[Criminal Number 18F]

how can he not recall why he resigned from the organization that he founded

Point of detail. Kerry was a major public figure for VVAW in the 1970-1972 period, but the organisation was founded in 1967, before he went to war.

One of the founders was Jan Crumb, who was a radio mechanic for an aviation unit in 1963, before the war got hot. Another was a gay-activist photographer (his name escapes me) who had been in the Navy but not during the Vietnam War.. this established the pattern for the VVAW: some rear-echelon vets, some non-Vietnam vets, some non-vets, but hardly any combat vets. That's why Kerry was important to them.

The leader with whom Kerry had a falling out, Al Hubbard, is a phony. His records show that he was never in Vietnam. He also made claims (i.e. as a bomber pilot he bombed civilians, as a transport pilot he won medals) that weren't true: he was in the USAF as an enlisted guy, but not as a pilot, and no plane he was on as much as stopped to get gas in Vietnam.

A read through the issues of the VVAW magazine on their website introduces you to a who's who of poseurs and phonies (no wonder Janus French Kerry fit in), like Elton Manzione, a legend-in-his-own-mind "SEAL" that never, er, joined the Navy. Or anything else. (He says his records are classified. That's bull! Nobody's records are classified).

VVAW is still around in two versions, the far-left VVAW and the off-the-edge-extreme-left, Marxist-Leninist, VVAW-AI. The VVAW has made a statement on Kerry here [vvaw.org]. Reading between the lines, they don't seem to like him all that much either.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Hon]

"The VVAW has made a statement on Kerry here [vvaw.org]. Reading between the lines, they don't seem to like him all that much either."

The VVAW didn't like him because he voted for the war in Iraq. They might change their tune since he has changed his.

BTW, it was this incarnation of the VVAW who sent around the Meet The Press transcript featuring Kerry's statements (with Al Hubbard) about being a war criminal. So we have them to thank for helping to get this story out.

Again, they were trashing him for what he said to Russert after the 1971 tape played. They thought he was backing down too much from his original comments.

John Kerry Is A Self-Admitted War Criminal
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1074482/posts

[kellynla]

Thanks for the info on the VVAW. I was a little busy fighting a war in Viet Nam at the time to be aware of the "wannabee" combat Viet Nam veterans protesting those of us who were actually fighting the war.
Semper Fi, Kelly

Viet Nam Veterans Against John Kerry
http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnkerry.com

[Hon]

"One of the founders was Jan Crumb, who was a radio mechanic for an aviation unit in 1963, before the war got hot."

Yes, when Crumb was in VN we only had "advisors" there.

"Another was a gay-activist photographer (his name escapes me) who had been in the Navy but not during the Vietnam War."

Do you mean Craig Rogers, who was the PR man for the group at the start? Rogers was a chaplain's assistant. I've never heard he was gay and he was in VN during the war, so maybe you mean someone else.

[ModelBreaker]

The leader with whom Kerry had a falling out, Al Hubbard, is a phony. His records show that he was never in Vietnam.

Thanks for the correction. So a phony fell out with a phony :) I guess it must have been a disagreement about a point in which each of them seemed to believe deeply--at that moment.

Actually, it was probably over a french-woman :)

[lepton]

He says his records are classified. That's bull! Nobody's records are classified

It probably is "bull" in his case, and even if they were he could get abridged copies...but yes, there are people with classified records.