Murtha's War Hero Status Called Into Question

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

[Txsleuth]

bttt

[HHKrepublican_2]

Murtha is a retired marine and was the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to Congress. Since 1967, there have been at least three different accounts of the injuries that purportedly earned Murtha his Purple Hearts. Those accounts also appear to conflict with the limited military records that are available, and Murtha has thus far refused to release his own military records. Instert: Kerry for Murtha, Senate for Congress and youve got a presidential candidate!

[RightWhale]

Hitler was a message runner between trenches in WW I. He was gassed and badly injured from that. No doubt that contributed to his poor attitude later.

[stylin19a]

I signed an SF180 and recently received a document dump.

There are a few documents that have no title.

My Proficiency & Conduct sheet has signatures with no titles.

My sick bay sheet shows signatures no titles.

I guess it happens.

[Soaring Feather]

Bump!

[RVN Airplane Driver]

Trying to find fault in someone's war service is not honorable.

It is if you were there and know it is in all likelihood a boldfaced lie!!

[tumblindice]

http://www.toontracker.com/lyrics/commander%20mcbragg%20lyrics.htm

One night--the Commander shot a Bengal tiger in his pajamas!
I know because he told me so, but how the tigger got in . . .

[Anti-Bubba182]

Thanks for the ping.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I don't care what he did or didn't do. He DID volunteer to fight for the military, he DID go to Vietnam, he WAS in harm's way.

We shouldn't question that service, nor should that service have any bearing on whether his ideas today make ANY sense, which they don't.

This is different than Kerry running for President citing his war record as a reason he is fit for commander-in-chief.

Whether Murtha served in Vietnam or not would have no bearing on whether he knows what he is talking about today.

[TX Bluebonnet]

I think asking for a medal is kind of lame. Don't they just award them to deserving people. IMO real heros don't ask for medals OR flaunt them.

[jveritas]

No it is not.

[lOKKI]

Let it go....

This isn't a battle that gains anyone anything.

Murtha is already in office, and not trying for a higher one.

It's up to the people of his state to decide whether he should represent them. While I sometimes wonder about the wisdom of the people (think of reelecting Ted Kennedy), I don't question their decisions.

Let it go...

[moose2004]

I agree.

[Chaguito]

This is a dead end with a land mine waiting for anyone who enters.

[jveritas]

It is absolutely stupid to go after an old man military record. He is shooting himself in the foot every day with his cut and run statements about Iraq, and it is utterly stupid to attack his military service in Vietnam because it will generate sympathy toward him.

[GregB]

Lets get him out of office!!!!!!

[R. Scott]

I don’t have a lot of faith in official records for Purple Hearts, unless the original inpatient files can be located. Even the regular medical records might not be much help. Ours were maintained in the company at Vung Tau. We were operating out of Da Nang, I was wounded at Hue and operated on at Phu Bai.
Mine was the result of holes in my face, left arm and right leg from a 60 mm mortar. I carried my evac tag as a souvenir for years, but as it was written in pencil it didn’t last long. Around my 2nd reenlistment my 201 had it listed as wounds to arm and leg. By my retirement it was down to “wound in leg”.

[RVN Airplane Driver]

Whether Murtha served in Vietnam or not would have no bearing on whether he knows what he is talking about today.

I do believe it has everything to do with what he is talking about today.. If he wasn't holding out his so called war hero status out as a so called expert on war..no one would listen to him. For those on this thread who say we shouldn't go there...I suspect few have been in the military and even fewer in a combat theater. FYI...we take being a phony and collecting medals not earned very seriously...regardless of who, why and when!!

[Dan from Michigan]

Is this a wise place to go?

No. Murtha's not running for president. He's in a safe congressional district (for him). Going after every high profile democrat veteran's service is a dumb move that will play in the hands of the democrats. It worked against John Kerry because of his 1971 senate testimony. Murtha has a long congressional record. That's fair game.