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A Soldier's Letter to SenKerry
February 14, 2004 | Michael Connelly

Posted on 04/24/2004 2:00:13 AM PDT by MNJohnnie

Subject: . A Soldier's Letter to SenKerry

Dear Senator Kerry:

Since it has become clear that you will probably be the Democratic nominee for President, I have spent a great deal of time researching your war record and your record as a professional politician. The reason is simple, you aspire to be the Commander in Chief who would lead my sons and their fellow soldiers in time of war. I simply wanted to know if you possess the necessary qualifications to be trusted in that respect.

You see, I belong to a family of proud U.S. veterans. I was a Captain in the Army Reserve, my father was a decorated Lieutenant in World War II; and I have four sons who have either served, or are currently serving in the military. The oldest is an Army Lieutenant still on active duty in Afghanistan after already being honored for his service in Iraq. The youngest is an E-4 with the military police. His National Guard unit just finished their second tour of active duty, including six months in Guantanamo Bay. My two other sons have served in the national guard and the navy.

In looking at your record I found myself comparing it not only to that of my father and my sons, but to the people they served with. My father served with the 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion in Europe. They landed on Utah Beach and fought for 317 straight days including the Cherbourg Peninsula, Aachen, the Hurtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. You earned a Silver Star in Vietnam for chasing down and finishing off a wounded and retreating enemy soldier. My father won a Bronze Star for single handedly charging and knocking out a German machine gun nest that had his men pinned down. You received three purple hearts for what appears to be three minor scratches. In fact you only missed a combined total of two days of duty for these wounds. The men of my father's unit, the 87th, had to be admonished by their commanding officer because: "It has been brought to our attention that some men are covering up wounds and refusing medical attention for fear of being evacuated and permanently separated from this organization..." It was also a common problem for seriously wounded soldiers to go AWOL from hospitals in order to rejoin their units. You used your three purple hearts to leave Vietnam early.

My oldest boy came home from Iraq with numerous commendations and then proceeded to volunteer to go to Afghanistan and from there back to Iraq again. My sons and father have never had anything but the highest regard and respect for their fellow soldiers. Yet, you came home to publicly charge your fellow fighting men with being war criminals and to urge their defeat by the enemy. You even wrote a book that had a cover which mocked the heroism of the U.S. Marines who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. Our current crop of soldiers has a philosophy that no one gets left behind; and they have practiced that from Somalia to the battlefields of the Middle East. Yet as chairman of a Senate committee looking into allegations that many of your fellow servicemen had been left behind as prisoners in Vietnam, you chose to defend the brutal Vietnamese regime. You even went so far as to refer to the families of the POWs and MIAs as Professional malcontents, conspiracy mongers, con artists, and dime-store Rambos.

As a Senator you voted against the 1991 Gulf War, and have repeatedly voted against funds to supply our troops with the best equipment, and against money to improve our intelligence capability. I find this particularly ironic since as a Presidential candidate you are highly critical of our pre-war intelligence in Iraq. However, you did vote to authorize the President to go to war, but have since proceeded to do everything you can to undermine the efforts of our government and our troops to win. Is this what our fighting men and women can expect of you if you are their Commander in Chief? Will you gladly send them to war, only to then aid the enemy by undermining the morale of our troops and cutting off the weapons they need to win?

Our country is at war Senator, and as has been the case in every war since the American Revolution, a member of my family is serving their country during the war. Now you want me to trust you to lead my sons in this fight.

Sorry Senator, but when I compare your record to those who have fought and died for this nation, and are currently fighting and dying, the answer is not just no, but Hell No!

Sincerely,

Michael Connelly February 14, 2004 Dallas, Texas


TOPICS: Announcements; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004; bush; dearsenatorkerry; election; kerry; letters; military
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"Sorry Senator, but when I compare your record to those who have fought and died for this nation, and are currently fighting and dying, the answer is not just no, but Hell No! "

HEAR! HEAR! HEAR!

1 posted on 04/24/2004 2:00:13 AM PDT by MNJohnnie
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To: MNJohnnie
Thanks for the post.
2 posted on 04/24/2004 2:05:27 AM PDT by Jet Jaguar (Who would the terrorists vote for?)
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To: MNJohnnie
Good letter to the ketchup guy. He would be the worst Commander-in-Chief in the history.
3 posted on 04/24/2004 2:36:43 AM PDT by Reader of news
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To: Dubya's fan
bacitracin botox boy btt
4 posted on 04/24/2004 3:20:42 AM PDT by newzhawk
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To: MNJohnnie
I particularly appreciate the real world perspective offered by this sentence:

"Will you gladly send them to war, only to then aid the enemy by undermining the morale of our troops and cutting off the weapons they need to win?"

