17 POWs. 17 war heroes. 17 damning indictments of John F. Kerry. None of them, by the way, has more than two Purple Hearts. None of them added their own special V for Valor to their Silver Star.
Kerry can run but Kerry can't hide from these men.
When John Kerry appeared before the U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the spring of 1971, his testimony sent shock waves throughout America and the world. Here was a young, articulate Ivy-Leaguer, a highly decorated Naval officer who had seen combat in Vietnam. Now, driven by conscience and lofty ideals, Lt. Kerry said he felt compelled to break his silence and tell the unvarnished truth about the Vietnam War and those who fought it. The war, he said, was a criminal endeavor driven by a “policy of atrocities.” The 2.5 million men who served in Vietnam were akin to “Genghis Khan’s barbaric hordes,” thugs and psychopathic war criminals who wantonly plundered the Vietnam countryside, murdering, raping and bombing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians – old men, women and children -- each and every day.
Lt. Kerry’s widely televised statements were dramatic and persuasive, made all the more credible by the fact he had been there, said he had witnessed many of these same atrocities. His testimony catapulted him to international prominence and the ranks of leadership in the American anti-war movement, launching his once failing political career. It also permanently branded in the American psyche the image of Vietnam veterans as murderous “baby killers” and “drugged out losers,” a perception that persists today, one deeply embedded in our history.
That single act earned for Kerry the lasting enmity of Vietnam veterans, especially those who had borne the brunt of his accusations, that small percentage of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who actually served on the frontlines. Many of these combat veterans would carry the scars of their service for life. Kerry’s repudiation of their sacrifice represented yet another war wound, one that would never heal. As compelling as Kerry’s Senate testimony was, these men knew it was lacking in one key element … truth. They knew from their own combat experiences virtually all his allegations were lies; the U.S. military would never countenance such brutality. And, they also knew his actions were a deliberate betrayal of all of them, especially the more than 58,000 who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.
But, perhaps, more than any living group of combat veterans, it was the America ’s POWs who suffered most, forced to endure the immediate consequences of Kerry’s treacherous falsehoods. In 1971, some 700 of these men were reported as captured or missing in action, most presumed held prisoner by the North Vietnamese Communists in such places as the notorious Hanoi Hilton. Already subjected to years of torture, solitary confinement and unspeakable psychological and physical abuse, their lives were literally hanging by a thread when Kerry issued his damning testimony. In mere moments, Kerry had willingly given the Vietnamese Communists what they had spent years of torture and blood-letting to drag out of their American hostages, an unqualified “confession” they were all war criminals.
stolenhonor.com
Name: Kenneth W. Cordier
Hometown: Canton , OH
POW time: 6 yrs, 3 mos, 1 day
Awards:
Two Silver Stars
Defense Superior Service medal
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star
Purple Heart
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Name: George E. "Bud" Day
Hometown: Sioux City, Iowa
POW time: 5 yrs, 7 mos, 13 days
Entered 1967- Discharge 1973
Awards:
Medal of Honor
Air Force Cross
Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
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Name: Jack H. Fellowes
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
POW time: 6 years, 6 months, 6 days
Awards:
Silver Star
Two Legions of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Three Bronze Stars
Five Air Medals
Two Purple Hearts
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Name: Ralph E. Gaither
Hometown: Miami, FL
POW time: 7 years, 3 months, 23 days
Entered 1962 - Discharge 1986
Awards:
Two Silver Stars
Two Legions of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Four Bronze Stars
Six Air Medals
Two Purple Hearts
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Name: Paul E. Galanti
Hometown: Lodi, NJ
POW time: 6 years, 7 months, 24 days
Awards:
Silver Star
Two Legions of Merit
Bronze Star
Nine Air Medals
Two Purple Hearts
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Name: Carlyle S. "Smitty" Harris
Hometown: Tupelo , MS
POW time: 7 years, 10 months, 8 days
Awards:
Two Silver Stars
Three Legions of Merit
Distinguished Flying Award
Two Bronze Stars
Two Air Medals
Two Purple Hearts
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Name: Gordon A. "Swede" Larson
POW time: 5 years, 10 months
Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Awards:
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Four Distinguished Flying Crosses
Bronze Star
Purple Heart
Distinguished Service Medal
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Name: Kevin McManus
Hometown: Oakton , VA
POW time: 5 yrs, 8 mos, 4 days
Awards:
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Medal
Purple Heart
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Name: Thomas M. McNish
Hometown: Franklin, NC
POW time: 6 yrs, 6 mos
Awards:
Three Silver Stars
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Three Bronze Stars
Two Purple Hearts
Three Meritorious Service Medals
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Name: Thomas S. Pyle
Hometown: Wilmington, DE
POW time: 6 yrs, 6 mos 26 days
Awards:
Two Silver Stars
Three Bronze Stars
Two Purple Hearts
Legion of Merit
Air Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
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Name: Robinson Risner
Hometown: Tulsa, Ok
POW time: 7 years, 4 months, 27 days
Awards:
Two Air Force Cross
Distinguished Service Medal
Two Silver Stars
Three Distinguished Flying Crosses
Bronze Star
Eight Air Medals
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Name: Robert H. Shumaker
Hometown: New Wilmington, PA
POW time: 8 yrs, 1 day
Awards:
Distinguished Service Medal
Two Silver Stars
Four Legions of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star
Two Purple Hearts
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Name: Thomas J. Sterling
Hometown: Fort Walton Beach, FL
POW time: 5 yrs, 10 mos 15 days
Awards:
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star
Two Purple Hearts
Two Air Medals
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Name: Leo K. Thorsness
Hometown: Walnut Grove, MN
POW time: 5 years, 19 days
Awards:
Medal of Honor
Silver Star
Six Distinguished Flying Crosses
Ten Air Medals
Two Purple Hearts
Good Conduct Medal
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Name: Jack L. Van Loan
Hometown: Corvalis , OR
POW time: 5 years, 9 months, 15 days
Awards:
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal
Purple Heart
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Name: James H. Warner
Hometown: Ypisalanti, MI
POW time: 5 years, 5 months, 1 day
Awards:
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Two Bronze Stars
Two Purple Hearts
Eleven Air Medals
Navy Commendation Medal
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Name: Ronald J. Webb
Hometown: Gary, IN
POW time: 5 years, 8 months, 22 days
Awards:
Two Silver Stars
Defense Superior Service Medal
Two Legions of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Two Bronze Stars
Two Purple Hearts |
