Four Months in Vietnam Won't Cut It ("Kerry Believes Americans Are Children...")

TownHall.com ^ | 8/4/04 | Ben Shapiro

[Joe Brower]

I could really use some background information that supports the commonly-made claim that Kerry served only four months in Vietnam. I have searched but not been able to find anything of value, except repetitions of the claim.

I could use some real proof to help me refute the lefties I debate with who are constantly telling me that he served two years. Where they get that number, I don't know, and they don't have any verification either. It would be good to get some evidence to support my claim. Can anyone point me to any good sources?

Thanks,

[Axeslinger]

I don't have a good source for you, but I'm fairly sure that sometime in the last week I saw on Fox News that he arrived in VN in October or November of '68 and departed in March of '69. Perhaps a search with that little bit of info will yield more.

[Coroner]

try here http://www.swiftvets.com

[MindyW]

check this out

http://www.johnkerry.com/about/john_kerry/service_timeline.html

[Publius6961]

BUMP

[Barset]

Thanks for posting this. barset

[longtermmemmory]

Democrata especially the power elite democrats believe that people are sheep that need to be lead to do what is in their best intersts.

The concept of "the sheeple" is something that excites them because "they" are the wolves among the sheep.

[Spok]

This is Kerry's bait and switch. Kerry is avoiding discussion of his record in the Senate by rambling on about his pitiful war record. Ask a liberal about his voting record-it's the best kept secret of the Kerry campaign!!

[lonestar]

John Kerry thinks he is Audie Murphy!

[pt17]

"I will bring back this nation's time-honored tradition: The United States of America never goes to war because we want to, we only go to war because we have to."

Does that mean he would or would not have gone to war in Bosnia? How about Haiti? How about Kuwait? How about Germany in WWII? What a pandering, pusillanimous piece of partisan political puke!

[Coop]

And I couldn't care less.

Forget about the nice article. I'm just happy to see someone using this phrase as it was intended. :-)

[Tacis]

C'mon, give Gigilo John a break! Sure, he mention his Nam service a lot, but, truth be told, he was extremely modest about the awards and tributes he got from his few weeks there and the months that followed.

The Peoples' Rebpublic of Viet Nam awarded Kerry three Purple Stars of the Peoples' Work, a palm leaf cluster, three Hero of the Peoples' Republic medals (one, first class), and made him a Colonel in the Peoples' Ministry of Propanganda.

Of course, most Americans view his actions after he returned from Nam and finished the yacht races off the Cape to be treason, but the Vietnamese view them as heroism and honor him for his efforts in support of winning the war.

BTW, Kerry's Naval Reserve service after Nam won't stand the level of investigation that Bush's ANG service has. Kerry simply didn't bother showing up for anything. He DD-214 may indicate a problem in this regard. Has anyone actually seen Kerry's DD-214 or are we still accepting was he says is his record to be true?

[zarf]

The fact the Kerry has avoided discussing his anti-war activities is an embarrassment. In fact, it's an embarrassment for an entire generation that has worn it's 1960's revolutionary activism on it's sleeve.

[D Rider]

...invalidate every major American military action since 1900 aside from World War II in the Pacific sphere...

Actually Roosevelt ordered our navy into action against the Germans on 9/11/41, ie.. prior to 12/7/41. Pearl Harbor just gave us a reason for a declared and open war. One that we were already in. So, I guess that leaves Afaganistan.

[LOC1]

"My name is Steve Gardner. I served in 1966 and 1967 on my first tour of duty in Vietnam on Swift boats, and I did my second tour in '68 and '69, involved with John Kerry in the last 2 1/2 months of my tour. The John Kerry that I know is not the John Kerry that everybody else is portraying. I served alongside him and behind him, five feet away from him in a gun tub, and watched as he made indecisive moves with our boat, put our boats in jeopardy, put our crews in jeopardy... if a man like that can't handle that 6-man crew boat, how can you expect him to be our Commander-in-Chief?"
-- Steven Gardner

The above quote was from a press conference given at the National Press Club in Washington on May 4, 2004. You may view Steven’s comments at the following web site. Just scroll down to Steven’s picture and click on it.

http://www.swiftvets.com/index.php?topic=SwiftVetQuotes


Searching through that web site, you will find 250 men who served on Swift boats, including the entire chain of command above Lt. Kerry, agree with Steven Gardner that Kerry is not fit to be Commander-in-Chief. That compares to the 13 crew members who support his candidacy.

[Condor51]

I have searched but not been able to find anything of value, except repetitions of the claim.

---

No offense ok, but you haven't searched hard enough. There's only about a gazillion threads in the FR archives and almost every major newspaper - all with the facts you seek.

Ergo, let your fingers do the walking.

[WOSG]

His service in Vietnam on the swift boats was Dec 2 1968 to March 17 1969, according to the bio on johnkerry.com, the campaign website. That is 3 1/2 months. He was in the Navy for a total of 4 years.

[WOSG]

"The Peoples' Rebpublic of Viet Nam awarded Kerry three Purple Stars of the Peoples' Work, a palm leaf cluster, three Hero of the Peoples' Republic medals (one, first class), and made him a Colonel in the Peoples' Ministry of Propanganda"

Are you joking or are you serious???

[cwiz24]

So true, Coop!! It's like nails on a chalkboard when I hear people say "I could care less". That doesn't make any sense.

Can anyone believe that the person who wrote this article was only 20? Great writer!!