Col. Hackworth's reply to me

8/9/04 | Frumious Bandersnatch

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

All 3 of Kerry's PH were IAW Navy regs at the time...

It is fair to atk Kerry's politics but not his awards which he received the hardway and IAW Navy regs.

I am afraid you are not in a position to judge my honor and I standby strongly what I wrote in the USA piece.

If you haven't walked the walk, you can't talk the talk.

I have 8 PHs. None were signed off by my skipper. The reg read the award is triggered by a casualty rpt. Not by a CO.

I will write more on Kerry down the pike. But in the meantime, please no more cheap shots.

Colson recently admitted that O'Neill was working for Nixon in 71 to silence Kerry. He is the pointman in the attack on Kerry. Go figure.

I wld defend Bush if he were in Kerry's boots. Battlefield valor transcends gutter politic.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Colonel Hackworth, Cheap shots? You still haven't answered the main question I posed.

There are Navy vets who were there when Mr. Kerry got his medals. They say that he didn't earn them. Period. At least one of the PHs received by Mr. Kerry was said to be a self-inflicted wound when there was no return enemy fire. I didn't know the regs allowed you to get a PH for that.

You and Mr. Kerry both say that he earned his awards.

Upon what do you base your belief in Mr. Kerry while denigrating the vets? His word? You were rather hard-nosed in the investigation of admiral Boorda, but in the case of Mr. Kerry, you appear willing to accept his word alone.

I'm happy that you got 8 PHs. I bet you earned them too. I'll bet you that even though your COs didn't sign off on your PHs, they certainly knew about them. I'll bet you that they also signed off on the casualty reports, if they didn't actually write them themselves. BTW, where are the casualty reports that show Mr. Kerry earned his PHs. AFAIK, these have never been made public.

In your article defending Mr. Kerry, you have stated as fact, what is actually merely your opinion.

As far as it not being fair to judge his awards, sir, it is Mr. Kerry himself who constantly reminds us that he is a Vietnam Vet and war hero, while trying to bury under the rug the fact that he was an anti-war protestor afterwards.

It is the Kerry campaign who keeps reminding us of his medals and how valorous he was in obtaining them. If Mr. Kerry feels this is a campaign issue, who am I to say him nay?

Yes, Mr. O'Neill is the point man on the attack against Mr. Kerry here. Does that make his arguments any less valid? Yes, Mr. O'Neill did his best to counter Mr. Kerry on the Dick Cavett show in '71. Does that automatically disqualify him from questioning Mr. Kerry's principles?

And as for not being in a position to judge your honor, sir, what can I do when you diss 250 Vietnam Vets making specific charges against Mr. Kerry and you impugn their honor without properly checking your facts. IOW, you make ad-hominem attacks against them without, in the least, refuting the charges they make against Mr. Kerry. Doesn't sound very honorable or honest to me.

I would have thought, at the very least, that in your defense of Mr. Kerry, you would have called on him to execute his form 180 so as to put to rest the charges against his honor.

It seems to me that if the Kerry campaign has nothing to hide, they would be happy to release their records to the public.

As a reporter, it is your job to get as close to the truth as you possibly can. If you do any less, your credibility suffers. I would have expected, in your defense of Mr. Kerry, to call on him to release all of his military records to put any question of his awards to rest.

Instead, you attack those who make these charges without calling Mr. Kerry to do his part to clear up this mess. Pardon me, but that doesn't sound very fair nor honest.

While I haven't "walked the walk" on the PH gig, I have served voluntarily in the USN at a time that it was very un PC to do so. But neither have you "walked the walk" in your duty as a reporter. You have not questioned Mr. Kerry on his continual refusal to make his military records public. Especially since Mr. Kerry's military service is such a central part of his campaign theme.

Continue defending him, if you will. That doesn't bother me. But don't trash his detractors with what are little more than ad-hominem attacks. Instead, answer their questions - honestly. And the fact is, right now, you have no idea if Mr. Kerry is telling the truth on this matter or the vets are instead. It is in the power of the Kerry campaign to refute these charges right now. I ask you to call on them to do so by releasing all of Mr. Kerry's military records.

[mewzilla]

Note to Col. Hackworth: Benedict Arnold was a vet, too.

[Undertow]

What was the main question you posed to him?

[Little Ray]

Actually, it is worse than that. Benedict Arnold was a full-fledged hero until he committed treason. He turned after being passed over for a command that went to George Washington. He felt that he deserved the command over that Johnny-come-lately, Washington.
IN a lot of ways it would have been like Patton going over the Nazi's 'cause they promoted Bradly over him and stuck him with the decoy army in England.

[Sam Cree]

"I am afraid you are not in a position to judge my honor and I standby strongly what I wrote in the USA piece."

Note to Col. Hackworth: The founding fathers made certain that the military was under the control, and therefore the judgement, of civilians.

[ClintonBeGone]

Note to Col. Hackworth: Benedict Arnold was a vet, too.

So was Lee Harvey Oswald. I think he is just upset that when President Bush's success is complete in Iraq, there will be no need for the media to call Hackworth to attack him.

[mewzilla]

I know. I think it's an apt analogy.

[McGruff]

Note to Col. Hackworth: Try using a spell checker before hitting the send button.

[KJacob]

I am guessing you may not be around very long

[TomGuy]

It is fair to atk Kerry's politics but not his awards

Except that Kerry is not running on his politics; he is running on his 4 months service in Viet Nam.

If Kerry were running on his politics, he would be discussing his 19 years in the Senate. He isn't. Because he accomplished very little during his service in the Senate. Kerry claims his Senate record is 'personal attacks' and not open to discussion or debate.

So, Kerry has made his 4 months in VietNam his position and qualification. As such, the opposition has a right to examine, vet, investigate.

If Kerry doesn't like it. Tough! If Hackworth doesn't like it. Tough! Kerry determined his platform for running - VietNam. Now, he has to live with the scrutiny of that platform--VietNam.

[ClintonBeGone]

David, is that you?

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Why he wasn't calling on the Mr. Kerry to execute his military form 180.

[U S Army EOD]

Hackworth also went on TV denouncing our involvement in Vietnam. If I remember right, he did this while he was still on active duty and basically went AWOL. I think he wrote "Soldier". If he didn't write that book then I have the wrong guy. I remember when this happened and saw the interview.

[Incorrigible]

Very well written reply. I'd like to see your first note to Hackworth that caused the reply.

[BlueLancer]

VARMINT CONG ALERT!!!
Rodentius Vomitaria Trollium subspecies

[bad company]

"I am afraid you are not in a position to judge my honor and I standby strongly what I wrote in the USA piece.

If you haven't walked the walk, you can't talk the talk."

This is a cop out. Raising the bar to the height of a combat veteran with 8 ph's is not a defense of your position.

[wardaddy]

HAck is mad with Bush over Iraq....he never liked it.

Plus, he's eccentric to say the least and has always been a tireless self promoter.

As for "walking the walk"....what about the 250 vets there Hackster?

Geez....maybe Hack needs some meds.

[Poohbah]

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