Posted on 08/24/2004 11:49:52 AM PDT by Stultis
OREGON CITY -- The clash between Vietnam veterans over Sen. John Kerry and critics of his war record heated up several degrees Monday as a group of vets called on a Clackamas County deputy prosecutor to resign.
"He's hurt a lot, a lot of people," Don Stewart, one of the organizers of a rally on the Main Street steps of the county courthouse, said of Alfred French. "It opens up a lot of wounds. . . . This is personal."
Stewart of Oregon City and Don Kirsch of Canby drew about 45 people to a rally to criticize French, a senior deputy district attorney who said in an affidavit that Kerry lied about his service record. French later admitted his sworn statements were based on the accounts of others.
French's comments have been used in anti-Kerry ads by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group of Vietnam veterans who have said the Democratic presidential candidate lied about or exaggerated his actions during Swift boat river duty in 1969.
The ad campaign has become a national issue, and French's admission to The Oregonian last week that his signed affidavit was not based on personal observations raised the emotional level of the veterans-versus-veterans debate in Oregon.
Respect for combat veterans
French was wrong "to disrespect fellow combat veterans," said Kirsch, 51, a disabled Marine veteran, who said he still has nightmares of his service.
John Prescott, an Army veteran who lives in the Canby area and attended the protest, criticized the anti-Kerry ads and what he called "a small group rewriting history in such a negative way."
His concerns, he said, have led him to become active in Veterans for Kerry.
Stewart, 58, a Navy veteran, estimated that the courthouse event included about 30 veterans that he and Kirsch had contacted.
During the rally, Stewart read a letter he and Kirsch wrote in which they tell French he should resign because he has lost the trust of county residents.
"We question your fitness to serve as an enforcer of the law after swearing to facts in a legal affidavit that you do not know to be true," they wrote.
They urged others during the rally to join them in signing. Stewart later said about 60 people have done so.
Kirsch said French has a right to criticize Kerry "as a concerned veteran" but should not have signed a sworn statement based on secondhand information. "He's told lies and hearsay evidence," Kirsch said.
French did not return a telephone message asking for comment.
District attorney defends rights
John S. Foote, Clackamas County district attorney, said in a printed statement that he personally disagrees with French's viewpoint, but that "all of our employees have the right to their own opinions" and to express those opinions on their own time.
Foote, who said the office had received numerous angry calls and e-mails -- many demanding that French be fired -- reiterated that French has "earned a reputation as a trusted and respected member of the office."
He added, "Sometimes good people just honestly disagree."
Dan Hortsch: 503-221-8223; danhortsch@news.oregonian.com
Clackamas County prosecutor calls Kerry a liar
[Note this is may be from another left-leaning source.]
French said he is relying on the accounts of three other veterans."I was not a witness to these events but my friends were," said French, who was awarded two Bronze Stars during the war. "I believe these people. These are people I served with."
...
French, relying on friends' accounts, said Rassmann would have been picked up by another boat if Kerry had not helped. And French said any shots that were fired came from U.S. soldiers providing cover as Rassmann and two others were rescued.
"It's not like he wouldn't have been saved if Kerry had not been there," French said. "I don't believe they were under any fire when that happened. None of the other boats were damaged."
...
French, a registered Republican, said he and Kerry served together in the same unit in January and February 1969, but he did not know him well.
Thany you for your reply. I just found this very interesting.
Hahaha! Public school math. The fall of Saigon took place in 1975. If the youngest age to enlist at that time was 18, then the youngest enlistee in 1975 would have been born in about 1957. 51 years ago was 1953 leaving plenty of time for him to have served in 'Nam.
Heck, more people than that rally to protest the French.
I feel like we are heading right back to the streets for yet another fight about Vietnam.
And I feel like John Kerry is happy about it.
It is indeed! kerry was apparently granted some dispensations that were not normal, do to his connections with the Kennedy's no doubt.
I believe his rewrite of his discharge was in order to cover that up. his refusal to release all his records makes this even more interesting!
Publicly yes, but privately I am not so sure. He has always used this to his advantage before by winning the counter attacks, but this is more than he bargained for i think.
Actually, I had a friend in high school (1972) who had the "opportunity option" of either service or jail. He chose the service.
Died in Viet Nam in 1971 (RIP Sean)
The phone calls he's making to the Swift Vets are quite disturbing to me; what would happen if somebody disagreed with him while he was POTUS?
There are exceptions. Excited utterances, etc.
I agree, Cover Up is what it looks like to me as well.
These vets don't seem too concerned about Jengis John's Fulbright Committee testimony. I smell a rat. I smell a pack of rats.
He would put Nixon to shame.
May your friend rest in peace, knowing that we admire him greatly and wish he were still with us.
I was thinking that as well...What is the youngest a person can be who served in Vietnam? (18 yrs old when they began withdrawing troops in what year - '72?)
It is amazing that I can do a trigonomic vector calculation but cannot add two plus two.
Do the math again. You're wrong.
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