The incredible shrinking medals of Lt. John Kerry

Star Newspapers (Chicago) ^ | Sunday, May 9, 2004 | Michael J. Bowers Star columnist

[middie]

This post and the several encouraging posts acommpanying it are pure, unadulterated and unrelenting lunacy individually and collectively. This same unsavory tactic was employed against Senator McCain during his challenge to Gov. Bush in the 2000 primary. The awarding of a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and most emphatically, the Silver Star is each governed by criteria set out in regulation and must be authenticated up the command chain.

Each of these egregiously unseemly posts and the editorial piece does more harm than good to the purpose for which it is offered. The Navy 0-3 was wounded and conducted himself with the courage expected of an officer leading other men into battle. Condemnation 34 years later of what was acknowledged at the time of the event as courageous leadership and bravery is a tacit admission that there is a lack of real issues on which to challenge the candidate. It also raises the spectre that these posters will stop at nothing in their fervent attempt to do the obvious.

[wattsup]

To me, as a Disabled Vet, I say that once F'in Kerry threw his (or anyone's) medals over the fence those medals or ribbons represented his earned medals. Kerry made the statement that he gave the medals back to the Government. By his own words he no longer possesses those medals that were earned by committing atrocities. Therefore I believe he has forfeited his right to claim that he earned them in battle and cannot speak about them as his.

[Chi-townChief]

Let's put it this way: Ketchup Boy opened the door by implying, "I'm the big war hero, the president was an unpatriotic guardsman, and, if anyone wants to challenge me on that, bring it on!" And now, we're coming through that door; and not only us unworthy civilians but the people with whom Kerry served as well.

[tdadams]

For one thing, I'm puzzled he served in Vietnam just four months. Did he fight simply to decorate his resume?

This seems to be a natural conclusion, one that many people are coming to simultaneously.

[Godebert]

With all due respect, sir......you're full of it. Kerry is a scumbag and so is McCain. Any man that says otherwise is a scumbag too.

[bitt]

I admire all service performed to the US, but I abhor a faker.

If he wangled these medals and milked the system to get out early while plenty of my friends stayed and took the heat, then I am incensed. If he took fake videos of himself for future commercials, then I am incensed. If he tries to play down the service of the President (who flew jets at his own peril) and thousands of other NG servicemen, I say he is asking for trouble. His protests and behavior while 200,000 servicemen were still in country is reprehensible. Why anyone would think his 4 months in combat 34 years ago qualifies him for CIC, I question.

I think it all adds up to a person who is not to be trusted to be President. Apparently plenty of people agree.

[Dick Vomer]

The Navy 0-3 was wounded and conducted himself with the courage expected of an officer leading other men into battle. Condemnation 34 years later of what was acknowledged at the time of the event as courageous leadership and bravery is a tacit admission that there is a lack of real issues on which to challenge the candidate. It also raises the spectre that these posters will stop at nothing in their fervent attempt to do the obvious.

Spoken like a real 0-6 REMF, squid... or a lawyer.

From an E-5 jarhead that's a compliment...ROFL.

Why don't you just go on and sue Walmart and tell yourself that you're doing "some good" for the little guy, like your hero John "Effin'" Kerry. Anybody in his unit was safe, medal hounds look for the requirements to be fulfilled and look for safe opportunities to meet them... and then rush for after-action reports to verify their bravery.

Kinda interesting that he went outside chain of command to get his Purple Heart.... How would you handle someone in your outfit that went over your head to get his Purple Heart. I mean, you were an O-6 and had a command of ????? sailors and Marines under you..

I'm sure itwas no big deal for a junior officer to go over you to your unit commander or to operations chief to get a medal.

That's the difference between a warrior and a wanna be.

[StayAt HomeMother]

The Navy 0-3 was wounded and conducted himself with the courage expected of an officer leading other men into battle.

You are in error. Kerry was a Navy 0-2 until two days before he left active duty:

Early April, 1969 – LTJG (0-2) Kerry departs Vietnam

April 11, 1969 – Kerry reports for duty at the Military Sea Transportation Service, U.S. Atlantic Fleet in Brooklyn, NY.

January 1, 1970 – Kerry promoted to (full) Lieutenant (0-3).

January 3, 1970 – Kerry’s date of separation from active duty

[Dick Vomer]

http://www.marinemedals.com/day.htm

if you want to see someone that didn't run back to his CO that day for a good report but waited over 30 years till someone ELSE!!!! remembered he should have recieved a medal read this.... too see a "real" hero.

Kerry's interview with Dick Cavett made me want to puke. "Effin" snotty nosed, holier than thou puke..

[winodog]

It would be one thing if he still had his medals in his drawer and never spoke of them (like my dad and many nam vets) but the fact that he has them on wall after making the pretense of tossing them tells me all I need to know about the mans charector.

[Cicero]

Kerry and McCain both raised the military issue. I agree that it would have been unseemly to raise it if they had kept quiet about it. But that is most certainly not the case.

I won't get into the question of whether McCain cooperated with the Vietcong while he was a POW, because I don't know if it was true or not. But he DID abuse his reputation as a war hero to use his position on the POW-MIA committee to betray our POW-MIAs and ignore numerous sightings of MIAs in Vietnam. And Kerry did exactly the same thing, later profiting from the deal he made when we settled with North Vietnam without any accountability on their part.

[foreshadowed at waco]

I decided that John F***in' Kerry was a liar way before the medal controversy...it was when he called Vietnam Nixon's War...how convenient...he leaves JFK and LBJ, the 2 Democratic presidents that got us involved in Vietnam...he's a manipulator of the truth just like BJ Clinton...slimeball to the max.

[highlander_UW]

Kerry is AWOL on the truth!

He's also AWOL from his duties as a Senator...which sadly, is probably a good thing. But it shouldn't be a positive to NOT be voting. That's the way of it when you're the most liberal Senator in the entire Senate.

[Dante3]

See #7

[smonk]

until he realized that "war heros" didn't sell well
as political candidates in the People's Republic of
Massachusetts", and so began his career as a war
protester/committer of atrocities.

in fact, this could be considered his first flip-flop.

[smonk]

interesting. isn't florida one of the places
that reminds him of viet nam? the bayou country
in Louisiana seemed to evoke memories of his
carefree days -- all 90 or so of them -- in the
mekong delta.

what a poseur.

[hattend]

BTTT

[Mr. K]

You are wrong- senator 'paper-cut' USED the system for his own benefit, which is a dishonor to others

[Dick Vomer]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1128379/posts

Purple Heart ... just like Kerry's

[Dick Vomer]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1128064/posts

another Purple Heart ..... just like Kerry.. He got hit by metal, got treated and came back to his unit.

Wow!! you're right, John Kerry is an "Effin" hero.