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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: E who wrote (32029)	2/27/2004 9:05:38 PM
From: Neeka	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793570

John Kerry brought up the issue of his service in Vietnam. Unfortunately, whenever anyone questions that service, it only leads to more questions. Americans have every right to ask questions of a potential presidential nominee, just as they have every right to expect answers. M

To: E who wrote (32029)	2/27/2004 9:10:02 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793570

The man was serving in a unit in which the estimated chance of death was 75% No. One the unit commanders was quoted as saying that there was a 75% chance of being killed or wounded in a year's action. Not the same thing.

To: E who wrote (32029)	2/28/2004 5:48:12 AM
From: unclewest	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 793570

E, I have been reading your posts with interest. I find the civilian thinking on this topic fascinating. May I explain something about Purple Hearts. They have nothing to do with heroism. So-called wounds do not even have to be enemy inflicted to get a PH. If during a battle, you trip and hurt your knee hitting the ground, you are technically eligible for a PH. Likewise, if you fell on a swift boat and scratched your arm, you would be technically eligible for a PH. I have heard of men on boats and other vehicles getting a PH for being hit on the arm by a hot shell/bullet casing dropping from their own machine gun. Everyone I served in combat with would have been eligible for a dozen or more PHs. But they don't and didn't do that. They did not put in for them and would not allow the medic to. I offer this only for clarification, not to make a judgement. Soldiers joke about Purple Hearts all the time. I have always referred to my own PH as "The North Vietnamese Marksmanship badge". The real issue here is not whether Kerry served. He did. The real issue is not if Kerry got medals. He did. The Kerry actions that bother vets are: 1. Kerry, a commissioned Officer, who was otherwise healthy and capable, left his command and men on a hot battlefield because he had a few of the scratches and bumps that every battlefield soldier endures every day. And you know, he would get away with that if he just didn't tell us over and over that he had three Purple Hearts for minor wounds. 2. Perhaps the major issue for Vietnam veterans is this Kerry speech which unfairly degrades them... pages.xtn.net. coupled with Kerry's disrespect to the American flag by displaying it upside down on the cover of his book... evangelicaloutpost.com. Nam vets have also long been upset about the POW/MIA issue and Kerry's handling of it as Senate Committee Chairman. Some veteran's organizations organized and funded their own search and rescue attempts when Kerry balked. The handling of the POW/MIA issue by Kerry is still a very bitter pill for veterans to swallow. Kerry publicly insulted his comrades-at-arms, disrespected their flag, and failed to take necessary action to get all the POW/MIAs returned. And now we know he did it all for personal gain. 3. The third issue that is of concern to all veterans is Kerry's long anti-defense voting record. The Commander-in-Chief swears to protect and defend the United States. The last time Kerry was charged to do that he fled the battlefield due to a minor injury. That is less than endearing to the American combat veterans I know. None of us want our sons and grandsons being led to battle by a man with Kerry's track record of cutting and running both from battle and from the men left behind. Nor do we want them to be led by a man who considers an upside down American flag as a personal photo opportunity to be used to sell books. uw