Posted on 08/09/2004 5:36:55 PM PDT by Howlin
SCOTTSBORO - A retired family doctor said Thursday he used a Band-Aid to treat the first of three wounds Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry received in the Vietnam War.
Dr. Louis Letson of Scottsboro, who appears in a new 60-second TV ad questioning Kerry's war record, said Kerry came into his office at Cam Rahn Bay on the morning of Dec. 3, 1968, with an injury to his upper arm.
Letson said Kerry told him he and a boat crew of about five enlisted men were on patrol that night when they began receiving small arms fire and he was injured.
But Letson said the crew told a different story after Kerry left the office. "They were kind of amused by the whole thing," he said.
The crew members denied that they had been under enemy fire, Letson said. The crew said it was about 2 a.m. when they thought they saw some people on shore and Kerry fired a M79 grenade launcher.
"He had fired it up close against some rocks on shore when the grenade exploded" and he was hit in the arm by shrapnel, Letson said. "That's what caused the injury. The fragment was not from enemy fire" as Kerry portrayed it, the crew told him.
"The fragment was about the size of a match stick," Letson said. "It was sticking out of his arm. I grabbed it out and put a Band Aid on it. It didn't require an anesthesia or sutures."
Letson is among several swift boat veterans in the TV ad who say Kerry lied about his service, exaggerated his wounds to win war medals and betrayed soldiers with his antiwar protesting after he returned from Vietnam.
Kerry campaign's headquarters in Washington did not return calls for comment.
Letson said the crew said Kerry was not in charge of the boat that night, but was in training and that they were under the command of another lieutenant who was on board that night. He said the crew had joked how Kerry had told them he wanted to be the next JFK.
The late President John F. Kennedy was injured when a Japanese destroyer collided with the small patrol boat (PT-109) he commanded in World War II.
Letson said the base's commanding officer, Lt. Commander Grant "Skip" Hibbard, who now lives in Gulf Breeze, Fla., rejected Kerry's request for a Purple Heart for his injury that night. He said Hibbard told him that Kerry did not deserve the award because the injury was not combat-related. Efforts to reach Hibbard for comment were unsuccessful.
Letson said he is member of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which was organized in April. About 390 swift boat veterans belong to the group, he said.
Kerry is both a reckless and a dangerous liar.
Have you not noticed that O'Reilly has done nothing but suck up to the Hollywood crowd of late? O'Reilly wants to be liked so badly by the other side and to garner their appreciation he hits the right hard and claims he's "fair." He's an arrogant bully. The only person O'Reilly is looking out for is O'Reilly.
I distinctly remember that Madame Nhu and her relatives were Catholics. I think there were quite a few Catholic Vietnamese, because there had been a French presence there for many years.
The point is that the percentage of Buddhists to Christians is overwhelming. The South Vietnamese soldiers would NOT be celebrating any christian holiday. They more likely would have been sleeping.
Jay Severin, who has always held Kerry in high regard, even though he voting for Bush, finally conceded that this story has legs. He thinks Kerry needs to release his records if there is nothing to hide.
Methinks you've just IDed why so many of them tried to diss these Vets -- they are EMBARRASSED that they mindlessly repeated this crap, without checking ANYTHING about it or knowing who was POTUS in 12/68.
This is just NOT going to go away and no amount of O'Reilly and the MSM trying to suppress and/or defame the Swiftees,is going to work. This men were brave in Nam,but they're far more brave today!
That was especially revelatory because there can be no doubt the astute O'Reilly knows better. It's about time he is believed when he says he is not a conservative but an independent. But I am not sure he will vote Kerry. He defends President Bush just as readily against what he considers scurrilous attacks.
Isn't it funny how Demoncrats can re-write history as if everyone else has selective memory just as they do.
I can just imagine how future government history screwel books will be portraying Kerry as a war hero to all of the little tykes and how Bill Clinton will be considered for enshrinement on Mt. Rushmore.
"This is NOT gonna go away."
No, it's not. Thanks to the Swift Boat Vets for continuing to display the courage they have always shown. Whatever the politics of a John Kerry, they know about his character, and we have learned so well, character matters.
Have you seen any of the video of Kerry testifying before Congress - he uses a fake JFK accent -- an accent he doesn't affect today. It's quite humorous.
