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leeinwv · PO3 Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Posts: 268

Maj.Gen.Patrick Brady (Medal of Honor recipant) on Sen. Kerry
Northwest Veterans Newsletter ^ | 8/16/04 | Major Gen. Patrick Brady

Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady (Medal Of Honor recipient) on Sen. Kerry
"Guest Op-Ed by Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady 16 Aug 04
America has no kings or queens but we do have nobility - our nobility is called Veterans. That nobility is responsible for the bounty that is America but tragically their influence has faded in recent years and the values they died for are under attack. But this election year they are back in demand and some have said the veteran vote could decide this election. It may have put Bush in the White House. With this in mind, John Kerry is seldom seen with out his band of brothers and constantly plays the" hero" card as a cornerstone of his bid for president, indeed, as the definition of who he is. Kerry defines patriotism as "keeping faith with those who wear the uniform of this country. He also brags that he "defended this country as a young man". If Missouri is the show me state, Veterans are the show me voters - we are not much for words, deeds are our stock in trade. Lets look at Kerry's deeds.
Before Kerry played his "hero" card, he played the atrocity card. When Kerry came back from Vietnam he joined with Jane Fonda and in 1971 denounced "those who wear the uniform" as terrorists-like rapists and assassins who "cut off heads, taped wires . to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, shot at civilians, razed villages, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks" . and said he "committed the same kinds of atrocities as thousands of others". He made these charges under oath. Kerry says today that he would have framed some of what he said in 1971 differently. But he does not say he lied, which he did, nor does he apologize. How can one properly frame the denunciations of ones comrades in arms as modern day Genghis Khans? The very day that Kerry was calling Vietnam veterans' war criminals the family of one of those "war criminals", Michael Blanchfield, was posthumously receiving the Medal of Honor for Michael who had thrown himself on a grenade to save the
lives of his comrades. How different from Kerry was the way this man kept faith with those who wore the uniform with him.
How different from Kerry was the manner Michael defended his country. He could have attacked the war without attacking the warrior. He could have questioned policy without supporting the communists' claim that our soldiers were war criminals. He could have kept faith with those who wore the uniform with him. But he did not and he should be held accountable.
By every measure, the Vietnam veteran has been an exceptional citizen; but there is one disturbing statistic -- their suicide rate. In the first 5 years after discharge the rate was 1.7 times higher than non-veterans. After 5 years it was less. This may have been due to the treatment the Vietnam veteran received from the media - and the anti war movement led by Kerry -- in the early years after the war. Living with the scars of war is difficult, for some unbearable, but all veterans suffer. The Vietnam veteran suffered physically as much, perhaps more than any veteran of the past century, but no veteran has suffered the mental agony of that veteran.
What Kerry/Fonda and the media elite did to the Vietnam veteran and his family is deplorable. They opened a gash in his psyche and then rubbed salt in it. Not just the living but also those who died and their families who questioned if a loved one is a war criminal. And the POWs some who believed the Kerry/Fonda cartel extended the war, increased their torture and filled more body bags. Whether Kerry and Fonda have blood on their hands is debatable but there is no doubt they have salt on them.
Kerry's "hero" card is based on medals he received in Vietnam and is much celebrated, and unchallenged, by the mainstream media. I know many Medal of Honor recipients who have received less publicity for their medal than Kerry has for his. But medals don't make a hero. It is how one uses medals that make a hero. Every honest soldier knows that medals are a function of circumstance, even happenstance, but most of all the support of ones fellow warriors.
I was awarded the Medal of Honor; but my fellow soldiers who supported me in the actions and took the time to write it up earned it. I wear it for them, they own my medals. And every Medal of Honor recipient and hero I know believes as I do. Medals should be a sign of patriotism, a symbol of sacrifice, support and defense of a great nation. The highest form of patriotism is service to our youth; heroes also wear their medal for them to signal the importance of courage. Heroes do not use their medals for personal political gain. As I said they are not theirs to use.
Senator Kerry threw his medals away (or ribbons, they are symbolically the same), a political act very difficult for any veteran to understand. He must have been proud of them for he wore them even on his fatigues, in violation of all regulations. But they were not his. They belonged to those who he served. By that act he symbolically denounced his fellow veterans -- again. Does one keep faith with those who wear the uniform by throwing away their medals?
But perhaps most telling of his leadership qualities is his use of his Purple hearts to abandon his band of brothers, his command, on a technicality. Kerry may be the only person in history who took advantage of a Navy regulation that allowed him to leave his command after 4 months for 3 purple hearts none of which ever caused him to miss a day of duty. In my experience men fought to stay with their band of brothers, especially commanders. All the commanders I know would get out of a hospital bed to be with their men. Some one had to take his place; someone probably less experienced who would have to learn the ropes. That put his command more at risk than if he stayed. It is not hard to understand why those who stayed in combat for the full year are upset with Kerry.
And veterans today would be upset with Kerry's support of Flag Burning his non-support of weapons systems and his 12 votes against military pay raises. But his use of veterans and mis use of his medals should bring into serious question his loyalty, integrity and character all of which equal leadership. He is not fit for command."
Maj. Gen. Brady's

