Letter Signed By 121 Ret. Flag Officers On Kerry's Political Expediency Regarding The War On Terror

George W. Bush ^ | October 28, 2004

[RWR8189]

Open Letter Signed By 121 Retired Flag Officers On John Kerry's Political Expediency Regarding The War On Terror

(titled edited for length)

To Interested Parties:

There is nothing more important than supporting troops at war. We understand that because we have commanded Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen. We know that President Bush understands this obligation to the men and women of our armed forces. He increased pay and military funding prior to September 11th and has given our troops the support they need in the War on Terror.

In contrast, Senator Kerry has a record of votes against military spending. In his first Senate race at the height of the Cold War, Senator Kerry advocated a comprehensive reduction in our armed forces, and his record since has reflected that priority.

Senator Kerry has repeatedly voted against military spending and support for troops, but no vote was as egregious as his vote against the troops currently fighting in the War on Terror. In October of 2003, after voting to send troops to war, Senator Kerry was given a chance to vote to support our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq with supplies like body armor and ammunition. He voted no.

Just weeks earlier, Senator Kerry said that a no vote on the funding would be "irresponsible" and would amount to a vote to "abandon our troops." And yet, that is exactly what Senator Kerry did.

We now know from Senator Biden and from Senator Kerry's own staff that this vote against the troops was cast out of political expediency as a way to stall the momentum of Governor Dean. Senator Kerry voted against troops in combat for his own political benefit.

A candidate who sends troops into harm's way and then denies them the supplies they need to do the job cannot lead our nation in the War on Terror.

Sincerely,

Rear Adm. John Adams
Rear Adm. Donald S. Albright, Jr.
Lt. Gen. Teddy Allen
Brig. Gen. Dwayne Alons
Lt. Gen. Charles Bagnal
Brig. Gen. John Bahnsen
Rear Adm. Stephen Baker
Maj. Gen. John Barry
Rear Adm. Timothy Beard
Rear Adm. Frances Buckley
Brig. Gen. Richard Bundy
Brig. Gen. Carl Butterworth
Rear Adm. Joseph Callo, Jr.
Vice Adm. Kent Carroll
Brig. Gen. Robert Chadwick
Vice Adm. Edward Clexton, Jr.
Lt. Gen. John Conaway
Maj. Gen. Boyd Cook
Lt. Gen. Charles Cooper
Rear Adm. Frank Corley
Rear Adm. Michael Coyle
Maj. Gen. John D'Araujo, Jr.
Gen. John Davis
Vice Adm. George Davis VI
Gen. John Deane, Jr.
Maj. Gen. Gene Deegan
Rear Adm. Jeremiah Denton, Jr.
Maj. Gen. Neil Eddins
Rear Adm. Ernest Elliot
Rear Adm. Paul Engel
Maj. Gen. Merrill Evans
Rear Adm. Edward Feightner
Rear Adm. Kenneth Fisher
Maj. Gen. John France
Maj. Gen. Joseph Franklin
Rear Adm. J. Cameron Fraser, Jr.
Rear Adm. Alan Gemmill
Lt Gen William Ginn, Jr.
Maj. Gen. Harold Glasgow
Maj. Gen. Richard Goddard
Rear Adm. Fred Golove
Rear Adm. William Gureck
Rear Adm. Wallace Guthrie
Rear Adm. Frank Haak
Lt. Gen. Robert Hails
Maj. Gen. Jack Hancock
Vice Adm. Patrick Hannifin
Rear Adm. Whitney Hansen
Vice Adm. Peter Hekman, Jr.
Rear Adm. Grant Hollett, Jr.
Rear Adm. Bobby Hollingsworth
Lt. Gen. John Hudson
Brig. Gen. Oscar Hurt
Lt. Gen. James Johnson, Jr.
Gen. P.X. Kelley
Adm. Robert Kelly
Adm. George Kinnear
Rear Adm. J. Koenig
Brig. Gen. Peter Lash
Rear Adm. Paul Lautermilch
Maj. Gen. James Livingston
Rear Adm. Walter Locke
Rear Adm. Noah Long Jr.
Rear Adm. Joseph Loughran
Rear Adm. Thomas Lynch
Maj. Gen. William Lyon
Adm. James Lyons
Maj. Gen. Clark Martin
Rear Adm. Fredrick Metz
Brig. Gen. Thomas Mikolajcik
Rear Adm. John Moriarty
Rear Adm. Thomas Morris
Maj. Gen. James Mukoyama
Lt. Gen. Carol Mutter
Brig. Gen. Michael Neil
Maj. Gen. Stanley Newman
Vice Adm. John Nicholson
Lt. Gen. John Norton
Brig. Gen. Thomas O'Brien Jr.
Rear Adm. Robert Owens
Lt. Gen. Dave Palmer
Vice Adm. John Parker, Jr.
Maj. Gen. Jeremiah Pearson III
Vice Adm. Douglas Plate
Rear Adm. Don Primeau
Brig. Gen. John Quinn
Rear Adm. Conrad Rorie
Lt. Gen. Donald Rosenblum
Vice Adm. Robert Schoultz
Rear Adm. Luther Schriefer Jr.
Brig. Gen. Dennis Schulstad
Rear Adm. Jud Scott
Rear Adm. Kenneth Sears
Rear Adm. Joel Sipes
Rear Adm. Robert Smith III
Adm. Leighton Smith Jr.
Maj. Gen. Frank Smoker Jr.
Brig. Gen. William Spruance
Gen. Carl Stiner
Vice Adm. Edward Straw
Lt. Gen. Gordon Sumner, Jr.
Maj. Gen. Larry Taylor
Lt. Gen. David Teal
Rear Adm. William Thompson
Vice Adm. Howard Thorsen
Vice Adm. Nils Thunman
Brig. Gen. William Tiernan
Rear Adm. Ernest Tissot
Rear Adm. Paul Tomb
Brig. Gen. Guy Townsend
Vice Adm. Jerry Tuttle
Maj. Gen. Glen Van Dyke
Brig. Gen. Guy VanderLinden
Rear Adm. Lloyd Vasey
Maj. Gen. Russell Violett
Rear Adm. Edward Walker, Jr.
Rear Adm. Lemuel Warfield
Maj. Gen. Gary Wattnem
Rear Adm. Harvey Weatherson
Maj. Gen. William Webb
Adm. Steven White

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[WoodstockCat]

This is called, I'll see your 10 and raise you 121...

