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Veterans letters to We Support The vets
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Swift boats
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Tuesday, October 02, 2007
date last update/info added
There is divisiveness in our country the likes of which has not been seen since the Civil War. It is rearing its ugly head in the form of lies and attacks against individuals because of their political affiliations. Under the guise of patriotism, groups of individuals are banding together to slander and malign the character of our presidential candidates. The most prominent of these groups is a band of about 250 men, funded by wealthy republican Bush backers, who call themselves Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. But truth is not what they are about. When I read the propaganda this group is spreading about John Kerry’s service during the Vietnam War I am repulsed by the viciousness of their attacks. In the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary which supports Kerry’s claims, they insist the “other swift boat veterans, the officers and admirals, the enlisted men are all liars, were not there or have very bad memories.” How can there be “two truths” diametrically opposed? They imply credence to the fact they represent all swift boat veterans, in fact all Vietnam War veterans. They are certainly all Bush supporters; therefore I assume they must in fact be all republicans. If they represent all veterans then one must assume that only republicans joined or were drafted during the Vietnam War, and that only republicans served in the Swift boat crews. Finding this hard to believe, I must conclude that Kerry could not have been the only Democrat who served. War by definition is a horrendous situation. The essence of war has a way of bringing out the best in men and the worst in men. History tells us that war has attributed to atrocities that in other circumstances would not have even been considered, let alone happened. What makes one soldier, under fire and under the same pressures as his comrades, perform unique acts of heroism and valor while others perform acts of inhumanity to man? These acts have been documented in all wars, from the beginning of time. Yet these same men under normal ordinary conditions would perhaps not have acted in either manner. War does indeed change men’s souls, for the good and the bad. We see current examples of this in the Iraq war, one soldier willing to give his life to save others, another willing to degrade and terrorize another human being, all in the name of war and freedom. Perhaps the worst example of this was our own Civil War in which brothers were pitted against brothers, cousins against cousins, fathers against sons. In the Korean and Vietnam Wars our soldiers could not even identify the enemy. He was not a soldier, dressed in a combat uniform like our American soldiers. He might not even have been a man but could have been an old woman, a young child, an old man, concealed as civilians but fighting like soldiers. Would you be any less dead or maimed because you were attacked by them? It would seem that since the lies against Kerry’s service during the war are unraveling, they must now spread vicious lies about what he did after returning from war. This group of self proclaimed saviors of our freedom have misstated and misquoted what Kerry testified to in the committee before the senate. He did not charge veterans with atrocities, but rather related to the committee the stories that he had been told by fellow veterans. He asked the administration to search into its soul and pleaded with them to put a stop to the horrendous killings of both Americans soldiers and Vietnamese people in this unjustified, unnecessary war—a war which was terminated before winning anything--a war which claimed over 55,000 American lives and untold thousands who were injured and maimed for life. He laid the blame on higher authority which put our soldiers into Vietnam in the first place. How many lives could have been saved had the administration listened with their hearts and acted more quickly? But the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth do not concern themselves with these truths. Their sole purpose is to return the Bush administration to the White House no matter the cost to our country, right or wrong, because they are radical republicans and cannot tolerate this country being governed by another democrat such as Bill Clinton. No matter that there are a million plus more people out of work since this administration took office; that there are 44 million Americans without health insurance; and that a million plus more people fell into poverty in 2003 -- all this in the richest nation in the world. Might it be possible that some of these “statistics” could in fact also be veterans? This is what they want returned to the White House, an administration that caters to the very wealthy, an administration who gives corporations tax breaks that would be considered “illegal” for the low to middle income wage earner, an administration that caters to the wealthiest of the Americans who have become wealthy on the backs of the average American…and yet they still want more. Where is the Swift boat group’s outrage at these deplorable statistics for their fellow Americans and veterans? Charles and Luz Thompson Bush/Cheney out the door in 2004
If John Kerry’s Medals Are Tainted, Does That
Mean My Medals Are Tainted Too?
by James Glaser
How about the medals of the Swift Boat Veterans
who are now
thirty years after the fact, accusing John Kerry of wrong doing
in obtaining his medals, are their medals bogus too?
You ever wonder like I do, about those Generals you see on television, who have like twelve rows of ribbons. Each ribbon represents a medal and if they wore all of them, they would look like a Soviet Union General. Do you really believe that those Generals won all of those medals for courageous acts or that they were obtained for Valor under fire? Today a Soldier could pick up the South West Asia Service Medal, the Saudi Arabian Liberation of Kuwait Medal, the Kuwait Liberation of Kuwait Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, NATO Bosnia Medal, NATO Kosovo Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, and the War on Terror Service Medal all without firing a shot or even hearing one. John Kerry was awarded the Silver Star. That is one of the most respected medals you can get. They don't just hand out Silver Stars, they really mean something and if the Veterans are now questioning the fact that Kerry got this Medal, then where the heck have they been for the last thirty years? The men who really served with John Kerry say to a man, that Kerry was a hero and deserved all the medals he received. The people who are now in this political year taking shots at him, did not serve with John Kerry, but claim to know more than those who did. I don't like Kerry's politics, but I do respect the man for the courage he had under fire, fighting for the men he served with, and for our country. I believe the Green Beret who thanks John Kerry for saving his life. I also believe the men who were Kerry's crew. I loved the guys in my unit in Vietnam, but I would be the first to speak up, if any of them faked it, to get a medal. These people questioning Kerry are calling his whole crew liars, and I don't buy that. Kerry was an officer and enlisted men have to be pretty impressed to stick up for an officer, especially thirty years later. President Bush's military record leaves a lot to be desired, but to slam a real American Hero to take him down a peg makes me sick. If John Kerry's Medals can now be questioned after all of these years, then I wonder if any medals from that war are valid. Lets check everybody's Medals. Lets look at every staff officer and see if they really earned theirs. Lets look at every Purple Heart and see if that Soldier or Marine really bled enough. Let us look at the Medals given posthumously and find out if just maybe some Medals were given to make the families feel better. If we are now going to question John Kerry's Medals, lets make all medals fair game. These so called Swift Boat Veterans are putting a taint on every Medal issued by the Department of Defense and that is wrong.
BLUNT ON 9/11 ANNIVERSARY:
"Most fitting tribute to the fallen is to continue to fight and win the war on terror" 
WASHINGTON --- Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) today reflected
on the third anniversary of the September 11th terrorist
attacks and expressed his unwavering commitment to the
ongoing war against terror. ********************************** I think that it is great to honor those who suffered from 9-11 and most if not all have received large monetary benefits...I don't fault that...What Ido want to comment on is the DIRE LACK OF CARE AND HELP AND ATTENTION THAT OUR VETERANS OF THE WAR IN IRAQ ARE GETTING and THE WIDOWS AND CHILDREN OF THOSE 1000+ TROOPES THAT HAVE BEEN KILLED IN IRAQ!!!!! PLUS ALL OF OUR GUARD AND RESERVE TROOPS WHOSE PAY IS MESSED UP SO BAD MANY ARE LOOSING THEIR HOMES AND CARS!please share with us what you are doing about these needs of our military and widows AT THIS CRITICAL TIME ....are there any action pending in congress concerning these issues? Our Troops and Veterans across Missouri and all citizens with inquiring minds want to know! Thank you in advance for your help in this matter and we await your reply! Sincerely, Hollis Stanford Springfield, Missouri September 24,2004From: ColonelDan Evans' Inquiry Spurs GAO
Report on DoD/VA Efforts to Address Troops' Mental
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