Lamh Foistenach Abu!
Posted on 05/19/2010 12:01:05 PM PDT by jazusamo
What Richard Blumenthal has been doing through much of his public career is to walk on the backs of those who really did serve in Vietnam – and falsely build affinity with those who serve today.
A hero is a person who puts him or herself at risk for the benefit of others. That certainly characterizes anyone who donned a uniform and went to war, voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way in our armed forces and those who serve or served far from home in difficult or dangerous circumstances. That’s an apt description of those with whom I served in Vietnam. That’s not Richard Blumenthal, the Attorney General of Connecticut, who wants to be his state’s next United States Senator. He’s a phony.
According to The New York Times, the Associated Press and just about every other news outlet on the planet, Mr. Blumenthal has made a habit of portraying himself as a veteran of the Vietnam War. He is quoted as having told a Connecticut veteran’s group in March of 2008, “We have learned something important since the days I served in Vietnam…” He has also emotionally recalled being “spat on” and “we couldn’t wear our uniforms” when “we returned from Vietnam.” On other occasions he has reflected on “…the taunts, the insults, sometimes physical abuse” he suffered after coming back from Vietnam. At a 2003 rally in Bridgeport, Conn. to support U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan he said, “When we returned, we saw nothing like this…” Unfortunately for Mr. Blumenthal, we now know he never served in Vietnam. He has known it all along.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
You’re correct about some people inflating their service in every war. The difference now is the media and the Internet, they make it almost impossible to get away with and people like Blumenthal should know it.
Correct, I could not believe him standing up in a presser yesterday and try to vindicate himself by saying it was a slip of the tongue, it just doesn’t carry water.
It looks like the media is trying to help Blumenthal out and help him parse words because he said he served in Vietnam and then he said served as a Marine during the Vietnam era later. The guy knew he had crossed the line that is why he came out and said he “misspoke”. You’d bet your bottom dollar that if a conservative Republican had said any such thing we’d never hear the end of it.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
Agree, the enemedia is going all out for Blumenthal. Hopefully there’s enough veterans in CT that he won’t get away with this.
For purposes of defining whether one is a Vietnam era veteran, I believe it began later than that (1965 I think). For instance, I have never been considered a Vietnam era vet by the Dept of Veterans Affairs (honorably discharged in Sept 1963).
AMEN to that!
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
Well, you can’t fix stupid. Or arrogance either it seems.
Blumenthal would walk on the backs of his own children to be a senator. Face it, this is not anything he’s ashamed of. He’s just annoyed he got caught.
This whole fiasco was totally unecessary. I would never impugn anyone’s honorable service, be it at Khe Sanh or (as a buddy of mine did) drive a general around some missile base in South Dakota for almost four years. As Rush would say, this guy opened the door and walked right into it.
Thank you for your answer. The definition above assumes service in Vietnam, or off its shore. I never left the state of CA during my period of service (1961-63) so I am not considered a Vietnam-era vet by the Department of Veterans affairs (VA) despite having served at that time. So we are both right.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.