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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TigerPaw who wrote (25262)	9/23/2004 11:20:21 PM
From: Karin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

Kerry, "Medal Collecting Coward" My name is Dan Garde. I served first in Vietnam from October 1964 to January 1966 as a First Lietenant Advisor to the 30th Vietnamese Ranger Battalion. We worked on Search and clear operations on a daily basis. We ran into skirmishes on a daily basis with the VC in units ranging in size from a single sniper to the VC 506th Regiment. On several occasions in late 1965 we worked on coordinated operations with units of the US First Infantry Division. I never saw an American soldier or unit burn down a village or commit any of the other atrocities mentioned by John Kerry. I witnessed many VC atrocities in Vietnamese villages where they used terrorism to "win the minds and hearts of the people". On the contrary, at night we, following our Vietnamese Counterparts, slept in these villages, sometimes in the civilian's houses with their permission, and did everything we could to actually win the minds and hearts of the people such as giving them food, helping them with chores, paying for being quartered temporarily in their homes and teaching them techniques of village defense against the VC terrorists. On my second tour from January 1969 to January 1970 I served as a Company Commander in the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). My Company had 250 soldiers. Of the 250 there were 3 or 4 misfits who were the type who might join the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The rest of the unit were red blooded American troops who were proud of their unit, their country and what they were doing to rout an enemy that was trying to force its will on a people who valued freedom. They served proudly and valiantly and many were wounded and killed responding to the call of their country. To call them monsters who raped and killed civilians is an outrage that will never be forgiven. We were in the Ashaw Valley campaign and many other battles. I again never witnessed one atrocity committed by an American soldier or Army unit. I have many Veteran friends who served as officers in different units in different parts of Vietnam at different times who testify that they never witnessed any of the atrocities John Kerry accused us of committing. I am sure some atrocities may have happened. But they certainly did not happen "on a day to day basis with full awareness of officers at all levels of command". John Kerry lied in 1971. His band of 11,000 misfits are a true minority considering that 2.5 million men served in Vietnam. Kerry is unfit for command. I don't care about his spurious medals and his "heroism". Personally, to me he was a medal collecting coward who left his men behind when he found a convenient way to get himself out of the fray, and left them to do the fighting for him. Dan Garde Warrensburg, NY (EC by Wintersoldier Admin) "In 1971, what Kerry had to say was made into national news, while no such opportunity was given to dissenting voices. Things are a bit different these days." ice.he.net