Veteran's Against Kerry, HUH!
- Thread starter ceo_pte
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ceo_pte
New Member
In October 1969, while Kerry was still on active duty assigned to Admiral Schlech, Kerry was flying Adam Walinsky (Robert F. Kennedy's former speech writer), around New York state to deliver anti-war speeches.
BY Jan. 3, 1970, Kerry had become so inspired by Walinsky's anti-war beliefs that he petitioned Admiral Schlech, "to tell his boss that his conscientious dictated that he protest the war, that he wanted out of the Navy immediately so that he could run for congress."
Admiral Schlech consented and Kerry received an honorable discharge from the Navy six months early.
Kerry, a decorated veteran who seemed to be a clone of former President John F. Kennedy, right down to the military service on a patrol boat made a 1970 bid for Congress in Massachusetts' Third District. Kerry's candidacy was soon rejected by the Third District caucus members.
In June 1970, Kerry joined Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
Kerry remained low-key in VVAW activities until September 7,1970 when he accepted a prominent roll in VVAW's Operation RAW (Rapid American Withdrawal.)
Operation RAW called for "Vietnam Vets to march 86 miles between two Revolutionary War sites- Morristown, New Jersey and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania- engaging in gorilla theater all the way . . . the spectacle of this ragtag band of ex soldiers was bound to get the media's attention and it did."
At Valley Forge, Kerry rubbed elbows with actress Hanoi Jane Fonda (VVAW's most prominent promoter) and apparently was taken with the power of her rhetoric.
Fonda "standing on the bed of a pick-up truck, denounced the Nixon administration as being a beehive for cold blooded killers."
It was at Valley Forge with Fonda that Kerry grabbed the ears of the VVAW. Kerry stepped on to the back of the pick up and yelled into a microphone "we are here because we above all others have earned the right to criticize the war on southeast Asia . . . We are here to say that it is not patriotism to ask Americans to die for a mistake or that it is not patriotic to allow a president to talk about not being the first president to lose a war and using us as pawns in that game."
BY Jan. 3, 1970, Kerry had become so inspired by Walinsky's anti-war beliefs that he petitioned Admiral Schlech, "to tell his boss that his conscientious dictated that he protest the war, that he wanted out of the Navy immediately so that he could run for congress."
Admiral Schlech consented and Kerry received an honorable discharge from the Navy six months early.
Kerry, a decorated veteran who seemed to be a clone of former President John F. Kennedy, right down to the military service on a patrol boat made a 1970 bid for Congress in Massachusetts' Third District. Kerry's candidacy was soon rejected by the Third District caucus members.
In June 1970, Kerry joined Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
Kerry remained low-key in VVAW activities until September 7,1970 when he accepted a prominent roll in VVAW's Operation RAW (Rapid American Withdrawal.)
Operation RAW called for "Vietnam Vets to march 86 miles between two Revolutionary War sites- Morristown, New Jersey and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania- engaging in gorilla theater all the way . . . the spectacle of this ragtag band of ex soldiers was bound to get the media's attention and it did."
At Valley Forge, Kerry rubbed elbows with actress Hanoi Jane Fonda (VVAW's most prominent promoter) and apparently was taken with the power of her rhetoric.
Fonda "standing on the bed of a pick-up truck, denounced the Nixon administration as being a beehive for cold blooded killers."
It was at Valley Forge with Fonda that Kerry grabbed the ears of the VVAW. Kerry stepped on to the back of the pick up and yelled into a microphone "we are here because we above all others have earned the right to criticize the war on southeast Asia . . . We are here to say that it is not patriotism to ask Americans to die for a mistake or that it is not patriotic to allow a president to talk about not being the first president to lose a war and using us as pawns in that game."
Found this site earlier today also when trying to look up Kerry's specific service. Very interesting. I wouldn't be boasting too much if I were him. There are a lot of unanswered questions in his future. Focus may be on Bush right now, but that won't last long. Nit with as much material as Kerry has. Wow...
Only served 4 months in combat... (first tour (6 months) was an a destroyer as an engineering officer)
Assigned as an Admirals Aide subsequent to his early departure from Vietnam.
Left the Navy 6 months early with an honorable discharge to "run for congress"
Just a few of the points that jumped out at me.
Only served 4 months in combat... (first tour (6 months) was an a destroyer as an engineering officer)
Assigned as an Admirals Aide subsequent to his early departure from Vietnam.
Left the Navy 6 months early with an honorable discharge to "run for congress"
Just a few of the points that jumped out at me.
B
Bruzilla
Guest
I like his pre-service history better. He was an anti-war protestor who was drafted following graduation from college. He tried to get out of his service requirement by claiming he was going to do continued studies in France (Clinton used the same dodge except his education was in England and he did a better selling job.) The draft board said no, and Kerry had a choice of either headed to Canada, maiming himself, or going into a service where there would be little chance of ever seeing combat. He has said that he's wanted to be a politician since he met John Kennedy, so headed to Canada or self mutilation would have killed that career, so instead he chose to enlist in the Navy... the service with the lowest number of people in combat.
What I wonder about is why Kerry got bounced off the ship and into patrol boats? He doesn't seem to be the type to volunteer for combat duty, and he sure didn't stick around for long once he got there. Most patrol boats were commanded by senior enlisted personnel, so why would a LTJG get assigned there? I know there were some platforms when I was in the Navy that $hitbags got sent to when someone wanted to get rid of them, and I wonder if Kerry was such a $hitbag that he ended up driving a small boat under nastly conditions?
What I wonder about is why Kerry got bounced off the ship and into patrol boats? He doesn't seem to be the type to volunteer for combat duty, and he sure didn't stick around for long once he got there. Most patrol boats were commanded by senior enlisted personnel, so why would a LTJG get assigned there? I know there were some platforms when I was in the Navy that $hitbags got sent to when someone wanted to get rid of them, and I wonder if Kerry was such a $hitbag that he ended up driving a small boat under nastly conditions?