Free Republic

POW SMITH. I was sure that we were going to be shot, because all the stories that I had heard at Fort Bragg... When we arrived...everybody sat down, lit up a cigarette, offered us one, gave us some bananas to eat, patted us and reassured us that everything was going to be all right.... They constructed a small shack just big enough for the four of us; they slept out in hammocks in the water. And they allowed McClure's foot wound to heal... MODERATOR. ...this stopover at the island was specifically for the purpose of taking care of McClure's foot...(?)...

Although (former Viet Cong soldier) Sinh had never heard of Kerry, he had a strong opinion about the debate surrounding the candidate's Vietnam War record as a U.S. Navy Swift boat commander: Kerry must have had guts to troll the Mekong Delta's spider web of rivers and narrow canals knowing that Viet Cong like himself were waiting to pick him off. "Kerry served in Vietnam and he was awarded the medal for his bravery," Sinh said. "He deserves the medal." Hung said he was also puzzled by the uproar over Kerry's decision to join the antiwar movement upon returning home....