[RogueIsland]

Before his death six years ago, my father could have been considered an old warrior as he fought heroically in WWII. Yet he rarely shared any stories of his experiences, never attempted to capitalize on his service, and even though he was one, he would downplay any attempt to label him as a hero. Then again, my father was a gentleman - an honorable man.

Compare Kerry's shameless pimping of his war record to an anecdote I heard about Bush Sr. When an interviewer brought up the word "hero" in connection with his WWII service, Bush reportedly became testy and said he was "just an airman" and that the men on the ground he flew support missions for were the real heroes (as if being an airman in WWII was not a dangerous job!). That's class and humility.

[Red Badger]

I have an uncle who served two tours in Vietnam and I can't get him to even discuss the subject. Kerry won't shut up about it. Silence is golden.....