungering for a political career. ]

He "fell" into an activist role pretty darn quick did'nt he after he returned.. Wonder if he had any "help" when he was in Vietnam to pull this off.. The Kennedys push a pretty wide wake politcally.. Yeah the sailors that served with him would be a good idea.. but could be they were ringers too.. The whole dog and pony show looks fishy.. I'm pretty cynical these days but I would glad if he just got lucky.. The democrats during the nintys cured me of under estimating the sedition and veritable treason thats been common for decades in the entire democrat party not just with Clinton..

[redhawk34]

"Our gunny would have called Kerry's action a dumb assed John Wayne stunt - and "I'll shoot the next sonofabitch that pulls a stunt like that on my watch"....

River Rat, sounds like you had the same kind of professional leadership we did, 'cept fer second Lieutenants, of course.

Welcome Home, Jarhead, and Well Done!

Redhawk

Ever notice?
The Army calls them "Choppers."
The Navy calls them "Helos."
A Marine points up in the air and grunts twice.

[redhawk34]

The LCM-8 pic posted by Hatteras was a later, much cleaner version, of a different configuration than mine.
I have a jpg of my boat (the US Army's smallest Aircraft Carrier), but I have no clue as to how to post it.
If Hatteras, or anyone else who knows how would be willing to post it, please email me, and I will send it to you as an attachment;
redhawk34@comcast.net
Thanks
Redhawk

[Chong]

Thank you for your service, redhawk34.
This is an excellent article that needs to be bumped often.

[Tommie Paine]

And just how does one become an 'ex-Vietnam Vet'? You are either a vet or not, never ex vet unless you are a wannabee like so many Repukeicans in this blog who support the AWOL VACATIONING CLUELESS POTUS!

[Deb]

If you can unwrap you mouth from Michael Moore's Vienna Sausage...drop dead!

Thanks in advance.

[MonroeDNA]

Bump for vets.

And a reminder, that Kerry is lying, and "pretied up" his awards, 15 years later.

[Tribune7]

ping

[cookcounty]

I have to wonder if Kerry got his special treatment because of the fact that he had such a tight relationship with the Kennedy family, particularly Teddy, who as a young junior Senator from Massachussetts, visited John Kerry during his 4 months in Vietnam. In his teenage years, John Kerry was a guest of the Kennedys aboard JFK's yacht.

Having a pal who is a Senator and brother of the much admired former President would be ONE OF THE BEST ways to juice things through the Pentagon. If I was a reporter seeking to understand the Purple Band-Aid Mystery, I would start with Teddy's office, and work it from there..

[Interesting Times]

I suspect that Kerry's Kennedy connection may help explain more than a few of the mysteries currently enshrouded in Boston fog... such as how he came to be meeting with top North Vietnamese and Vietcong leaders in Paris before anybody had ever heard of him.