Posted on 09/22/2004 2:54:55 PM PDT by Spackidagoosh
Decorated Soldier Reportedly Attacked At Concert. Barton Cannot Return To Iraq Due To Injuries
POSTED: 5:54 pm EDT September 20, 2004 UPDATED: 10:15 am EDT September 21, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A local soldier back from the war in Iraq said he was beaten at an area concert because of what was printed on his T-shirt, NBC 4's Nancy Burton reported.
FeedRoom
Soldier Reportedly Attacked
Foster Barton, 19, of Grove City, received a Purple Heart for his military service in Iraq. He almost lost his leg last month after a Humvee he was riding in ran over a landmine.
Barton said he was injured again Friday night in a crowded parking lot as he was leaving the Toby Keith concert at Germain Amphitheatre. The solider was injured so badly that he can't go back to Iraq as scheduled.
"I don't remember getting hit at all, really," said Barton, a member of the 1st Calvary Division. "He hit me in the back of the head. I fell and hit the ground. I was knocked unconscious and he continued to punch and kick me on the ground."
Barton and his family said he was beat up because he was wearing an Iraqi freedom T-shirt.
"It's not our fault," Barton said. "I'm just doing a job."
According to a Columbus police report, six witnesses who didn't know Barton said the person who beat him up was screaming profanities and making crude remarks about U.S. soldiers, Burton reported.
One witness, a friend of the alleged attacker, said Barton hit first. Police said they do not think that witness is credible since the six other witnesses said Barton was hit from behind.
Barton's mother said she has a message for her son's alleged attacker, who police said ran into the crowd after the incident and was not arrested.
"He needs our prayers, just like the insurgents, because he's a coward," Cindy Barton said.
After a two-week leave, Barton was supposed to return to Iraq Tuesday. But his broken nose will delay his return.
Barton is waiting for doctors to tell him when he can return to active duty. He said wants to go back as soon as possible because his unit was just attacked. Eleven soldiers were wounded and two were killed, he said.
Send them to ground zero and then off to Iraq. I bet then they could sing "Angry American" with some new found passion.
Yes...and often alongside multi-flowered, kandy-striped, orange & tangerine VW buses with Baby Moon hubs and genuine styrofoam dice dangling from the rearview mirror...
670 grains of Dipolmacy
with a FR Marine behind the -109
Very kool T shirt
some would...
but people like this are absolutely ball less....they would wet themselves on the way into baghdad and the combat landing
bttt
I am a Vietnam Veteran who has been treated like @#$% ever since I served. A life-long Democrat, I recently decided to support President George W. Bush for reelection. I am tired to the hostility toward veterans and the military by two-faced leftists. In the 70's they didn't even bother to pretend to support the troops--they just spit in our faces and called us baby killers. Now, they pretend to "support the troops but not what they do" while treating us even worse just in a more sneaky way. Kerry is nothing but a traitor to the US and I am going to see him defeated in Ohio if I have to personally knock on every door in this state.
Actually I think the old dude that pulled the protestor red hair was a conservative at a conservative rally.
But you have it right about the union fellow that ripped the little 3 y/o girls sign.
Welcome to FR OHswing. You have come to the right site for information not available on the networks.
I stand corrected..
Thank you for the welcome. I am glad to have come over from the dark side. I will not be voting Democrat any more.
The article does not state or imply that this...perpetrator (here defined as: hateful coward who attacked an unarmed hero from behind) attended the concert. I'm certain he was just loitering the parking lot waiting for this moment...
you know...
the chance to show how peace-loving leftists demonstrate compassion and tolerance.
There was mention in this morning's COLUMBUS DISPATCH that the assailant was possibly drunk and may have mis-interpreted the victim's t-shirt as an anti-war statement.
It's no excuse, but beer can be bad in mass quantities.
It's stunning that this would happen at a Toby Keith concert. The perp is either scum or a moron. In either case, a hero has been harmed.
With so much of the Kerry in the picture, is it any wonder?
Welcome to FR and thank you for your service.
I live in OH (although not in that area) and I have read quite a few eye-witness reports from the concert. They claim it was very obvious that the assailants were ANTI-war because of the terrible things that they screamed at this veteran. These were PEACE activists just like the ones that spit on me because I am a veteran. I KNEW some of the guys who disrespected me, I live in a small town. I KNEW they were part of the "dippy hippy" contengient. but try telling a democrat that. They either say that I am a liar (nothing like that ever happened--no hippy EVER disrespected a vet--or they will try to tell me that the people who spit on me were really republicans and agents of Nixon). Well I am not an idiot--I grew up with some of those guys--and let me tell you Democrats are anti-war and anti-soldier and anti-America. They hate everything that America stands for. They will say-oh sure we love America but then all they want is to weaken this country. Those were lefties that beat up that soldier. I feel sure of that.
Thank you for the welcome and the appreciation. I have never regretted trying to save those people from totalitarianism. I do regret that Americans lost their will to win, forcing us to fight with one hand tied behind our backs. And I very much regret that scum like Kerry were on the side of the communists stirring up things so that we would abandon the fight for freedom.
The commercial that the Swift Boat Veterans need to make is the one that highlights Kerry's words--The Vietnamese people do not know the difference between communism and democracy. I submit to you that when millions of people in southeast Asia were murdered by the communists--the Asians knew the difference. And a lot of Asians who escaped by the skin of their teeth are voters. We need to remind them that Kerry left their friends and family members to be brutally tortured and killed by the communists. We need to do this before the election. Another good Kerry quote (this one when he was fighting Reagan--Kerry supported communists in Nicaragua and Reagan did not want a communist stronghold in South America so he wanted to overthrow them) Kerry said to the Senate, "We can not be fighting communism all over the world." There is no record of Reagan's response but his actions said--"Yes we can" and he did--and we eventually won. Kerry---for nearly 40 years consistantly on the wrong side of history. From communist sympathizer to Terrorist sympathizer. There is the accurate and truthful campaign slogan for them.
Is Toby Keith a conservative? Seems like most of the country singers are just an extension of hollyweirdo liberalism. Tim McGraw recently said that he thinks Clintoon should be king, with red robe and all. What an idiot. His music stinks too.
So nice of people to come to the soldier's aid. Just stood by and watched? Doesn't sound like a crowd of people I would want to be around.
I won't disagree with you. And I won't defend the legions of sh#theads who are free to spew their crap because someone else protected their right to do so.
I'm just sharing what was in the local paper. The report wasn't specific about anti-war or anti-military comments.
For what it's worth, I appreciate you for your service. (And today I'm ashamed to say I live in Columbus where this incident happened).
Thank you. I do think whoever was responsible should be prosecuted. And my heart goes out to that poor man who was beaten. That is why I am here, I believe the republicans care more about the troops than the Democrats. I wish that were not so, there was a time--FDR, Truman--when the Democrats were as patriotic as they could be. But unfortunately, the McGovernites have taken over the heart of the party and until they are gone, the Democrats are worthless. The only problem is that they try to pretend that they are not McGovernites and people who do not pay close attention are sometimes fooled. I am going to work EVERY single day until Nov 3--George Bush is going to have Ohio if I have to personally knock on every door and talk to every voter myself.
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