Posted on 05/27/2006 10:22:00 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Thanks for the posts. If Lurch runs again, we simply must use your photo in #200 as a campaign poster. When he saluted on TV, I was way across the room, and bad as it was, it was over in a flash. This pic is a stark reminder of what might have been, and of what might yet be. Aaauuugghhhh!
He also said on the Senate floor that Nixon sent him into Cambodia. The only problem is that Nixon wasn't President at the time.
bump
Laura B. Armstrong
Veterans for the Truth – Kerry Lied
Rally Speech 9-12-04
I am SO very proud to stand with you today, before our nation's great capitol. Aren't you awed by the power and the tone of the messages we've heard?
I know many of you have similar stories of unbelievable valor and sacrifice, just like our speakers. If only America could hear you all.
I wasn't in Vietnam, but I've been a military observer and participant all my life. Army brat, Marine wife, I worked also as a civilian journalist for a Navy newspaper in Pensacola. My brother was a CH-46 pilot in Desert Storm.
I've been a widow for 11 years now, but, happily, there's a Marine serving out there who's on his way home to us this week, after more than a year away, so stakes are high for me personally when it comes to electing the next commander in chief.
My earliest memories however are of you, our wonderful men and women of the U.S. armed services. I was that Army brat who waited for you – and then cried when you finally returned home after a long hitch overseas. It took awhile sometimes, for us to recognize you.
You guarded my gates. Double-timed outside my schoolhouse window. You unfurled the American flag each morning. You played taps each evening.
You decorated my parade grounds on all the special occasions, and delivered Santa Claus in your Hueys.
When I fell off my bike, riding to the post school, you picked me up, brushed me off, and told me to carry on.
For years, I thought captain was a first name, and I still hit the rack each night at bedtime.
I learned early to cherish the traditions of the service, and knew enough about the world to be very proud when my dad told me he was going to a place called Vietnam so other kids could be freed from the threat of communism.
When Dad was gone on his first tour, he was already my hero. I'd imagine him giving Hershey bars to little kids – he said he always carried some in the leg pocket of his flight suit, because little girls like me didn't always get enough to eat.
He was a kind and decent person, even in war. And in spite of war.
I'm certain I don't have to tell YOU how honor and service are revered in most military households. But for others listening I want to emphasize this -- when you grow up knowing the meaning of mottos like To Free the Oppressed and Semper Fidelis, when you learn as a kid that freedom is not free and you see the direct and sometimes tragic toll it takes on your friends and neighbors, people you know and love, you realize that intangibles like honor and duty and trustworthiness aren't just from political speeches.
To military families, our honor is sacred. And when a tragedy happens, whether in combat or a routine training accident, sometimes our honor is all we have to hold onto. Even this year, when General Mattis was headed with his First Marines back into the Hornet's nest, his message to his Marines stressed, above all keeping their honor clean.
My dad helped me to understand this.
He was a career soldier, an aerial rocket artillery pilot. A quiet patriot, raised up on a cattle ranch at the foot of Mt. Hood in Oregon. His adventurous spirit took him to the Army, where he loved the flying and the men with whom he served as much as he loved his family. I think some of them are here today…
These guys, the ARA, for those who don't remember, were the helicopter crewmen who forged a new place in history with their mounted rockets, supporting the infantry in the field.
On call 24/7, day or night, rain or shine, their job was to protect and cover our troops. Maybe some of you were helped by them when you were there….
Black Bart, my dad, distinguished himself in the battle of the Ia Drang first in 1965, when he was Charlie Battery commander for the 2nd of the 20th First Air Cav.
I'm told he was an innovator, finding ways to protect the soldier on the ground and the pilots and air crews who trusted him with their lives. His men told me he developed life-saving maneuvers, still used by our brave, young aviators in training, and today in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. And I'm so proud of that legacy.
Like so many of you, Black Bart volunteered for a second tour and served as Battalion Cmdr. of the 4th of the 77th 101st Airborne. Just before Thanksgiving, 1968, we learned he was shot down and reported missing while taking out an enemy gun emplacement. That dreaded knock on the door came during The Macy's parade, the memory of that seared forever in my brain.
