Posted on 02/11/2004 11:11:19 PM PST by alloysteel
"...It's hard to imagine any recent Democratic senator less soft on national security than Max Cleland, a reflection on the unlikely path he took to the U.S. Senate. In 1967 he volunteered for combat duty. The next year, during the siege of Khe Sahn, Cleland lost both his legs and his right hand to a Viet Cong grenade..." - Eric Boehlert, salon.com (Nov. 21, 2003)
Yeah, he's an idiot (see responses to 184). At least we're smarter than him.
File under: 'Omission Accomplished'
...One of the most detailed accounts of Cleland's life was written by Jill Zuckman in a lengthy piece for the Boston Globe Sunday magazine on Aug. 3, 1997:
Finally, the battle at Khe Sanh was over. Cleland, 25 years old, and two members of his team were now ordered to set up a radio relay station at the division assembly area, 15 miles away. The three gathered antennas, radios and a generator and made the 15-minute helicopter trip east. After unloading the equipment, Cleland climbed back into the helicopter for the ride back. But at the last minute, he decided to stay and have a beer with some friends. As the helicopter was lifting off, he shouted to the pilot that he was staying behind and jumped several feet to the ground.
Cleland hunched over to avoid the whirring blades and ran. Turning to face the helicopter, he caught sight of a grenade on the ground where the chopper had perched. It must be mine, he thought, moving toward it. He reached for it with his right arm just as it exploded, slamming him back and irreparably altering his plans for a bright, shining future.
Interestingly, all news accounts told the exact same story for 30 years – including that Cleland had stopped to have beer with friends when the accident occurred (a fact that particularly irked Al Hunt)...
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I intimated that you should wait till Coulter "let the other beer can drop", optimistically_conservative.
And now she has... ;-)
TRAGEDY TRANSFORMED WHEN A GRENADE SHATTERED HIS LIMBS IN VIETNAM, MAX CLELAND COULD HAVE GIVEN UP. INSTEAD, HE CAME BACK FIGHTING -- ALL THE WAY TO THE US SENATE.
Published on August 3, 1997
Author(s): Jill Zuckman, Globe StaffJill Zuckman is a member of the Globe's Washington bureau.
Dawn came to Khe Sanh in a blush of orange and pink. After five days and nights, the sounds of war had given way to quiet, save for the grunts and coughs of soldiers as they stood, stretched, and took in the morning. Captain Joseph Maxwell Cleland emerged from the bombed-out crater where he had faced his first real battle of the Vietnam War. He felt the way some people do after they have jumped out of an airplane -- the fear had finally subsided, and now a joyous rush of adrenaline was coursing
Click for complete article (You have to PAY to read the whole thing.) (4611 words)
Others on this thread (and on several other related threads) have spoken much more eloquently than I can about Ann's use of merciless, i.e ""hardball" tactics.Nevertheless, I am always wary of the "chicken hawk" argument: that no one should be allowed to comment on our war policies except the warriors.IMHO, however, SOMEONE needed to speak out - to counter Max Cleland's attacks on President Bush's service in the National Guard, and to challenge his "protected" status as a wounded vet.
Perhaps Ann could have done so more delicately, but then we would probably not have had this important (if spirited) discussion. :o)
An excellent analysis of this "chicken hawk" fallacy was written in a Washington COMPost article (9/5/02) - which we are not allowed to post the FULL TEXT of here - but here is the HEART of that unassailable argument:
"...The second variant of "chicken hawk" is that veterans per se are uniquely qualified to make judgments on matters of war and peace.How does that work, though? Does a former airborne ranger get twice as loud a voice as an ICBM crew chief? Does the stateside finance corps lieutenant count more than the civilian who came under fire running an aid mission in Mogadishu?
According to this view, to fill a senior policy position during a war one would of course prefer a West Point graduate who had led a regiment in combat, as opposed to a corporate lawyer turned politician with a few weeks' experience in a militia unit that did not fight.
The former profile fits Jefferson Davis and the latter Abraham Lincoln. Not only did Davis turn against the Constitution he had sworn to uphold, he was a poor commander in chief, while Lincoln was the greatest of our war presidents.Being a veteran is no guarantee of strategic wisdom..."
more
I know this is an old thread. But I thought I would comment. Ann criticizing Max is totally off the wall.
The guy went to Vietnam to fight against the communists.
Cleland helped American troops win a battle in Khe Sanh and received a Silver Star for that. Cleland also helped move injured personnel to covered positions in Khe Sanh.
I'll just lay out Max Cleland's record.
March 22, 1968 -- Without warning, a massive North Vietnamese barrage slams into Khe Sanh. More than 1,000 rounds hit the base, at a rate of a hundred every hour. At the same time, electronic sensors around Khe Sanh indicate NVA troop movements. American forces reply with heavy bombing.
April 8, 1968, was also the day that Captain Max Cleland lost both legs and an arm. He had less than a week earlier already earned commendations for heroism during some of the bloodiest combat of the whole Khe Sanh siege -- combat missions for which he had volunteered, so as to relieve stranded Marines and Army infantry. The order in which the President awarded him the Silver Star reads:
"Captain Cleland distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous action on 4 April 1968, while serving as communications officer of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Calvary during an enemy attack near Khe Sanh, Republic of Vietnam.
"When the battalion command post came under a heavy enemy rocket and mortar attack, Capt. Cleland, disregarding his own safety, exposed himself to the rocket barrage as he left his covered position to administer first aid to his wounded comrades. He then assisted in moving the injured personnel to covered positions. Continuing to expose himself, Capt. Cleland organized his men into a work party to repair the battalion communications equipment, which had been damaged by enemy fire. His gallant action is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army."
Here, in a speech he was invited to give about character, is how Cleland himself tells what happened next:
"I remember standing on the edge of the bomb crater that had been my home for five days and five nights, stretching my six-foot, two-inch frame, and becoming caught up in excitement. The battle for Khe Sanh was over, and I had come out of it unhurt and alive! Five terrible days and nights were behind us. In spite of dire predictions, we had held Khe Sanh. I had scored a personal victory over myself and my fears. ... My tour of duty in Vietnam was almost over. In another month I'd be going home. I smiled, thinking of the good times waiting stateside.
"On April 8, 1968, I volunteered for one last mission. The helicopter moved in low. The troops jumped out with M16 rifles in hand as we crouched low to the ground to avoid the helicopter blades. Then I saw the grenade. It was where the chopper had lifted off. It must be mine, I thought. Grenades had fallen off my web gear before. Shifting the M16 to my left hand and holding it behind me, I bent down to pick up the grenade.
"A blinding explosion threw me backwards."
When Ann starts writing that people who fought for this country are not War Hero's. She's lost all credibility.
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