An Open Letter to John Kerry by Larry Purdy (USNA 1968)

Frontpagemag.com ^ | 3/26/2004 | Larry Purdy

[P8riot]

This was written by a classmate of one of my co-workers, and was sent to him before it was publised on Frontpagemag.com.

It's a long read, but it is worth it.

[zip]

Ping. Great read.

[late bloomer]

Thanks for a great catch !!! and to Mr. Purdy..
"OUTSTANDING"
And thank you for your service.

[pc52]

Very thoughtful, and logical discourse. Perhaps these questions should be posed to Senator Kerry in a public forum. think there is a Dem. who could ask? After all, he doesn't answer questions from voters, unless they are Dems.

[CatoRenasci]

Excellent post BUMP!

I went to VMI during the Vietnam War (Class of 1970) and heard vigorous debate about the war among cadets and officers (including many who had 2-3 tours in 'Nam), but those who opposed the war did not do so on Anti-American grounds. There were many who were concerned about the way the war was conducted and the lack of a will to win. Many felt it was wrong to send men to war without rallying the country. Some even believed, with MacArthur, the US should not become involved in a land war in Asia.

[notpoliticallycorewrecked]

Save for later read.

[sandlady]

BUMP

[mattdono]

Bump to top.

[ladtx]

A well written letter to Mr. Kerry. I also served in the same area as the author. I was stationed at Soc Trang AAF from September 1969 to September 1970 with the 336th Assault Helicopter Company. Soc Trang was the southernmost airfield in Vietnam so my company and our sister company, the 121st AHC, were "on call" to support the navy sea-float, it's SEAL teams, and swift boats at any time. I flew many missions in support of operations in the Nam Can and Ca Mau AO's. I always volunteered to fly the missions whenever possible because the navy always fed us well down there, much better than the army did. During my tour I also never saw any of the so-called atrocities that Mr. Kerry points too. Kerry is obviously an opportunist of the first order.

I feel much as the author does, that we were not allowed to fight the war in a way in which we could win. The micro-management of picking targets from the Pentagon was folly. Unrealistic policies put many American soldiers lives in danger. One particular example I can recall is the securing of ammo for our gunships in conex's next to the flightline. At one time our gunships were kept loaded and ready for takeoff at a moments notice if we were attacked. A directive came down saying all aircraft were to be unloaded and the ammo kept in a locked conex on the flightline. Then when we were under attack, rather than running to the aircraft and pulling the trigger for engine start, the crew had to run to operations for a key for the conex and load the aircraft under fire, endangering crew lives and ultimately lives of anyone on the airfield who would be protected by a gunship that could get in the air quickly.

We won the war militarily, but lost it politically and the politicians responsible should be ashamed.

[twigs]

Your comments are very important. Thank you. People can be against their country's war and not be unpatriotic. We need to remember that. One of my concerns leading up to the Iraqi war is that there was not what I considered adequate discussion about the ramifications of our going to war. The only people who opposed the war publicly, that I heard at least, were unpatiotic zealots. I desperately wanted to hear from people who loved their country but had reservations. They were basically absent from much of the discussion.

[sultan88]

Excellent letter by your classmate, P8riot.

Richmond ping!

[Mudboy Slim]

Great post, my FRiend...thanks fer sharing.

FReegards...MUD

[PhiKapMom]

GREAT READ!

This needs widespread distribution because it sums up the sentiments of so many people from that period of time in this Country.

Kerry hasn't a clue how down-to-earth Americans felt then or now! He is too arrogant!

[Mudboy Slim]

Ooops...ya beat me to it...MUD

[harpu]

This is GREAT LETTER and I glad you reposted it but it has been posted previously.

[Franco-54]

The above is an excellent article and well worth the time to read it.

My comments are as follows:

What bothers me most about Sen. Kerry's previous remarks is his admission to committing murder. He admits to shooting a wounded solider. That solider had been hit with several rounds from a .50 cal weapon. Although the wounded solider may have been unconscious and dying, he was still entitled to medical aid and not bullets from, in my opinion, a coward.

Kerry is a one-in-a-million Purple Heart recipient who was allegedly wounded three times and has no physical signs of those wounds. In my two tours as an Infantryman in Vietnam, I never saw anyone who had been wounded twice who did not have significant after effects.

Kerry was wounded three times - or was he? Before going to Vietnam he knew that three Purple Hearts would earn him a free trip home for a "vacation" from combat. He also knew that if he filed for an elected office the military would release him from active duty. Let's hear from his crew who "witnessed" his being wounded. Or was it a self inflicted wound in order to meet his three Purple Hearts requirement. I'm sure we all would like to hear the truth.

Kerry's alleged wounds and his anti-vietnam statements got him elected to office. Were these just the beginning of a series of fabrications in order to sustain a career? What other "fabrications" have been issued by this person in order to elevate him to our Country's highest office? We all are entitled to the facts and the truth.

When it comes time to believe in someone and in what they say, Sen. Kerry would be one of the last people I would trust, let alone vote for.

F. Hensley
Springfield, VA

[P8riot]

I searched but couldn't find it. Thanks for pointing it out.

FREEgards

P8riot

[GregoryFul]

Kerry was a lying opportunist then, and he is a lying opportunist today...

[P8riot]

Actually he is a classmate of a co-worker. But I'll pass it along. Thanks Sultan

FREEgards

P8riot

[P8riot]

Glad you liked it MUD.

FREEgards

P8riot