Murtha's War Hero Status Called Into Question

cnsnews.com ^ | 1/13/05 | By Marc Morano and Randy Hall

[RVN Airplane Driver]

What is the experience of people on this board who were awarded Purple Hearts? Did the military inform you that you were getting one or did you have to beg, like Kerry and Murtha?

I don't have one....but the way they are awarded is that there is a write up at the unit of the individual and then signed by medical personnel...and then it is processed. Very strange that years after...one applies for a PH.

[brazzaville]

good afternoon.
"Bronze Star with Combat 'V'"

Is it an uninformed reporter calling it a Combat V as opposed to a Valor V or is that how Murtha or his handler described it?

Michael Frazier

[conservative barking moonbat]

They were holding hands.

[Americanexpat]

I don't believe in denigrating anyones war record. However, if that person gets up in front of the public, or news media, and uses his war record to attack the administration then he is open to attack.

[Peach]

I don't think we should go down this line again. It was relatively effective with Kerry because his conduct was so public upon his return from Vietnam.

That being said, the book Unspoken Valor has dealt with the number of people who have medals they did not deserve and it would be interesting to see if Murtha's name was in there, but only interesting from the standpoint of knowing who we're dealing with -- not actually using information against him.

[Mr. K]

SPEAKING OF RELEASING HIS MILITARY RECORDS- DID J EFFIN KERRY RELEASE HIS LIKE HE PROMISED TO ON RUSSERT'S SHOW??

[Numbers Guy]

I think this approach will backfire. Best to deal with Murtha in the present, not the past.

Agree completely. It would be a murky examination anyway, and therefore he would get the benefit of the doubt (as he should). And he could say he was being attacked at the direction of Karl Rove and play victim.

As you said, respond to Murtha on the merits of his argument. Or the lack thereof.

[windcliff]

ping

[kellynla]

Murtha's "requesting" PH's is BS!

Anyone who served in combat knows that PH's are awarded at the time of the injury based on whether the person received the injury while in combat. Not, days, weeks, months, years later!!! We covered this in detail with the Traitor Kerry.
This sounds too much like Kerry's BS!

And I take offense to ANYONE "requesting" a Purple Heart! PERIOD
Purple Heart commendations aren't Boy Scout merit badges.
They are not "requested"; they are EARNED and AWARDED at the time of injury.

Semper Fi,
Kelly

[Wuli]

It may not be a wise place to go, publicly, but it is interesting how this tactic of building up a phony military record is used by anti-war liberals like Kerry, and now possibly Murtha, to perpetuate "heroic" lies about themselves.

[DeaconRed]

I am always amazed at the ones who sing their own praise.
Kinda like christians who tell you how "HOLLY" they are.
The true heros don't need to say a thing. And usually when someone does and a true hero hears it, he or she tries to play it down! ! ! !
Not Murtha, Not skerry, and remember our hero ALGORE, The brave ALGORE, who was in more danger living in DC than he ever was in Nam, due to his SS protection. He took a picture of himself with full gear and was looking right in the barrell of his M-16.

[GSWarrior]

We got to choose our battles wisely, IMO.

[Shermy]

.

[yldstrk]

"Is this a wise place to go?"

Look, bud, you don't know til you get there. How can you judge the "wisdom" of it ahead of time. The overall principal is this: the truth WILL out. If the guy has fabricated his military record, or if there is sususpicionhe has fabricted it, it should be investigated, and he and anyone else for that matter ought to willing to sign whatever they need to sign to let it happen.

[yldstrk]

"Is this a wise place to go?"

Look, bud, you don't know til you get there. How can you judge the "wisdom" of it ahead of time. The overall principal is this: the truth WILL out. If the guy has fabricated his military record, or if there is sususpicionhe has fabricted it, it should be investigated, and he and anyone else for that matter ought to willing to sign whatever they need to sign to let it happen.

[msnimje]

This is a terrible thing to do, even if true. Republicans better distance themselves from this.

Besides, John Murtha is a self-discrediting machine.

But it is interesting that people with QUESTIONABLE Purple Hearts later QUESTION the US Military. Sounds like some pathological envy condition.

[GSWarrior]

I think you meant that for me, Bud.

[kellynla]

"What is the experience of people on this board who were awarded Purple Hearts? Did the military inform you that you were getting one or did you have to beg, like Kerry and Murtha?"

I got hit the first week I was in Nam.

I didn't know that I had received a PH until a year later when I put on my dress greens.

Semper Fi,
Kelly

[Ditto]

A Cybercast News Service investigation also reveals that one of Murtha's former Democratic congressional colleagues and a fellow decorated Vietnam veteran, Don Bailey of Pennsylvania, alleges that Murtha admitted during an emotional conversation on the floor of the U.S. House in the early 1980s that he did not deserve his Purple Hearts.

Don Bailey was my congressman back then. I met him several times, and he was a good guy and a good representative for the district. I trusted him. He was a Democrat, but a conservative Democrat --- I guess in the early 80s, you could call him a Reagan Democrat.

His own party redistricted him out of his seat in congress because he wouldn't play ball with them.

I don't know about Murtha's war record or if the medals are deserved or not. What I do know is the guy is a corrupt politician who's in it for the money, not for the good of his constituents. I suspect his jumping on the moonbat bandwagon has more to do with protecting himself than with the good of the country or the troops.

Bribery works with guys like Murtha, and after 16 terms in congress getting his palm greased, extortion works even better.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Murthas' Military Service Awards (From His Web site)

---

Distinguished Service Medal of the United States Marine Corps, upon his retirement from the Marine Corps Reserves for 37 years of distinguished service to his country, 1990.

Distinguished Service Medal, Pennsylvania's highest honor, 1977.

Meritorious Service Medal, Pennsylvania's second-highest honor, 1976.

Bronze Star with Combat V, 1966.

Purple Heart, 1966.

Purple Heart, second award, 1966.

Vietnamese Cross of Galantry, 1966.

American Spirit Honor Medal of the Marine Corps Recruit Department, 1952.