SwiftVets.com

xeniadif · Seaman Recruit Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 24

I sent the following e-mail to our local chapter of VVA:

I as all of you I presume are Vietnam Veterans. I have read all of your messages that have been sent to our home, often passing along info to other vet friends of mine. But lately I have been wondering why your organization makes no mention of the Presidential Election which will greatly affect our military. Does your organization endorse a candidate? Could you please e-mail me with your organizations policy.

Sincerely

This is the response I received:

Our organization, Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. (VVA) by nature of it's incorporation, by-laws and tax status (501 C 19) does not and will not endorse any political party, candidate, or issues. Unlike some other organizations that have been chartered and incorporated under similar guidelines VVA's choice is to adhere to our principles and to the law.

Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) has received an assortment of e-mails which (1) incorrectly assume VVA has endorsed Senator John Kerry for President; or (2) criticize Senator Kerry for his involvement with antiwar activities after he served in Vietnam; or (3) incorrectly assume that Bobby Muller, the President of a different organization (Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation), is the President of VVA. In response to all such e-mails, VVA says:

1. VVA's Constitution prohibits it from endorsing any candidate for any elected office. Article IV, Section 3. E. of the VVA Constitution clearly says that "[a] member, Chapter, State Council, or the Corporation [VVA] may not endorse, on behalf of the Chapter, State Council, or the Corporation, any candidate for any elected office or position."

2. John Kerry was a co-founder of VVA in 1979 and he is a life member of VVA.

3. Bobby Muller is not the President of VVA and he does not speak for VVA. Bobby Muller is the President of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, which is a separate corporation with a separate board of directors and with separate funding sources. Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation is not a membership organization like VVA.
Our constitution <http://www.vva.org/convent.pdf>
As amended at the

National Conventions

November 24, 1985

August 2, 1987

August 6, 1989

August 21, 1991

August 5, 1993

August 18, 1995

August 10, 1997

August 14, 1999

August 3, 2001

August 1, 2003

ARTICLE IV - GENERAL PROVISIONS - SECTION 1 - FINANCE, SECTION 3 - RESTRICTED ACTIVITIES, Pargs.

E. A member, Chapter, State Council, or the Corporation may not endorse, on behalf of the Chapter, State Council, or the Corporation, any candidate for any elected office or position.

F. The Corporation, and any Chapter or State Council, may comment upon, and endorse on behalf of said Corporation, Chapter, or State Council, any candidate holding, or proposed for, an appointed position that directly affects veterans affairs, provided that all such comments and/or endorsements made by Chapters or State Councils, with respect to Federal appointees, must be made in consultation with the appropriate Department Head or Officer of the Corporation.

I hope that the above will help in defining VVA's position on this year's election. For more information please go to http://www.vva.org/

Respectfully

Joseph A. Jennings III
Executive Director
VVA-BSC

I am very unhappy with their position after realizing that John Kerry is a lifetime member. I will not be affilitated with any organization that has given Kerry lifetime membership after he has done so much to destroy the Vietnam Veterans. I am sending a message to them requesting they drop us from their organization and why.

3rd gen Navy · Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 2:30 am Post subject:

also why I don't belong to VFW or the American Legion
Both of them claim to be apolitical...
my view on Kerry is that this isn't politics, it's simple interpretation of US Statutes.
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RN, BSN, EMT-B, U.S. Navy, 1994 - 2003.
BS Biology, Business Administration, Nursing
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Trickworm · Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 3:23 pm Post subject:

JB Stone · Guest

I was VERY torn when I learned who and what John Forbes Kerry REALLY is...

But, I think throwing the Baby out with the Bathwater is foolish.

Rolling Eyes

~~~~~

Please allow me to explain.

I was very BRIEFLY a "member" of the VVAW after my discharge in 1970, due to my total loss of an anchor which would allow me to support the actions of the U.S. Government and Military after participating [albeit UNWILLINGLY] in GENUINE War Crimes during Project SHAD in the Navy, concurrent to Kerry's "service" in Vietnam.

I am NOT a Kerry apologist.

What I am telling you is that the VVAW SUCKERED lots of people at the time, playing on their naivete and dissatisfaction.

When I learned, soon after joining them for exactly ONE protest where I was photographed at the University of Denver, that they were SERIOUSLY discussing ASSASSINATING U.S. Political Figures...well....THAT did it for me.

I went "underground" for the next 25 years.

NO ONE, not even other VETERANS would believe or listen to me about the HUGE Bio-Chemical Weapons Experiment program known as Project 112/SHAD in which I and some other 10,000 Veterans from all branches of the Service were essentially used against their will and without their consent as HUMAN TEST RATS.

It was the Cold War hysteria feeding this insanity, and combined with the massive errors of judgment and waste of youthful lives for political gain in Vietnam....it was just plain TOO MUCH for me.

Not to MENTION that I had signed "secrecy documents" and been promised Federal Prison time if I EVER spoke out about what had happened.

I am STILL restricted by those documents, but my position now, after 35 years of misery is, "What are they going to do....KILL ME again...???"

Laughing

What's all this got to do with the Swifties [God BLESS 'Em]....???

What's it got to do with Kerry's being a co-founder of the VVA...???

Well, the VFW would NOT accept my membership because I couldn't "prove" my off-shore whereabouts during a TOP SECRET and massively embarrasing program...

But, the VVA not only took me in, they are the ONLY "service organization" who made any MATERIAL progress in our behalf. [the more than 10,000 U.S. Servicemen misused, discarded, and abandoned by their own country]

They are currently bringing a HUGE class action law suit against various responsible parties and INDIVIDUALS such as Robert McNamara, who I've heard is not precisely referred to as a "war hero" amongst Vietnam Veterans.

Question