[mattdono]

Kerry: But, but, retired General Tony McPeak supports me! Everyone should believe these 5 generals who support me. Don't pay attention to the hundreds that support the President. See, 5 versus 121. Clearly, I have the support of the generals.

[mattdono shakes head] What an idiot.

[Mister Mellow]

I know this may be a moot point, but why hasn't Tommy Franks signed this? I know he supports the President.

[Mister Mellow]

Or Norman Schwarzkopf. I respect that everyone has private opinions, but I would've though him and Franks would be signing this to back the President.

[matchwood]

That is awesome!

[redhead]

Oooooooh! Talk about PULLING RANK!

[GreyFriar]

General Tommie Franks is doing better than signing the endorsement, he has been actively campaigning for President Bush's re-election.

[Phyto Chems]

WOW This should be in ALL newspapers from coast to coast. Oh, but these guys are just some "Crackpots" from the "Vast-Right-Wing-Conspricy" --- NOT.
That is a "LOT" of brass. Wake up people.

[Mister Mellow]

I know that. I just figured that someone would get his signature. I guess I'm just being vain.

[numberonepal]

Guess who's side these guys are on.

[Enchante]

Great, but I'm afraid it will be ignored in the MSM. Think of all the feverish attention they give to a couple of liberal nitwits from the ranks of retired officers, and how they ignore the fact that the vast majority of both serving and retired military support BUSH. I'd love to see this get wide exposure, but I won't hold my breath.

[StayAt HomeMother]

Earlier thread, same subject:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1250986/posts

---

Who these men are may be more important than just their names. Here is one: Former Prisoner of War and Navy Cross recipient Rear Adm. (RET) Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr.

Former POW and retired Capt. James A. Mulligan, who was released with his one-time cellmate CDR Denton on February 12th, 1973, has said the following about him at http://www.fasolant.navy.mil/Dedication.htm

"Cmdr. Denton set a policy at the camp. The policy was no reading on the radio, no writing, no tapes. Don’t give them anything. Resist to the best of your ability and take physical punishment. That was the policy that was in effect when I arrived at the camp in late April 1966. It was Cmdr. Denton’s policy but he was missing. We couldn’t find him and had no idea where he was. So, I assumed the camp leadership and said Cmdr. Denton’s policy is what we live by. He was a fearless leader of the hardliners."

It was later found out that Cmdr. Denton had been sent to another prison where he was tortured and forced to meet a public delegation of reporters. It was here he blinked his eyes in Morse Code, spelling out the word torture on live television. This interview was the first confirmation that American POWs in Vietnam were being tortured.

"The cell I was in was 48 inches by 48 inches and it was almost too dark to see your hand," Adm. Denton said. "We were in irons for 17 hours a day and then got to sleep in a concrete bed the rest of the time. When I looked ahead to see what was going on, when I learned we were going to be tortured, I didn’t think I was man enough to take it. But our natures are partly super-natures. You can do anything if you put your mind to it."

Adm. Denton was the senior man on the airplane full of POWs after they were released from the camp. He closed his televised remarks of gratitude to the President of the United States and to the American people by saying simply ‘God Bless America.’

"Adm. Denton’s words made the headlines of all the national newspapers. He was the POWs, POW," Capt. Mulligan said. "He took the most physical abuse for his leadership. He paid the full price for his leadership and he never wavered in his compassion for his fellow POWs. He always went first and he never asked anyone to do anything he wouldn’t do. ... God Bless you all and God Bless America."

[PhiKapMom]

Can you imagine having McPeak as one of your supporters you tout? Obviously Kerry has NO idea how little everyone connected with the AF thinks of McPeak! :)

[Wild Irish Rogue]

The only two that matter are Generals Shinseki and Shalikashvilli- according to Senator Kerry ( Scumbag-MA )

[AMHN]

I think Bush needs to stump with the Flag Officers. Just one appearence, each walking past the microphone, played live on Fox, each saying what an idiot Kerry is. How many times has Kerry quoted Generals that don't support Bush (just a couple that have been promised position in the sKerry Administration)...This would settle the issue this weekend once and for all. Just think 121 times...I think Kerry is an Idiot and Unfit for Command...I think Kerry is an Idiot and Unfit for Command...I think.........

[DmBarch]

I remember reading lots of articles by Col. Craig Boddington in gun and hunting magazines. Thought he was a retired guy. Ends up he was doing all that writing and editing in his spare time. From his Official Biography -"Colonel Craig T. Boddington was selected for Brigadier General in April 2001...On November 12, 2003, Colonel Boddington assumed his current billet as Vice Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific."

Three years is a long time to be promised your star! Does someone have to retire for him to get to Flag Rank?

[PeaceCorpsGuy]

Kerry: And never forget that I won three purple hearts!

[Bitter Bierce]

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