SwiftVets.com

Avalon66

An Open Letter to Senator John F. Kerry
From Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr.
October 19, 2004

Dear Senator Kerry,

I never met my uncle Will. He was a lieutenant in the Navy during WWII. He was killed in action on his PT boat in the Pacific. For his fatal wounds, he received the Purple Heart posthumously.

The first-captain of my West Point class took a bullet through the heart while leading a South Vietnamese airborne battalion into combat. For this fatal wound, he was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.

My senior year roommate at West Point became a tunnel rat. A booby trap explosion killed him in the tunnels of Duc Pho. The army awarded him the Purple Heart posthumously. My plebe year roommate lost an eye and became permanently crippled. For his extensive wounds, he received the Purple Heart.

My battalion commander in Viet Nam was one of the bravest men I ever knew. He went out ahead of the troops in his light observation helicopter to find and kill enemy before they had a chance to fire on his men. That's how he died. For his fatal wounds, he received the Purple Heart posthumously.

(SNIP)

In 1971, I became a regional coordinator for Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) for a short time. I and many other vets were very angry at our government. We had experienced horror, terror, trauma, and grief in a no-win war and couldn't see the reason for it. We felt betrayed by our government and our military leaders. You stepped in and became our spokesman.

More... http://www.solvinglight.com/kerryletter.htm

Barbie2004 · Commander Joined: 18 Sep 2004 Posts: 338

That is a very moving letter. It could not be said better.

Me#1You#10 · Site Admin Joined: 06 May 2004 Posts: 6503

I've read this several times. I think it is, in fact, no rejection of the treasonous activity of the VVAW. I don't see that anywhere. (Did I miss something?) It looks more like a cleverly worded denunciation of Kerry to garner legitimacy for the author and for VVAW itself.

It's no secret that the left-wing elements in this country are less than happy (one might say pissed-off) with Kerry's attempt to dissassociate himself from the VVAW and it's post-war activity. He is a "lost cause" as far as they're concerned. They recognize it and are trying (very cleverly IMHO) to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

IMO, Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. may still be, today, an apologist for the VVAW.

Let's not get snared by "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" syndrome.

We need to learn more about this gentleman and his politics before jumping on THIS particular bandwagon.

Barbie2004 · Commander Joined: 18 Sep 2004 Posts: 338

My apologies for not making note of that.

But in my defense, what I ended up focusing on was that I saw it as "anti-Kerry" which helps in the ultimate goal of keeping Kerry out.

I am reading much to much. Sometimes I suffer from "information overload."

Thank you for pointing out these additional aspects of the letter to me.

One final note: I don't want to get into this too far, but from what I can gather from my father regarding President Johnson & McNamara, I actually see them as treasonous in the way they operated the war, in addition of course to Kerry Krowd.

I think many soldiers died needlessly from the actions of Johnson & McNamara. . .so from my perspective, in some ways, you could say I am anit-Johnson & anti-McNamara (in addition certainly actions by Kerry et al). . .hence my overlooking certain aspects of that letter. . .

Avalon66 · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:50 pm Post subject:

BuffaloJack · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:55 pm Post subject:

That letter was absolutely great.
I especially like Robert Bowie Johnson's referring to Kerry, because of his 4 months of service, as a mini-veteran.