~~~~~~~

http://www.vva.org/shad/

xeniadif · Seaman Recruit Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 24

I am posting my withdrawal letter to VVA. You can say whatever you want but an organization who has a life member such as John Kerry, who will damage every veteran who has ever lived has some major problems with direction. I am sorry to say this...but there is no excuse...NONE!

"2. John Kerry was a co-founder of VVA in 1979 and he is a life member of VVA.

Mr. Jennings,

The above reference point is reason enough for me to request you drop me from your organization. If you are able to drop me on a national level please feel free to do that also. If not let me know and I will pursue it on my own. I must say I was horrified with the above statement. My husband and I are both Vietnam Vets. My brother is a Vietnam Vet AF pilot stationed in Laos from 1969-1971. He lost a few close friends who were classified as POW’s. I don’t know if you remember your history very well but none of the Laotian POW’s were ever returned due in large part to your current lifetime member Mr. John Kerry.

I am still numb from learning this information from you. VVA has bestowed lifetime membership to a member who has single handily done more to damage the Vietnam Veterans than any other human being. I have family members currently in the military and I will do all I can to prevent that man from being their Commander-in-Chief. He will not destroy their service to their country as he did to me and my fellow vets.

Shame on you.

I will do all I can to discourage any other veteran from joining your organization. And to think I thought VVA was a worthy organization.

Sincerely

Pete and Jackie DiFranco"

xeniadif · Seaman Recruit Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 24

BJ Stone.....

What about the other "58,000?

"Ship...Shipmate...Self."

John Kerry should be able to explain the Navy jargon to you.

Apparently he practiced that motto during his tours.

d19thdoc · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 6:16 am Post subject:

Kerry and Bobby Mueller were co-founders of VVA. Mueller moved on to more left wing endeavors. His Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation has offices in Hanoi and I believe one of its operatives ("Kyle Horst") was the "freelance producer" who induced ABC's Nightline to journey to Vietnam . . . or perhaps he was the interpreter who joined the ABC crew there.

In Stolen Valor, the book by P.G. Burkett, he outlines in detail the origins of VVA and the fact that just about anyone can join, and that it was infested with frauds (fake Nam Vets) in the early days. In the beginning, at least, it was Kerry's answer to the VVAW, which had gone totally off the left-edge of the globe - even for Kerry's taste.

My local VVA chapter, in apparent defiance of the National policy, publised an endorsement of Kerry (or, rather, an attack on SwiftVets) in its last edition. I told them to drop me from their mailing list and membership roles. When I get my dues notice from National, I will tell them that I am not interested in belonging to any organizatuion that was founded by John Kerry, and, had I known that fact at the time, I never would have joined in the first place.

I don't care if they are eligible for the Nobel Preace Prize or sainthood from the Catholic Church. The seed is poisoned.
_________________
For The Honor of the Fifty-Eight Thousand.
"He Can Lose, But He Can Not Hide"

JB Stone · Guest

JB Stone · Guest

JB Stone · Guest

JB Stone · Guest

http://www2.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=13803

~~~~~~

J.B. Stone, Whitefish, MT

USN, 1967-70, Honorably Discharged for Acquired Physical Disabilities

ETN-2, USS Granville S. Hall, YAG-40, Project SHAD, 1969

www.ProjectSHAD.us

www1.va.gov/SHAD

http://www.freedominion.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14556&sid=63d6e69c78779a779c077de62b6fdee4

neverforget · Vice Admiral Joined: 18 Jul 2004 Posts: 875

Mr. Stone:

I am very sorry you had to experience what you have, both during and after. I hope that you obtain some kind of compensation or appropriate recognition.

As you can tell, anything to do with an association with Kerry is anathema to most everybody posting in this forum, including my self.

Be that as it may, best regards.
_________________
US Army Security Agency
1965-1971

LewWaters · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 2:32 am Post subject:

There are several organizations that have somewhat dubious beginnings, yet have "matured" to be better then expected. Some might even say that thought applies to our very nation as well.

Each member has a right to join and continue or drop membership in any organization at any time for whatever reason. That is what freedom is. We are free to disagree, but if another feels strongly about it, it's their free choice.

That being said, I'm going to lock this thread, at least for now, until some have a chance to cool off and remember, we are fighting Kerry, not each other.
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Clark County Conservative