Rush Limbaugh & Vietnam

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[OldCorps]

I was listening to Rush Limbaugh a while ago and some liberal fool came on and said that Sen. John Kerry had "gravitas" (gag me, I'm so tired of that overused word) because he signed up for service with ___ Pershing and the guy who founded FEDEX. How does that give Sen. Kerry gravitas? It seems to me this vignette shows he (Sen. Kerry) is just a spoiled rich boy.

Then the liberal came up and mentioned Rush's being a draft dodger.

[Theyknow]

This has been gone over and over. There are postings (which I won't link to) which purport to show documentation that he did not report for duty or for a required physical during a full year of his service. IF these are accurate it is pretty damming, but lately I've been thinking these must be fakes or the liberal media would run with it. Even if it is true, then we all know he has a past which he has overcome and this may just be a part of it.

[colorado tanker]

I think anyone who serves deserves credit for that but it's sure not a defacto stamp of approval on character outside of that.

You're absolutely right. This "chickenhawk" thing is off base. Feeley threw that around here in Colorado but as far as I could tell he was what the line troops called a "remf."

Early on in Vietnam there were a fairly large number of volunteers. My recollection is that later in the war, however, the prevailing attitude was if your number (lottery) comes up, you go. If you're given a deferment or you're number doesn't come up, you don't have to go.

I get particularly p.o.'d at the people attacking the Guard and Reserve. Sure, lots of folks joined because they knew the odds were they wouldn't have to go to 'Nam. But they took the oath, served and knew they could be ordered to go if need be. And as we know from recent experience, plenty of Guard and Reserve units are ordered into combat.

How far do you take the argument? I know guys who joined the Air Force or Navy because they knew the odds of a combat assignment were slim. So was Kerry a "chickenhawk" until he got assigned to patrol boats when he was magically transformed to a hero??? What about somebody who goes to the Army or Marines but ends up in ordnance or supply, are they "chickenhawks"? How about me; I was in ROTC when Saigon fell - should I have quit ROTC and demanded assignment to Vietnam before the war ended?

The height of absurdity came in 2000 when Dims tried to pin the label on Bush. Bush was at far more risk of bodily injury driving fighter jets in CONUS than was Algore punching a typewriter in Saigon, yet the Dims tried to question Bush's Guard service.

In my book those who wore the uniform and were discharged honorably did honorable service. The draft dodgers are the people who went to Canada, faked injuries or otherwise got deferments they weren't entitled to.

[AGreatPer]

Ya know, in my life I hit the curve, or the line where not much was happening.

Oh, we were called up during the Cuban crisis. Got on the biggest dam jet in the world with ordance support (No explosives, just the equipment that got it where it was to go), and flew to Guantanimo.

This is funny. We were about to land in Gitmo and the Cap came on the mike and said, "I have good news and bad news and good news". He said, "Number one, or mission was to support the troops at gitmo but the threat of war was over." That was the good news. We all did a sigh of relief and honestly said a prayer of thank you to our God.

"Second, he said, We are out of gas and must land anyway" That was the bad news. Then he said, "We will make several pots of coffee, get gas,piss on the palm trees and get the fxxx out of here". Good news.

[SJackson]

Excellent post.

I find it ironic that the political issue of who served, who didn't, why not are coming back today when most of the pundits of the time (and many to this day) knew the true heros were those found a way out.

What goes around comes around I guess, nice to see.

While not disparaging military service for elected officials (I think it's vital for the top job), it certainly shouldn't be a determinant for the essentially political decision of going to war.

[Inkie]

I hope it's not because can you imagine JFK (vomit alert -- that's what he calls himself)bringing it up in a debate?

[Mark17]

We all knew enough returnees to know that it was nothing but a cluster****, certainly not an issue worth dying for, not in the 70s.

I returned from Nam in 71, and you are right, it was a total cluster**** and not at all worth dying for. I stayed 20 years in the USAF, but even today, I think my year in Nam was a total waste of time.

[Station 51]

We all knew enough returnees to know that it was nothing but a cluster****, certainly not an issue worth dying for, not in the 70s.

And therefore, you would excuse anyone who dodged the draft in the 70's?

[gitmo]

I've heard this over the years, but have never seen any sort of documentation. Rush claims this is not true. There were also stories that his father pulled strings to get him out of military service, but that was a radio gag Rush started in his early days of broadcasting. Even then he illustrated the absurd by being absurd.

[Arioch7]

Well said. I find it hard to believe that at that time an unimportant Rush Limbaugh avoided service through connections.

Kerry is a scumbag. I dont care where he served. Rush is pro-military, Kerry is anti-military. Kerry can take a long walk...

[Mark17]

My father in law did 2 tours at Bien Hoa AFB early in the war after serving both in WWII and Korea.

I was at Bien Hoa, from 14 July 70 to 10 July 71. I worked in air conditioned comfort, though the air conditioning was to keep the radar cool, not necessarily us. I was not real thrilled about being there, however.

[dighton]

Nice work, AmishDude. That's exactly how their "chickenhawk" game is played.

[AnAmericanMother]

Thanks for the sharp eyes of somebody who served (as opposed to somebody like me, who simply starched her husband's ODs and polished his boots :-D )

I had caught the brand new fatigues (with the storage wrinkles still in 'em!) and the unnatural cleanliness. Boonie hat too. I knew his equipment just didn't look right . . . but couldn't catch it (my husband was the biggest guy in his platoon, so he ALWAYS carried the radio . . . ;-( )

Of course, he's never going to win the Safe Firearms Handling Award . . . even with the dust cover on and the magazine out, there theoretically COULD be one up the spout (that the armorer missed? yeah, I know, but . . . )

[redheadtoo]

It's a strange but true fact that Rush got out of serving in Vietnam because of (hold your hat), an anal cyst.

This is not true. A caller to Rush's show today brought this up (he called it a boil on Rush's but) Rush denied it. It seems that this is a rumor that is being spread on the internet by the people who wish to discredit Rush.

[itsahoot]

Navy 63,64,65. I could be wrong on that, but remember I was there early.

My ship passed the Maddox, and C.T. Joy(you know the phony attack stuff) on my first deployement to Tonkin.

I just remember the scuttle of Brass flying in on the carriers and looking around, in order to get the bennies.

I served on a tanker, that was leased and put into service in 1938. No air conditiong, except in the Captians Quarters :) USS Taluga (AO-62)

[Theyknow]

There are several threads in other boards (which will remain nameless) that are going on and on about possible indiscretions by Rush when he was a young DJ who called himself Jeff Christy. They say that there was an arrest, naturally there is no documentation. Just when you think they can't get any lower they dig a little deeper.

[Cannon6]

So you want to give clinton a pass and continue to trash Rush?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

It's 'Lurch', as in the Addams Family.

[Bluntpoint]

Clinton sucks. Clinton sucks. Clinton sucks. Ok. Now excuse me, I did not start this thread about "Rush."

I would suggest you read my posts. With humor, I was just suggesting that Rush be honest. No one, no one faults any one for doing their best, short of running off to canada or any other traitorous acts, for avoiding that war.

I like Rush. I loath Clinton. But calling a spade a spade, I believe their is a certain amount of intellectual dishonesty coming from Rush on this point.

Hate Clinton! Hate Clinton! Hate Clinton! Hate Clinton!



Jeesh!!!

You know I love my wife and she loves me. We do not contiplate divorce after having pointed out than one of us is not being completely intellectually honest at times.