John Kerry’s Two Vietnams

National Review Online ^ | August 23, 2004 | Mackubin Thomas Owens

[Terrence DoGood]

I must admit to being of two conflicting minds when it comes to the anti-Kerry activities of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. On the one hand, there is nothing that makes my blood boil more than a fraudulent Vietnam veteran. In their remarkable book Stolen Valor, "Jug" Burkett and Glenna Whitley unmask some 1,500 Vietnam "wannabes," not only the media's favorite dysfunctional vets who, with the often all-too-eager cooperation of the press, attribute their problems with drugs, alcohol, crime, and poverty to their time in Vietnam, but also fixtures at local patriotic affairs who show up to give rousing speeches while wearing ribbons — and in some cases even uniforms — they didn't earn.

The Swifties are not arguing that Kerry has embellished his record but that he has done so in a particularly cynical and calculated way. After all, soldiers have embellished their war records since the beginning of time. Anyone who has spent more than an hour in the military has heard a "war story" (or the Navy-Marine Corps variant, the "sea story"). The attitude of most vets to these sorts of tales is an old joke: What's the difference between a fairy tale and a war/sea story? The former begins, "once upon a time;" the latter begins "now this is no s**t!"

What seems to offend the Swifties, as well as other Vietnam veterans, is that after having made his political debut as an anti-Vietnam War activist, Kerry is now playing the hero...

[Piquaboy]

Being a Vietnam era vet myself, I do not appreciate in the least what that POS Kerry did. Not only did he not spend his full tour, due to minor injuries, he then comes home and tears down his fellow vets along with Jane Fonda. I would not pee on him if he were on fire.

[LetsRok]

If you want to really get down to it then Bush was the real hero by defending America during Vietnam by joining the National Guard. Kerry was defending SOuth Vietnam from North Vietnam. The mission of the National Guard is to defend the homeland.

[gilliam]

A must read article! From the article:

As a correspondent pointed out to me in an e-mail, each episode of the HBO series Band of Brothers, begins with a voiceover in which the narrator says of the World War II soldiers portrayed in the program: "I was not a hero, but I was surrounded by heroes." In contrast, what John Kerry is saying in essence about his "band of brothers" is that "in Vietnam, I was a hero, but I was surrounded by war criminals."

[goldstategop]

Best line of the article: "I was a hero in Vietnam who was surrounded by war criminals." - unspoken 1971 John F*ckin' theme

[Just another Joe]

Kerry was defending SOuth Vietnam from North Vietnam.

And then when he got home he defended North Vietnam against South Vietnam.

Waffles anyone?

[Piquaboy]

Plus, Bush was flying an F-102 which was known as the widow maker. It was a very dangerous plane to fly and took very good flying ability to qualify in it.

[OldSmaj]

However in his 1986 autobiography, Cleland...wrote that he was awarded the Soldier's Medal "for allegedly shielding my men from the grenade blast and the Silver Star for allegedly coming to the aid of wounded troops...." But, he acknowledges, "there were no heroics on which to base the Soldier's Medal. And it had been my men who took care of the wounded during the rocket attack, not me. Some compassionate military men had obviously recommended me for the Silver Star, but I didn't deserve it." He also writes that, "I was not entitled to the Purple Heart either, since I was not wounded by enemy action."

Kerry be damned.

But this part disturbs me. I am fully aware of how Cleland received his injuries.

I am also fully aware of him allowing the political machine (to include certain media members) to embellish his wounds and write the stories in such a way as to give the impression that his wounds were received on the field of battle.

But I did not know he was awarded a PH for those wounds, as this story seems to indicate.

As far as the Soldiers Medal, if he was awarded that for simply falling on a grenade that he (or perhaps another soldier) stupidly dropped not in the heat of battle, then, all awards and decorations are cheapened accordingly. Again, I did not know he had received a Soldiers Medal for this alledged act. And if he were, I can almost guarantee you that he did not do so in a selfless act, with the welfare of his soldiers in his mind.