They need to prove Dr. Letson didn't treat Kerry by releasing the medical reports. :)
As a 20 year military vet, including Vietnam, I can tell you that it is not uncommon for a doctor to have a medic sign off on paperwork for minor injuries/wounds. It's time to publicly challenge Kerry to release his medical records to settle this. We all know why he won't release them, but if the pressure is applied hard enough and long enough, he'll either be compelled to release them or imply that he has something to hide.
On top of everything else, he is such a drama queen.
History by repetitive chanting. Heck, it used to work.
You know if they are bringing in the king of spin, Lanny Davis, they are worried beyond even what I imagined.
I guess the other two in the whale boat were lucky they didn't get hit with grenade shrapnel from kerry's shot.
The Troops Will Not Respect Kerry.
The Daveman Speaks Out
Aug. 8, 2004
Kerry’s Convention Speech Insulted Guard and Reserve Members
Anyone listening to local talk radio in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, on the Monday after the Democratic National Convention, might have sensed the tone of anger coming from local Vets and Troops of the Guard and Reserve. During one segment of a morning talk show, callers voiced their anger with Kerry’s speech. The callers were angry with a statement that offended both troops, and their supporters alike.
The host had been mentioning part of the speech when the fireworks began. First, one caller who had an association with the National Guard, then others. And none seemed too pleased with the Flip Flop master. As a matter of fact, they were down right ticked off. After speaking with many who have served in the Guard and Reserves, I can assure you that the anger is wide spread.
The statement that offended so many who have served with honor?
“And we will end the backdoor draft of National Guard and Reservists.”
The line is in a portion of Kerry’s speech where he refers to the military. Not the portion in which he refers to his service in Vietnam. Although I must admit that it would be a common guess since he announced that ‘breaking information’ to us every two minutes of his droning 55 minute speech. Instead, it appeared in the portion where he suggested how he would handle current military situations.
When looking at the statement, one must wonder what, in the wide, wide world of French Euro trash, was Kerry thinking? Does part one of the John Johns not realize that the statement belittles many of those who serve and have served our great nation? Our troops of the Reserves and Guard have been much more than a “backdoor draft” in the war on terror. They have been honorable warriors who have helped protect our freedom and liberate millions from tyranny.
Kerry’s intent was obvious. He thought that he could play on the emotions and stress of our troops who have been deployed over the past few years. The fact that Kerry would have that mind set is evidence that his intent was also insulting. Kerry should understand that our troops are as mentally tough as they are brave. They are not the types who sit around trying to figure out what opportunities will get them home in four months.
It is not just the line in his convention speech that has angered Guard and Reserve troops. It has been his whole attitude towards them. Kerry and his surrogates have had nothing good to say about President Bush’s National Guard service. In statements referring to the President’s hitch in the Air Guard, Kerry’s surrogates have gone as far as to compare Vietnam era Guard service with actions some people took to avoid going to Vietnam.
Kerry’s insulting statements about the National Guard show a lack of knowledge in regards to the capabilities of the that branch of the military. For example, we know that many Air Guard pilots went to Vietnam through the Palace Alert program. There is also the issue of F-102 pilots dying state side. It shows how fighter pilots need not go overseas to sacrifice their lives in defense of their nation. Then there is the fact that the National Guard has the front line combat units.
Kerry must also realize that service members need not be in a front line combat position, or even in a war time theater, to be considered brave. The simple fact that they would sign up for a career, in which they know very well that they could be sent into a war at any time, makes them all heroes. There were many soldiers who wanted to go to Vietnam, but were sent to Germany and other stations. That does not make their service less honorable.
Kerry has insulted our National Guard and Reserve troops. He has done this while playing politics and that is telling. What’s even more telling is Kerry’s lack of knowledge in regards to America’s Active, Reserve, and National Guard military missions. Just more evidence of why John Kerry is unfit to be Commander in Chief.
Who's telling the truth?
Why won't the liberal press get to the bottom of this mystery? Would it be different if this was a negative story about Bush?
Letson said Kerry told him he and a boat crew of about five enlisted men were on patrol that night when they began receiving small arms fire and he was injured. But Letson said the crew told a different story after Kerry left the office. "They were kind of amused by the whole thing," he said. The crew members denied that they had been under enemy fire, Letson said. The crew said it was about 2 a.m. when they thought they saw some people on shore and Kerry fired a M79 grenade launcher. "He had fired it up close against some rocks on shore when the grenade exploded" and he was hit in the arm by shrapnel, Letson said. "That's what caused the injury. The fragment was not from enemy fire" as Kerry portrayed it, the crew told him.
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