carpro · Admin Joined: 10 May 2004 Posts: 1176 Location: Texas

Bhist · Lieutenant Joined: 01 Jun 2004 Posts: 228

Bravo, Mr. Brady. If only the NY Times would print his words.
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Watch Kerry Implode Because Of Truth!!
Watch Rather Implode Because Of Lies!!

rlmorel · Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 6:17 pm Post subject:

Thank you, General Brady. You put into words what many of us feel, but your saying it gives our views validity. Thank you for helping with this fight, as fight it is.
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Military Brat, USN Aviation Machinist Mate 2nd Class 1975-1979

GT · Seaman Apprentice Joined: 10 Aug 2004 Posts: 90

I wonder if the Navy has kept statistics on how many sailors received three purple hearts and then left Vietnam to go home? It would be interesting to see if Kerry was the only one.

Chuck54 · PO1 Joined: 14 Aug 2004 Posts: 466

Powerful editorial Lee. Thanks. I am speechless.
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"And no pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often, than the two Senators from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry"

Zell Miller

grammaj · Seaman Recruit Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Posts: 35

A great read.

Would he be a good person to go on the TV programs? Radio? I think so.

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Not military in any way but am supporting all of you. THANK YOU!

jwb7605 · Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 8:23 pm Post subject:

NavyBrat · Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 8:34 pm Post subject:

Incredible. I'm working on a letter to the editor and I would like to use a quote from Gen Brady ! Thanks Lee!
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Laura~

arjr111 · Seaman Apprentice Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 86

Love to see the General on Hannity!
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Semper-Fi

rhv5862 · PO2 Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 379 Location: Massachusetts

Lee thanks for the post. Reading General Brady's words makes one remember what comrades and country is all about. You do not turn your back on eather. Real heros are silent about their actions, and if they speak they praise those who were with them. They don't explot them for their own gain.
I watched some of the mini series Band of Brothers. There was one quote at the end of the series that I will always remember and it was the reply Richard Winters Maj. Easy Co 502 Airborne gave to his grandson when he was asked "Grandpa were you a hero in the war" and he answered:

"No but I served with a band of heros".

He made no mention of all he had done.

And THANK YOU to General Brady.

RHV

mudderfudder77 · Seaman Recruit Joined: 05 Aug 2004 Posts: 32

Bump!

SteamSnipe · Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 3:30 am Post subject: Moving Words

Thank God man such as Gen Brady, who understand and live with honor and courage exist in this crazy world.

rightvet · Seaman Recruit Joined: 22 Aug 2004 Posts: 3

OK this topic finally got me to register. I've donated and lurked here for quite awhile.

I sent this article to our local talk radio hosts, hopefully they will put him on the air. He expresses the points that I feel to a T.

rightvet
88-92 USAF
92-98 US Army

larrygj · Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:45 am Post subject:

This is eloquence from the heart. If everybody cut and pasted this and sent it to the editors of their local newspapers, I think a lot of them would respond. Any chance the source of this could be scanned, made into an Adobe pdf file and posted on the Internet? I'd be glad to do it.

Larry