By association, with Kerry claiming heroism for his actions, both these men have cheapened the awards process and have done so, solely for political gain.

Any contrition on Clelands part is too little, too late. While I have compassion for his injuries and respect for his ability to live a productive life in spite of them, I have no respect for his silence at the time he was being elevated to hero status for political gain.

Kerry has simply manipulated the entire process. I cannot stand the man. In fact, I hate him. I wish I did not, but I cannot excuse nor justify his actions and words.

In any event, if one uses the Kerry-Cleland methods of who deserves medals, I should have at least two awards of the Medal of Honor, just for showing up for the damn war. My chest would not hold the others I would have received for actions, including my antics while on R&R in Bangkok and a drunken three-day standdown on the beach at Vung Tau. (Which I cannot remember and cannot be held accountable for.)

So when do I get to run for Prez?

[Viet-Boat-Rider]

Here is the kind of lier that Kerry is:

Kerry titles his book "Tour of Duty" for his service in Vietnam. He also claims that he had TWO tours of duty in Vietnam (because of his time on the USS Gridley)

Kerry twists the truth so much, you have to watch EVERY WORD HE SAYS. He will lie to you and weave a story (lie) so subtly that you are unaware that he is taking you down the prim-rosed path.

Here is the truth as compared to Kerry's lies. KERRY NEVER EVEN SERVED ONE TOUR IN VIETNAM. HE IS A LIER.

Yes he was in Vietnam (for 4 months) and yes he was on the deep water coast of Vietnam on the USS Gridley (for 5 weeks)but he did not serve a tour in Vietnam.

A Tour in the Nam was 12 months, one year, 365 days, one circle around the sun. Guys would count down the days until their time was up. It was a big deal. When you only had a few weeks to go until your year was up, you were "SHORT", going home soon.

This issue is important for this reason. John Kerry knows that he didn't serve a Tour, let alone TWO Tours, yet he brazenly reports that he did, he lies. Kerry lies about almost everything. That's my point. He can not be trusted.

One might argue 'Well, the time that Kerry spent in Nam was HIS tour, so what is the big deal". If that is your argument then Kerry should have named his book "My Time in Nam" or something. Not lie and give the impression that he spent a tour in Nam. AND, there is NO excuse for his claim for TWO TOURS in Nam, my God. What a lier.

Kerry's lies smack of Michael Mooreism.

As far as Unfit for Command is concerned, I have read it. The Swifties could give a crap less if John Kerry got medals, their issue is the same as what I explained above (and the fact that Kerry smeared their good name with lies) and that is that Kerry can not be trusted. He is unfit for command.

[gilliam]

Waffles anyone?

No, that's called treason.

[gilliam]

My understanding is that he picked up the grenade and it exploded and he did not receive a PH for the event.

[andy58-in-nh]

[DustyMoment]

In contrast, what John Kerry is saying in essence about his "band of brothers" is that "in Vietnam, I was a hero, but I was surrounded by war criminals."

Owens makes some good points, but I disagree that the Swiftees' book and ads have distracted from Kerry's postwar activities. People are beginning to question his overall record and they just haven't reached the postwar part, yet. There is still time tyo examine that part of his sordid record prior to Nov. 2 to allow the voters, even the kool-aid drinkers, to decide if they want as despicable a liar and fraud as John Kerry to occupy the WH. My money is on the voters. We have been taken in by charlatans in the past, but each day it is becoming more clear that Kerry has no plan, no vision for America except to try to overturn what Bush has accomplished. Even the kool-aid drinkers can't help but notice that - and the fact that Kerry won't support his claims to heroism by releasing his military records for all to see. He knows that what is in those records will hurt him.

