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Wednesday, June 2, 2004 4:03 p.m. EDT
Sampley: Kerry 'Bird' Shot May Have Been Captured on Film
Former Green Beret Ted Sampley, who confronted Sen. John Kerry at Washington, D.C.'s Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall on Monday, said today that photographers were in the vicinity and may have captured Kerry "flipping the bird" to him.
"There were some cameras," Sampley told WTN-Nashville radio host Steve Gill. "A reporter came up to me and asked me my name."
"I assume it was a reporter. It may have been somebody from the Kerry campaign," added Sampley, who heads up the group Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry.
As reported Monday by NewsMax.com's John LeBoutillier, the veterans advocate approached the top Democrat that morning and told him, "I am here to escort you away from the Wall because you do not belong here."
When Kerry turned away and began to talk to a group of schoolchildren, Sampley opened his jacket to uncover a T-shirt reading "Hanoi John."
"Kerry does not belong at the Wall because he betrayed the brave soldiers who fought in Vietnam," Sampley told the children.
At that point the presidential candidate allegedly flashed "the bird" at the ex-Green Beret.
Though Kerry's visit to the Wall was widely covered, Sampley said that he didn't think the insulting hand gesture was captured by any of the TV news crews on hand. "I did not see any big television cameras," he told Gill.
NewsMax.com has been unable to determine whether the still photographers nearby were press, private citizens or part of the top Democrat's publicity team. So far, no photograph of the incident has surfaced.
Sampley said the confrontation was inadvertent, explaining that he was there with the veterans motorcycle group, Rolling Thunder, when "someone called to me and told me, 'Kerry's over at the Wall.'"
"Our organization [VVAK], we're advocating that any veteran who encounters Kerry anywhere should challenge him," he told Gill. "Since I'm leading the organization, I had to lead by example."
Sampley said that Kerry initially managed to keep his cool during the confrontation, but blew a gasket after a crowd started to gather.
"He looked around and some more vets were starting to show up," Sampley told Gill. "They heard the commotion. A few more started to heckle him a bit."
As Kerry turned to leave, said Sampley, "he walked by me - he was about 40-50 feet from the kids and maybe 15-20 feet from me - he turned around and after all that coolness and calmness, I guess he just couldn't hold it in anymore."
After flipping the bird Kerry ended the confrontation with a terse "See ya, Ted" - to which Sampley replied, "See ya, John."
