Calling Kerry's bluff

[Tamaroa]

Neil, I should have been more specific. I didn't mean "forget the decorations" as in if one truly deserved them and being awarded them. I was referring specifically to Kerry's case. While his receiving the awards in the manner that he did was bothersome, I felt that his leaving his crew behind was more egregious. I was only in for 4 years. But I can equate it to something that happened to me in Civilian life. I was the Chief Engineer of a Manhattan Skyscraper. I was offered a promotion after only 6 months on the job (as Chief). I refused it because first I did not think I had enough time on the job as a Chief and secondly, I wanted to make sure that the guy who replaced me would take care of the crew when I left the Union. I kept the Chief's job for two more years and was offered the promotion again. This time I took it with the proviso that I choose my successor thereby knowing my crew would be well cared for. My logic worked because that incident happened twenty years ago. To this day the crew of that building and I meet for a reunion lunch every 6 months. We were a close crew that went through a lot opening up a building under construction.

So standing up WITH and FOR your crew means an awful lot to me.

Bill

Paraphrasing Robert E. Lee, "DUTY is the most sublime word in the English language because it was such a small word and meant so much."