[Tamzee]

So he tried to avoid Vietnam by asking the draft board for a deferral allowing him to go to Paris instead, was denied, and only then did he join the Navy...

[Defender2]

kerry wanted to spend more time in paris learning more how to perpetuate socialism/communism and stealth support for terrorist enemies.

[GeronL]

Senator John Kerry, the presumed Democratic presidential candidate

They better not start acting like he should be replaced.

Oh and I thought the libs said he "volunteered to go"

[Tamzee]

FYI... per old Harvard Crimson article....

Kerry admitted he tried to avoid Vietnam by going to Paris, request turned down by the draft board. He joined the Navy so he wouldn't be drafted.

[McGavin999]

We've known about that here for a long time. People are starting to get lost in the minueti of all of this. The BIG points are, did he lie about his service, did he lie about Cambodia, and why is he attacking his fellow vets?

[conservative in nyc]

According to the Democratic Party's version of Sen Kerry's military history, he joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Harvard through eagerness to do his duty, and sailed with the Navy for combat as soon as he graduated in 1966.

I'm confused. Didn't Kerry go to Yale? Why would he be in the Harvard ROTC?

[John Valentine]

"In Vietnam, John Kerry proved his patriotism beyond question. Everyone knows that."

Everyone does NOT know that.

[knarf]

I'm not overly affected by this report.
Lots of guys tried to get out of serving as a matter of SOP. When it didn't work it was, shrug the shoulders, I gave it a try, and go in.

Those of us who were of age in the mid to late sixties were bombarded with much imagery of Viet Nam.
There were only two ways to go ... enlist or take a shot at deferment.

Lots of shots were taken.

[Cold Heat]

Bwahahaha!

Got him!

[BigSkyFreeper]

But...But....In The Bent One's DNC Convention speech, Kerry said "send me!", and that was the end of it!

[goldstategop]

LMAO! The news just keeps getting better and better. Powerful stuff. Too bad the authors of Unfit To Command couldn't include the material in their book. I guess its too late to pulp existing copies and squeeze in this stuff from Harvard. Some "hero" John F*ckin' turned out to be.

[smonk]

I heard this in the primaries. the media will consider it "old news".

he joined the Navy, in essence, to avoid the Army. But only after he failed to have the whole thing deferred. very heroic.

[Polybius]

Boston Globe, 6/16/2003: ........"I didn't really want to get involved in the war," Kerry said in a little-noticed contribution to a book of Vietnam reminiscences published in 1986. "When I signed up for the swift boats, they had very little to do with the war. They were engaged in coastal patrolling and that's what I thought I was going to be doing."......... But two weeks after he arrived in Vietnam, the swift boat mission changed -- and Kerry went from having one of the safest assignments in the escalating conflict to one of the most dangerous.

Boston Globe, 6/16/2003: ......... He requested and was granted a transfer out of Vietnam six months before his combat tour was slated to end on the grounds that he had earned three Purple Hearts. None of his wounds was disabling; he said one cost him two days of service and the other two did not lead to any absence. .........The bottom line is that Kerry could have remained but he chose to seek an early transfer.

[BradyLS]

"In Vietnam, John Kerry proved his patriotism beyond question. Everyone knows that."

Whuh? Kerry was in Vietnam?!? I didn't know that!

[counterpunch]

John Kerry, The Frenchurian Candidate.


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[bondjamesbond]

A newly-published biography of Sen Kerry by Douglas Brinkley, A Tour of Duty, makes no mention of the requested deferment or planned year in Paris.

Who is this Douglas Brinkley fellow? Is he any relation to Respected Historian Douglas Brinkley? I'm pretty sure that Respected Historian Douglas Brinkley would not miss so pertinent a fact when writing his complete, unbiased and authoritative biography of Vietnam Hero John F. Kerry.

[Puddleglum]

Wow, i hadn't heard about this before. Sort of takes the shine off the shinola. I have nothing against someone wanting to get a draft deferment, but I do have something against them lying about it (or cultivating a false impression about how they were gung ho to get to the war zone, etc).

[NRA1995]

He wrote his draft board and said (all together now) "DON'T SEND ME!!"

[deport]

So he tried to avoid Vietnam by asking the draft board for a deferral

---

Nothing wrong with that as it was a legit process within the Selective Service rules and regulations...... This is nothing different than VP Cheney getting deferments for school, marriage and children. They were available, if approved many used them.

There are many other things out there and of more recent vintage in Kerry's profile that can be used to discredit his ability to be President and CinC. By keeping this Vietnam stuff up front and center it's keeping the other out of the media.....

I'll not knock Kerry for his service. He enlisted, was put in harms way, followed the rules and regulations and that is more than many did at the time. jmo.

[Just mythoughts]

The drips are now about to become one huge torrent uncovering JFKerry's life of lies and deceit.

[prairiebreeze]

I sent this around to my email newslist. I also pointed out that this directly contradicts what Jeh Johnson, sKerry handler was spouting on TV last night

Prairie