It really brings it all home.
5 posted on 04/24/2004 4:10:31 AM PDT by counterpunch (<-CLICK HERE for my CARTOONS)
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To: newzhawk
Absolutely fantastic piece. It takes a military guy to debunk Kerry's phoniness in this area. This is GOING to be spread around.
6 posted on 04/24/2004 4:40:12 AM PDT by Paul_B
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To: conspiratoristo; dubyaismypresident; Pontiac; Commiewatcher; GOP_Lady; boxerblues; DollyCali; ...
NE Ohio pings!
7 posted on 04/24/2004 4:44:17 AM PDT by Las Vegas Dave ("Let's roll" in 2004 ----- Vote GOP!)
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To: MNJohnnie
BUMP
8 posted on 04/24/2004 4:57:48 AM PDT by sport
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To: Dubya's fan
He would be the worst Commander-in-Chief in the history.
That's a tough one. I think a very good case can be made for the entire rise of Islamofacism to be laid at the feet of The Peanut President, who sabotaged Middle East modernity by stabbing the Shah of Iran in the back. There's probably no way to accurately measure how much damage the Peanut President did to the entire world.

On the other hand, in the person of such a dedicated leftist of JFnK, and given the fact that the Islamofacists probably will be getting their hands on WMD at some point (maybe already), there is a good chance that JFnK will be even worse than The Peanut President as amazing and as horrible as that may be.

One thing that is certain: JFnK would certainly be worse than the Buffoon King Klintoon.

9 posted on 04/24/2004 5:12:29 AM PDT by samtheman (www.georgewbush.com)
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To: counterpunch
I love your cartoons. I'll probably be "stealing" a few.
10 posted on 04/24/2004 5:16:49 AM PDT by NEPA
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To: MNJohnnie
I go right along with that "Not No but HELL NO". I'm going with Mr. Bush and that the way it is.
11 posted on 04/24/2004 5:20:14 AM PDT by JOE43270 (JOE43270)
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To: JOE43270
Woppers with Ketchup Bump.
12 posted on 04/24/2004 5:26:51 AM PDT by get'emall (If you want to have a garden, you're going to have to deal with the weeds.)
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To: JOE43270
Speaking of Kerry's "Hey, I'm a Vietnam hero" line... can't you just imagine his wheels turning after hearing about a guy who, even the most sickening anti-war nuts, would agree is a REAL hero... Pat Tillman. Tillman's sad story will do two things immediately I think. 1- It'll shut Charlie Rangel's trap for a while talking about a draft and 2- It will overflow the military sign-up lines. Tillman's story absolutely swamps Kerry's at every turn!
13 posted on 04/24/2004 5:31:59 AM PDT by BillyCrockett
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To: Dubya's fan
You have to go some for that, Clinton still ranks #1 as far as I can see. Although Kerry may be able to even out do him.
14 posted on 04/24/2004 6:39:10 AM PDT by gakrak
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To: Paul_B
Absolutely fantastic piece. It takes a military guy to debunk Kerry's phoniness in this area. This is GOING to be spread around.

I'm sending out 20 copies.

Great letter!!!!!!!

15 posted on 04/24/2004 6:43:01 AM PDT by CROSSHIGHWAYMAN (I don't believe anything a Democrat says. Bill Clinton set the standard!)
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To: MNJohnnie
Well done! ! !
16 posted on 04/24/2004 6:55:29 AM PDT by DeaconRed (sKerry did a flip flop, stepped on a pop top, got a purple heart.)
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To: MNJohnnie
To Senator Kerry listen up:

Senator Kerry, Americans know Pat Tillman and you Senator Kerry, are no Pat Tillman!!!

17 posted on 04/24/2004 7:09:37 AM PDT by notaliberal
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To: MNJohnnie
Darned good letter!
18 posted on 04/24/2004 7:14:22 AM PDT by arasina (So there.)
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To: MNJohnnie
I second that "Hear Hear Hear!"

mark my words...America will perish under the leadership of John Kerry.

19 posted on 04/24/2004 7:21:44 AM PDT by GulfWar1Vet (Allah Ackbar! Allah Ackbar! Allah Ackbar! The moon god is great! The moon god is great!)
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To: MNJohnnie
Someone should check and see if Michael Connolly has been audited by the IRS yet. Letters like this bring the Dems out of the woodwork.

It happened to me.
20 posted on 04/24/2004 7:21:50 AM PDT by I got the rope
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