Something else to think about - Notice that we haven't seen or heard much from Kerry's lapdog John Edwards recently? The same John Edwards who made the challenge to others to talk to those who served with Kerry if anyone doesn't believe he's a real war hero? Well, the Swiftees took up Edwards' challenge and Kerry has become unhinged and Edwards has grown mysteriously silent and missing from the Kerry-Edwards picture. Is there trouble in Kerry's delusional paradise?

[Rummyfan]

"I was not a hero, but I was surrounded by heroes."

I was not a hero but I served in a company of heroes. Compare and contrast John Jerry with a true hero like Dick Winters, a self-effacing man who did his duty to the utmost and even volunteered to go to the Pacific following the end of fighting in europe. For Kerry to call his supporters his 'Band of Brothers' is an insult to the men of the 506th PIR!

[gilliam]

I tend to agree with you. This is not a one act play.

[bitt]

Great take on it -
"GWB - Protecting America for 34 years".....

[JoeSixPack1]

Sometimes a gut feeling really really sucks,
but mine is that Cleland survived a frag.

Everything that happened with that grenade, the story, the Huey, etc., sounds stupid.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

Here's a little something I just put together.....I hope it comprises a little bit of the forthcoming 'october surprise'

COINTELPRO 5/14/68
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/1553/fbi51468.html

COINTELPRO: The Untold American Story
http://www.jackblood.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/cointelpro.htm

Okay, here it is -- the mother lode of FBI files on Vietnam Veterans Against the War. This archive contains 21,477 pages of documents received in response to our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, bundled up by the FBI as PDF-format Files of Unusual Size.
http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/staticpages/index.php?page=20040518192545112

This propaganda was also used against American soldiers in Vietnam. An interrogation report of an Enemy Proselytizing cadre stated "Photographs of peace movements had been sent to COSVN by the peace organizations in the US and these were used in the leaflets (NFI) and sometimes produced by the Source himself."…….. McCain for his inexplicable demeanor during the Select Committee hearing when he routinely attacked witnesses who suggested that the government's efforts in this issue had been less than exemplary. The current Vice President of the U.S. Trade Council is Ms. Francis Zwenig, who served as Chief of Staff for the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA. Ms. Zwenig had also served as Legislative Assistant to Sen. John Kerry………the Senate Select Committee adjourned, some of the key personnel assigned to the Committee quickly seized high salaried positions within the U.S./Vietnam Trade Council, a business group designed to facilitate normalization and trade between the U.S. and Vietnam………Sen. Harkin visited Vietnam on July 4th, 1995, in which he also praised their cooperation in solving the POW/MIA issue. Upon returning to the U.S., Sen. Harkin personally briefed President Clinton and encouraged him to move forward in the normalization process, to include access by American businesses in Vietnam to the Overseas Private Investment Corp. Insurance (OPIC). However, MIA family members were alarmed to discover that his wife is President and CEO of this organization. This organization is designed to "bail out" American investors from potential failures due to Vietnamese government reneging on business contracts and financial investments……..Several elected officials of the U.S. government have also called for normalization with Vietnam, including Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. Sen. Kerry has remarked publicly on Vietnam's "superb" cooperation, and he has been seen by many as championing Vietnam's attempts to lift the economic embargo and diplomatic sanctions.
http://www.pownetwork.org/docs/part2.htm

(L.A. Times, March 22, 2004) Kerry, now the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, has long known he was a target of FBI surveillance, but only last week learned the extent of the scrutiny, he told The Times
http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/articles_2004/kerry_vvaw_cointelpro.html

[nyconse]

'But the point is they are not a free people now under us. They are not a free people, and we cannot fight communism all over the World, and I think we should have learned that lesson by now.'

Substitute terrorism for communism and you have Kerry's view on the War on Terror. He will not protect Americans from the evil doers.

[nyconse]

'But the point is they are not a free people now under us. They are not a free people, and we cannot fight communism all over the World, and I think we should have learned that lesson by now.'

Substitute terrorism for communism and you have Kerry's view on the War on Terror. He will not protect Americans from the evil doers.