The War Against Vietnam Veterans

[Seascamp]

If Sen. Kerry?s intention was to bitterly divide VN Vets then he has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. He has sent out his emissary; Rep. Ford of Tennessee, to offer up a flag of truce and is trying to call of the DNC dogs of war. But too late as the Genie is out of the bottle now and he shall reap what he has sown. He wasn?t the only one in Navy Operation Market Time; RVN, that operated along the coast, estuaries and wider rivers. In the coming times we shall speak out and be heard and the saga will be significantly different from his. And for my part I never heard of anyone in the USN engaged in the butchery, rape and mayhem or cadaver desecration or POW murder, ever. But evidently Kerry was into wounded/defacto POW capping and whatever else he purports to have happened.

Need I paint a frigging picture, there were plenty of cadavers and all I ever saw was efforts to get them out of the water using a small cargo net and then transport the remains to an appropriate cemetery facility, and a few to US facilities. Regardless, the remains were covered by a blanket carrying the USN logo.

I truly hate to see us VN Vets walk this sorrowful ground and ply these dark waters again, but I have never shrunk from a fight yet and don?t plan to now. If Kerry is hell bent for election to give the USN in VN a bad name then he will stand alone, very alone. Two thousand USN names on our wall demand we set this wrong right.

Scamp,
Operation Market Time, RVN.
And proudly so.

[BLUEHAWK]

Scampness, I do believe we are getting somewhere now... thank you, thank you, thank you...

[SuperScout]

OK, boys and girls, it's story time, except the story teller this time is John Fonda Kerry. In an interview with Judy Woodruff of CNN, he is now denying his earlier statements of accusing US soldiers of committing war crimes in Vietnam. So what is it, Johnnie, did we or didn't we? Is your memory fading now, or were you lying then, or are you lying now? And remember, you delivered these indictments of US soldiers' actions under oath, as if that means anything these days - or shall we trot out the federal prosecutors and charge you with perjury. Here's part of Kerry's statement to Woodruff:

"No, I was accusing American leaders of abandoning the troops. And if you read what I said, it is very clearly an indictment of leadership. I said to the Senate, where is the leadership of our country? And it's the leaders who are responsible, not the soldiers. I never said that." An examination of the transcript of 22 April 1971 reveals that Kerry in fact and in sworn testimony, stated that US forces committed all manner of atrocities, charges he based on interviews of returning Vietnam vets earlier that year at the Winter Soldier Investigation, an event Kerry organized with anti-American actress Jane Fonda.

Kerry told the Senate that Winter Soldier witnesses "testified to war crimes committed in Southeast Asia, not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command." Speaking under oath, Kerry continued: "They told stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires with portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan."

A few days before his Senate testimony, Kerry gave the following account on NBC's "Meet the Press": "There are all kinds of atrocities, and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed in that I took part in shootings in free fire zones. I conducted harassment and interdiction fire. I used 50 calibre machine guns, which we were granted and ordered to use, which were our only weapon against people. I took part in search and destroy missions, in the burning of villages."

So what version of which story are we being asked to believe by Kerry? Sounds like he's trying to dazzle us with his BS, as he certainly can't baffle us with his brilliance.

[BLUEHAWK]

Methinks JFK Kerry joined the wrong side... and has not yet buyer's remorse.

[Arrow]

1. My problem is not with John Kerry's service in Vietnam.The record states that he served honorably and it is not my placeto question his service or the service ofany honorably discharged Veteran of these United States.

2.I don't read Ann Coulter. I'm furious that anyone left or rightor center wouldeven thinksuch dispicable thoughts in regard to Max Cleland, his serviceand hisloss of limbs in service to this country. What kind of a human being is she? Not only to think these things but towrite and publishthem for all the world to see. Someone needs to fry her hard drive.I question that her statements are being highly celebrated or circulatednotby decent folks and not in the Vietnam Veteranscommunity.

3.Irefuse to forgetwhatJohn Kerry did to every Vietnam Veteran when he testified in regard to the Winter Soldiers Investigation.He cast doubt on the integrity of the service ofevery Vietnam Veteranthat servedbefore, during and after he served in Vietnamwith histestimony and lies in regard to atrocities being the norm in Vietnam.He gave strength to thelie of the anti-war movement that all Vietnam Veterans were baby killing psycho maniacs.

4.Irefuse toforget that President Bill Clinton and John Kerry and this present administration along with members from both sides of the islesold out our POW-MIA and their families by pushing for and maintaining normal trade relations with Vietnam thereby taking away the leverage for a complete accounting of those still held and missing.

No one on this board that wants to put JohnKerry in the White House has even attempted to explain the actions of John Kerry and my objecton to them. If you are going to defend him by killing the messenger (namely me) or by attacking the opposingparty and can't address the issues directly thenjust give it a pass. I just want to hear your personal reasonedview of his statements and his actions concerning these two issues. Arrow

No incoming communique on my previous post on this thread. Just as I thought it would be.

Arrow>>>>>>

[BLUEHAWK]

Arrow - I just don't think very many people have much doubt at all about what you reported... I mean, what CAN one say

[Gimptster]

Wrong again Blue!

I'll have PLENTY to say when I have the time to adequately and fully answer what I believe to be an incorrect and false persecution of John Kerry.

Lil Sparrow, I have not had the time to give your post the attention and thorough documentation I feel that you deserve and should be afforded. It would be less than insensitive for me to simply shrug it off without atempting to show you the full measure of respect that you deserve. I and my wife, Jackie, are in the process of monitoring and caring for my daughter right now in Atlanta as she is having difficulty in her last term of pregnancy with her second child......she is due in early March, but it appears she will need to be hospilized in the next day or so with a C-section probably in the next few days. As our family crisis situation improves, I will certainly be more than glad to offer a varying viewpoint that I hope would be sufficient to offer you and others a conclusive counterpoint that some will see fit to accept.....while I'm sure there will be others who won't.

Till then, God bless and I'll be "talkin" at ya later!

[BLUEHAWK]

I am actually going to respond to this one Gimpy...

a. Best wishes to you and your family.

b.

[Arrow]

Thank you Steve. I appreciate very much you taking the time to answer given the crisis you and yours are having at this moment. I am truly sorry to hear this news. I pray that all goes well and you will have a good report for us in a few days.

Arrow>>>>>>>

[colmurph]

Well written Little Sparrow.....Kerry will definitely not get this Vietnam veteran's vote, now or ever. I do not denigrate his Vietnam service or his Silver Strar and 3 Purple Hearts. What makes me hate the man is what he did to the rest of us when he came home and testified before congress, accusing the rest of us of hennious war crimes and atrocities. My bumper sticker says KERRY/FONDA and the names are separated by a North Vietnamese Flag. Most people who see it are clueless and say "I didn't know Jane Fonda was running with Kerry". But I hope my message gets through to a few Vietnam Vets who see it.