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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (567535)	4/21/2004 8:40:21 PM
From: Doren	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

TOO BAD ground zero. Kerry was getting medals while Bush was getting dental work. nytimes.com Kerry's Military Records Show a Highly Praised Officer By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: April 21, 2004 WASHINGTON -- Records of John Kerry's Vietnam War service released Wednesday show a highly praised naval officer with an Ivy League education who spoke fluent French and had raced sailboats -- the fruits of a privileged upbringing that set him apart from the typical seaman. With Republicans questioning his service in Vietnam, the Democratic candidate for president posted more than 120 pages of military records on his campaign Web site. Several describe him as a gutsy commander undertaking a dangerous assignment in Vietnam and detail some of the actions that won three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. Advertisement Kerry's most harrowing experience came during the nearly five months when he commanded a swiftboat along Vietnam's Mekong Delta. The future Massachusetts senator was commended for gallantry, heroism and valor during the tour, which was cut short when Kerry was wounded three times and sent back to the United States. Throughout his four years of active duty, Kerry's superiors gave him glowing evaluations, citing his maturity, intelligence and immaculate appearance. He was recommended for early promotion, and when he left the Navy in 1970 to run for Congress, his commanding officer said it was the Navy's loss. The lowest marks Kerry earned were the equivalent of average -- in military bearing, reliability and initiative. But narrative comments from his commanding officers said he was diplomatic, charismatic, decisive and well-liked by his men. "Intelligent, mature and rich in educational background and experience, Ens Kerry is one of the finest young officers I have ever met and without question one of the most promising," wrote Capt. Allen Slifer, Kerry's supervisor aboard the USS Gridley, where he served his first tour in Vietnam but was far removed from combat as an electrical officer. Kerry's education included Swiss boarding school, and he won speaking and debating awards and was class orator at Yale University's commencement. He lettered in varsity soccer and lacrosse, fenced, had a private pilot's license and had experience sailing and ocean racing. Kerry traveled throughout Europe in his youth and spoke fluent French and some German. His supervising officer later commended him for taking it upon himself to learn Vietnamese. Kerry cited his sailing experience before the Navy when he volunteered to command a swiftboat, a 50-foot-long craft that could operate at high speeds in the rough waters of Vietnam's rivers and tributaries. Some critics have questioned whether Kerry's injuries were severe enough to warrant his reassignment to the United States. The records briefly describe shrapnel wounds to his arm and thigh for the first two Purple Hearts, but they don't detail the severity of the wounds. According to a naval instruction document provided by Kerry's campaign, anyone serving in Vietnam who was wounded three times, regardless of the nature of the wound or treatment required, "will not be ordered to service in Vietnam and contiguous waters." On Feb. 28, 1969, Kerry's craft and two other boats came under heavy fire from the riverbanks. Kerry ordered his units to turn into the ambush and sent men ashore to charge the enemy. According to the records, an enemy soldier holding a loaded rocket launcher sprang up within 10 feet of Kerry's boat and fled. Kerry leapt ashore, ran down the man and killed him. Kerry and his men chased or killed all the enemy soldiers in the area, captured enemy weapons and then returned to the boat only to come under fire from the opposite bank as they began to pull away. Kerry again beached his boat and led a party ashore to pursue the enemy, and they successfully silenced the shooting. Later, the boats were again under fire, but Kerry initiated a heavy response that killed 10 Viet Cong and wounded another with no casualties to his own men. He won the Silver Star "for gallantry and intrepidity in action" that day. Two weeks later, Kerry was engaged in another fire fight that resulted in a Bronze Star for heroic achievement and the third Purple Heart that would result in his reassignment out of Vietnam. Kerry was commanding one of five boats on patrol on March 13, 1969, when two mines detonated almost simultaneously -- one beneath another boat and one near Kerry's craft. Shrapnel hit Kerry's buttocks, and his right arm was bleeding from contusions, but he rescued a boatmate who had been thrown overboard in the blast and was under sniper fire from both banks. Kerry then directed his crew to return to the other damaged craft and tow it to safety. In April 1969, Kerry was sent stateside to the Military Sea Transportation Service, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, in Brooklyn, N.Y. On Nov. 21, 1969, Kerry requested that he be released from his commitment to serve actively until August 1970 so that he could run for Congress. He was promoted to full lieutenant on Jan. 1, 1970, and soon after was discharged from active duty and became a reservist.

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (567535)	4/21/2004 10:55:25 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Anxious Poland may follow Spain's lead and withdraw troops Ian Traynor, and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington Thursday April 22, 2004 The Guardian George Bush's staunchest ally in continental Europe yesterday signalled it was getting cold feet over its military presence in Iraq. Poland's prime minister, Leszek Miller, said he was considering a retreat from Iraq and conceded that the decision by the new Spanish government to pull out was a problem - a view echoed by the conservative Australian prime minister, John Howard. Australia has 800 servicemen and women in Iraq, while Poland has a detachment of 2,400 and is in command of 9,500 soldiers from 23 countries, including Spain, in the south-central sector of Iraq that has been rocked by intense insurgency in the past few weeks. Ordinary Poles are anxious about possible terrorist attacks in Poland, particularly after the Madrid bombings. The centre of Warsaw, where there will be a conference of European leaders this weekend, is being turned into a fortress. Zbigniew Siemiakowski, Poland's intelligence chief, did not help to calm anxiety by recently stating: "We have untested structures and zero experience in reacting to such events. The shock society could experience in the aftermath of the attack could have incalculable political and social consequences." After the Madrid bombings, Mr Miller pledged that Poland would maintain its mission in Iraq. Anything else would "signal admission that the terrorists are stronger than the entire civilised world". But yesterday he said: "A final decision about the withdrawal date will be agreed and well thought through ... We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that the Spanish and others are leaving Iraq." While the Australian prime minister said the Australian troops would not "cut and run" because of the announced withdrawals by Spain, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and, possibly, Thailand, he also, like Poland, said there was no prospect of sending more Australians to Iraq. The withdrawals were "regrettable", Mr Howard told a Melbourne radio station. "It will encourage the terrorists. It will make it harder for those who are left, no doubt about that." The new Spanish government indicated yesterday that the 1,300 Spanish soldiers could be pulled out of Iraq a month sooner than previously stated. José Bono, the defence minister, told El País that Spanish troops could be home by the end of May, a month earlier than the June 30 deadline set by the prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The Pentagon is considering whether to reverse plans to reduce troop levels in Iraq before the November elections. It is studying plans for an increased force of 135,000 US servicemen and women to remain in Iraq for an indefinite period - barely a fortnight after announcing the increase as a temporary measure. Officials attributed the measure to difficulties in recruiting new foreign troops and in training Iraqi forces. Some of the shortages are aggravated by the decision of the occupation administrator, Paul Bremer, to bar former Ba'ath party members, including career officers in the Iraqi army, from government jobs, putting tens of thousands out of work, especially those from the powerful Sunni minority. "There are a number of Sunnis who are very good, courageous and determined people, who, if given a chance, would be part of the solution in Iraq," Major General John Batiste, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, told the Washington Post: "They would be schoolteachers. They would be engineers." But troop shortages are not the only challenge. The army said it had identified some $6bn in funding requests that went unmet in next year's budget. These include $132m for vehicle armour and $879m for uniforms and helmets, as well as $956m for repair of equipment. guardian.co.uk