And speaking of SEARED, ironically, dad's funeral was held almost the same time a young John Kerry was seeing the doc about a splinter, and requesting his first purple heart….
Please let me emphasize… there are worse things than losing your dad in a war.
I soon realized that the myths and lies created by people with political agendas can be far more hurtful.
It was bad enough to hear our dads criticized by those who hated the military, but to hear Kerry and his radical veterans distort the truth and tarnish every honorable action caused a righteous hurt and anger. Their lies dominated in the American dialogue, while your stories of valor went untold.
Sound familiar?
What John Kerry and his political backstabbers did in the early '70s took no courage. It simply took a ringleader with access to Teddy Kennedy and the willingness to sacrifice truth and honor.
More than any other person, that ringleader, Kerry, was responsible for the atmosphere of hatred and disdain you all came home to.
I believe you didn't complain because nothing like this had occurred before you. Kerry's traitorous testimony in '71…was an unforgettable moment that cut deep through the ranks, as we've heard here today. But you all had lives to build, and so you did, putting the past behind you.
You tolerated the lies and stereotypes all these years.
But today, this guy has made it this far in the political process -- and we stand here to object.
Let's remind Americans this is NOT a squabble between America's veterans, as so many talking heads want people to believe. This is about the CHARACTER AND JUDGMENT OF one man-- John Kerry.
This is about holding him accountable for his actions, especially now in a time of war and when the well-being of our military is at stake.
There is no statute of limitations when the honor of a generation has been grievously stomped upon.
While debates might rage about Kerry's short tour of duty, we're only concerned here with irrefutable facts.
This is not my opinion….these are facts:
Donna Rowe saved a beautiful baby girl.
Jim Warner overcame 6 years of captivity by the enemy.
Some daddies didn't come home.
And Lt. John Kerry flew out of Vietnam after just a few short weeks in combat, Super 8 film in the can, and testified that those with whom he served were ALL murderers, rapists and criminals.
That's on the record.
We are not here to re-fight the Vietnam war or even defend it.
We are here to tell America that John Kerry did not have to attack the warriors to protest a war. Whatever his motivations back then, he showed he believes the means justify the ends, and everyone else be damned. Is this the kind of president we need today?
And we're here in solidarity with our newest soldiers. We don't want them having to salute a commander in chief whose respect for the troops is proven to blow with the political winds. We need a leader, not a weathervane.
It's worth repeating over and over. We are motivated by a deep concern for our country. We are NOT playing politics, but venting our hearts.
The bonds of war, of combat, are strong. I've seen it up close…the fact you are here today, standing against, rather than for, should be a wake up call.
Here's a man who claims to be pro-military, yet his life's work has shown otherwise. It cannot be denied or spun or revised by journalists.
When Lt. Kerry left the battlefield and betrayed you, he chose his path – weak on defense, anti-military.
And he carries on, alternately boasting and bashing, voting for and against.
In fact, his lies about the troops are perpetuated even in his NEW book "Tour of Duty", written just last year.
Listen to this line, from page 211 that expresses his attitude towards Cobra gunship pilots:
"It disturbed (Kerry) that even a few trigger happy American yahoos considered killing Vietnamese civilians a sport."
TRIGGER HAPPY YAHOOS, MR. KERRY? How could anybody who really understands our military, say that about these fine young pilots?
So the pattern is clear: Kerry is the architect and perpetrator of one of the largest continuing slanders against American troops. He smeared you then, he is smearing the Swiftees today, and he will call us all liars tomorrow. His deceit and vindictiveness are fact.
I want you to know, some of us never questioned the character of the Vietnam veteran. You are the protectors -- the heroes from everyday America who answered your country's call. And you've earned your right to speak, even 35 years later.
When Kerry supporters say you should be silent, America should stand up for you. They owe you.
They should stand up and say -- Kerry was wrong to abandon you, both physically and in spirit.
Kerry was wrong to attack your honor based on lies and hearsay.
Kerry was wrong to paint that horrid imagery for the entire world to feast upon.
Those of us lucky enough to know this new generation of warriors understand they've been strengthened by the sacrifices you all made both in Vietnam and later.
