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Politics : Proof that John Kerry is Unfit for Command -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (12866)	9/26/2004 8:09:31 PM
From: Gersh Avery	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

There are actually two false war stories in this book, those of Thomas Bird ("Ia Drang") and Mike Beamon ("The Green-Faced Frogmen"). Mr. Bird apologized to the author after the book's publication. He did serve in Vietnam, not in combat, and the POW story is a complete fabrication. Mr. Beamon did not even serve in the US military, never mind the SEALS or Vietnam. At the time the book came out, 1981, it was difficult to get veterans to discuss the war at all, never mind insist they verify their stories. Mr. Santoli, who I knew personally, was as disappointed as any of his critics that he had been taken in by these accounts. quoted from the link that you provided. There are many motivations that could be involved in many of these stories. Sometimes a person wants to be honored and thinks that they could receive more such honor by emblishing their wartime activity. It's more romantic to have been on the front line instead of cooking at some officers club in Saigon. Once that gets into gear, some folks go off the emblishment deep end. Out of over 1.2 million, how hard would it be to find 100 such idiots .. And there would be your book .. or presidential candidate (in case you would need to guess John Kerry).