Should Kerry have received his purple hearts?

[jimbutorac]

From Game:


Mud,

The dems and the media have beat the dead horse about Bush and his service. I don't see Bush trying to play himself up as a war hero.

Mud: No, he just called himself "the war president" in a nationally televised interview with Tim Russert.


Game: "Kerry ran the Vietnam war in the ground and cost US soldiers lives with his action upon returning. Kerry claimed he commited war crimes. Now he's outraged at panties gate. Kerry now tries to make himself out to be a war hero for a war he was supposedly was against, it just doesn't pass the smell test."

Mud: Funny, I think it's been documented Kerry saved lives. As far as your contention that he cost lives, you're certainly entitled to your ill-informed mis=begotten opinion based on knee jerk reflex reaction of Republican right.

If you think we could've won Viet Nam War by staying the course supporting a corrupt government against a people who had opposed successfully colonial wars for centuries, so be it.

Kerry saved lives, say again, saved lives by advocating American withdrawal versus continuation of fighting in an ultimately doomed conflict.

Rock on.

 

[wilheim]

Same thing they did to Gore, who went to Viet Nam while Bush did not. The old throw enough shit against the wall and some is bound to stick routine. Believe me, many, I mean many guys came back from Nam disallusioned from the experience. The US in 1970 (71 for me) was very divided because of the war. I know plenty of guys who could have cared less about medals when they got back. Watch "Born on the 4th of July" if you get a chance. Oliver Stone hit the nail on the head with thoses wounded vets. I know Kerry was not severly wounded, but the combat experience itself was deeply disturbing and not easily forgotten. I will never forget a letter I wrote to my dad that I never sent, very similar emotions to what Kerry must have felt. Unless you were there than you just cannot understand the effect that Godforsaken war had on the young men who fought it. In the end the medal thing will have little to do with this election anyway. It will come down to events in Iraq, and the Economy.


wil.

 

[Shotgun]

Eek, we righties wouldn't care about the issue except that John Kerry has made it the sole reason why he should be president. The veteran status never worked for Bob Dole or Bush Sr. against Clinton did it? It didn't immunize George McGovern from Nixon (McGovern ripped Tricky Dick for being in the Navy away from the action). It didn't work for Carter against Reagan. It won't work for Kerry against Bush either.

What saddens me is that this guy thinks that his 4 months in Vietnam will overshadow everything he has done since then to cut down the armed forces.

 

[Oceans11]

You have to respect him for volunteering, politics really are irrelevant.

Many dodged Vietnam, this man definitely did not.

You can spin it all you want to, he took the risk. Vietnam was not a soft option.

 

[jimbutorac]

Btw Shot,

Kerry could have easily avoided active duty like your boy Dubya, but did not.

He was originally assigned duty to guided missile frigate USS Gridley where he subsequently applied for Swift Boat school so he could assume duty in one of most dangerous duties in Viet Nam.

Meanwhile, Dubya got admitted to Champagne Squadron of well-connected reservists who flew obsolete aircraft to patrol the sky against imagined Soviet incursions with zero chance of seeing hostile fire and with deadlock cinch on never seeing duty in Viet Nam.

Kerry goes over and receives medals. Quite frankly, I believe there have been people who desrved medals more but never got them and on the other hand, there have been people who have desrved less that have gotten them. On the other hand, Dubya never got any nor by any indication, did he deserve any.

What saddens me is that Dubya's late life conversion to the military in the eyes of the public has no basis in reality. When he had his opportunity to serve, he flinched.

 

[wilheim]

What is this all about? Tell me it's not a photo Op. This single photo is an insult to the tens of thousands of real fighter pilots who have ever seen action.


wil.

 

[Shotgun]

Eek, nothing Kerry could do over there can make up for the way he painted every Vietnam veteran a war criminal. He volunteered when he didn't have to...fine but that's how everyone in my generation has done it so it isn't that big of deal to me. I wanted to join, so I did. All of my friends at that time chose not to...I certainly don't hold it against them.

 

[Oceans11]

From a personal perspective I butted out of an opportunity of $2000 to Kharg Island and 'exocet alley' in the early 80's.
I didn't want my ass sitting on 160,000 tons of crude oil with those fuxxers flying around. (Iran/Iraq war).

Not my war thx. Keep yer $2000.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/earnest_will.htm

 

[GAMEFACE]

Liberals I know you already have the Bush is bad down pat. Attempt to think on this one.

The question is, Should Kerry have received the purple hearts?

These are the facts:

1. Kerry received only scratches, no real injuries.

2. Kerry inflicted the injuries to himself. In other words if you shoot yourself in the foot should you be eligible for the purple heart. I don't believe so.

3. No other soldier was able to get out of Vietnam without suffering serious injuries. How did Kerry get out of Vietnam with scratches. Kerry was not hospitalized over these scratches.

4. Did any other soldier recieve 1 purple heart for scratches much less 3?

5. During the entire history of the Vietnam war was Kerry the only soldier to receive 3 purple hearts for scrathes and get out of Vietnam in 4 months.

This does not pass the smell test.

 

[DrunkenHorseplayer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GAMEFACE:
What has to baffle anyone with 1/2 a brain is Kerry suffered no injuries and received 3 purple hearts. This whole Kerry is a war hero non-sense is based off 4 months of duty in Vietnam, which is great he showed for 4 months. Lets face it no one else could get out after 4 months except Kerry. I really believe the 4 months was a phony act for his run today for President. Why would he put himself in for these fake purple hearts and film himself as some kind of fake war hero. The fake injuries got him out of duty early. A nobody would not have been removed from Vietnam unless they suffered a serious injury. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I understand that you served on a ship while in the Navy during the Gulf War. As soon as you see some real combat like John Kerry undeniably saw during Vietnam as opposed to sitting in the near-absolute safety of a ship then you can babble about Kerry not being a hero. And regardless of what you think about Kerry's four months, the fact remains that it's four more months than Bush was man enough to do.

 

[GAMEFACE]

Belch,

What the fuk ever.

I'm not out trying to make myself out to be a war hero like our fake democratic nominee is.

 

[jimbutorac]

Game: "I'm not trying to make myself out to be a war hero like our fake deomcartic nominee is".

And thank god I'm not out portraying Dubya to be a "war president":

- The guy that dodged Viet Nam by going to the National Guard in the champagne squadron where he was an aviator flying soon to be mothballed aircraft

- The guy that checked the box that said he did not want to go overseas

- The guy that skipped a year of Guard duty in alabama and subsequently petitioned succesfully to get out of Guard duty early to attend business shcool

- The guy that took no interest in combatting Al Qaeda prior to 9/11...give me one public pronouncement prior to 9/11 where he stated otherwise and I will retract that statement (I have floated this statement on this board for almsot a year now and never once been rebutted).

- The guy that employs a Sec of Defense who advocates reducing size of military while trying to occupy two countries at once neither being stabilized at present

- The guy that portrays himself as pro-military while simultaneously submitting cutting combat pay and veterans medical benefits while initiating largest tax cut to the richest 2 percent of the country ever. Hey, let's give Bill Gates, Kenny Lay, and all these cats big tax cuts while Armed Forces families are paying out of their own funds to pay for body armor for the troops.

Can't wait for 4 more years of Dubya's alleged support of the military.

 

[GAMEFACE]

Lets not get off topic here.

Should Kerry have received 3 purple hearts for scratches in Vietnam? I say NO, If you can make a case for Kerry please do.

I'm not asking if Bush should have received an award.