It's their reverence for your sacred honor, DESPITE the John Kerrys of the world, that calls them to duty.
Their clarity was forged by images of 9-11. But their courage is inspired by you.
To wrap this up, I'd like to tell you briefly something kind of neat about my dad.
Dad taught me that uncommon valor was a common virtue in his world. And that real heroes are quiet men of action and duty. I believe that to this day.
In 1993 I got a phone call from just such a man -- his name was Rick Rescorla.
A company commander in the Battle of the Ia Drang, his photo graces the cover of the book, "We Were Soldiers".
Rick told me of the day he should have died. He said dad had defied incredible enemy fire to rescue him and his team from a dry creek bed just as the enemy was closing in. Rick wanted to reach out, he said, and tell me of Dad's gallantry. No medals citation had been written – it was just one of the many acts of heroism that went unrecognized in Vietnam.
His grateful words that day meant more to me than any medal ever could.
Fast forward to September, 11, 2001. Rick was in charge of security at a large firm in the World Trade Center. His heroism in the midst of the chaos – real heroism by every standard -- saved over 3,000 souls. Mothers, fathers, brothers…sisters. He got them all out and then perished himself when the towers fell.
It was a few months after 9-11 before I put these events together, but it hit me that Dad's split-second decision in 1965 had made possible great deeds in 2001. Because of two Vietnam vets, one who died in 1968.
One who lived -- good people are alive today. There were no atrocities committed by men such as this. Only acts that inspire and awe. And that small story is only one of how many more?
And here you are, on one last mission, because you care about our country's safety still.
Kerry asks too much of the generations he betrayed if he thinks we support him.
His judgment and character are flawed…he sees our War on Terrorism through the prism of 1971 and he's dangerous to the military of 2004. You -- the real experts -- know this.
The empty campaign slogan, "hope is on the way" isn't enough to make up for his legacy of lies, his refusal to give our troops what they need – and it certainly won't stop Al-Qaida.
Our brave troops today require just a few things to complete the mission: an occasional hot meal, some letters from home, and the equipment they need to perform their duties. But most of all, they need a Commander in Chief and a country who can call them to a higher purpose – a president who keeps the faith with them, who FUNDS their budgets, and who will NOT throw them away for POLITICS.
Please remember what you've heard here today, and vote accordingly in November.
God Bless our veterans, our troops, our President and those who keep the homefires burning.
>>>Who else would have a personalized license plate, PH3? what a self centered (rice) ass
"Possibly other CO's of PH-3? I know of several folks who have vanity plates indicating their old unit or ship."
No, it's PURPLE HEARTS - THREE. Not a boat.
My Father served in Vietnam and all I got was...diddly.
The Army is giving away a free hat to anyone contacting them for information about joining up.
.
Please see Post No. 305...
...and Congratulations.
.
sKerry and sHrillary are banking on The 'Toon's standard play, "That's old news," working for them. The electorate was mesmerized by The 'Toon and he got away with it. Neither sKerry nor sHrillary are in any way charming; this play won't work for either of them.
I thank you for that post. Bravo Zulu.
ROFLMAO!
This idiot just does not know when to STFU and let it die. What a great Rat candidate! If he'd signed the 180 back then, it'd be one thing. But he's never released the paperwork to the public, and while he has a hat, he can't lie to the people who saw him claim American troops (himself included) butchered innocents. My dream is that some foreigner might take advantage of the Hague war crimes tribunals he loves so to charge him with them, since he's already confessed to his participation. What a maroon!
Bush 1
Kerry 0
Game over man... game over.
Has there ever been a published picture of "the hat"?
BTTT
Kerry has assured us (months and months ago), that he'd signed form 180. His aides are still looking it over.
Bob ("I Call Escort Services") Beckel started literally chanting that the Pentagon has "discredited" the Swiftboat Vets. He must have used the word "discredited" about 40 times.
O'Neill finally got a word in and explained again in detail how Kerry's first purple heart was faked. Beckel went bananas.
The MSM still can't accept that a little 527 spending a measly $200K per ad could have counteracted their months and months of spin for Kerry.
CBS.
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