SwiftVets.com

[Knighthawk]

I found this in todays issue of the Stars and Stripes. Its a pretty good read.......enjoy

BY CHUCK GREEN

The principal debate between
George W. Bush and John F.
Kerry, as framed primarily by
Kerry at last month’s Democratic
National Convention, is about who best can
be America’s commander in chief.
Only one man has a record to run on —
George Bush. John Kerry has never been
the commander-in-chief.
Kerry’s best argument that he would
make the superior commander-in-chief is
based on his four-month tour of duty in
Vietnam in the late 1960s — a remarkably
brief tour whenmost servicemen didn’t rotate
home until serving at least a year “in
country.”
As most Americans now know—or certainly
should knowif they are paying attention
— Kerry requested release from his
duty in Vietnam under a provision that allows
disengagement for anyonewho has accumulated
three Purple Hearts.
Kerry qualified because he had three,
even though all three were for minor
wounds — including one compared to the
***** of a rose thorn — that didn’t require
more than an hour or two ofmedical attention
combined.
Nevertheless, his record qualified him
for release from duty in Vietnam, and he
took advantage of the situation.
Thousands of servicemen serving inVietnam
sustained injuries more serious than
Kerry’s and refused to accept Purple
Hearts because they didn’t consider their
sacrifices to beworthy of that special recognition.
They believed that to accept a PurpleHeart
for theirminor hurts, despite the
fine print, would dishonor the award. As
they saw comrades fall to amputated
limbs, blindness and other disabling injuries,
they weren’t going to claim equality
for a scratch or two.
And thousandsmorewho sustained injuries
serious enough to be hospitalized for
days and weeks were patched up and returned
to their battle stations—not asking
for return to stateside after a couple of
months of duty.
The total truth about what happened to
Kerry during his swift boat service probably
never will be known. A few witnesses
say he was heroic and deserved his medals.
Others, who were involved in the same
missions and only yards away from Kerry’s
boat, say his “heroic” war status is undeserved.
What’s important is that the debate is vigorous
and healthy, and those of us who
were not there will have to come to our
own conclusions.
But that’s not the only measure of who
can best serve as commander in chief.
Kerry has a long record of votes on military
issues in theUnited States, and it compares
unfavorably with Bush’s three-year
record as the actual commander in chief—
under fire.
Even to this day, Kerry is demonstrating
that he is unfit for the role.
Earlier this month Kerry pledged to
begin withdrawing American troops from
Iraq within six months of taking office.
Thatmay be sensitive, but it is wrongheaded.
Virtually any military commander
would acknowledge — and many have
these past fewweeks—that it is folly to tell
your enemy when you are going to quit the
fight.
If the insurgents in Iraq knowin November
that president-elect Kerry will begin
disengaging our troops in a few months,
they will simply declare victory and wait it
out. For our enemies in Iraq, there will be
cause for dancing in the streets on Nov. 3.
The confusion over Kerry’s service in
Vietnam is not in itself the basis to judge
his fitness for command in the White
House. But it is an important piece of the
puzzle, and the fact that it is clouded is relevant.
His unwarranted attack on the integrity
of his comrades after returning from Vietnam,
his years of votes in Congress, and
his recent statements about policies toward
Iraq help complete the picture.
By comparison, Bush’s record — as our
real commander in chief—stands in sharp
and distinguished contrast.

Chuck Green is the former editor-in-chief of The
Denver Post and a syndicated columnist in
Colorado. Readers may write him in care of The
Denver Post, 1650 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202 or
e-mail him at chuckgreencolo@msn.com.
_________________
Regards,
Brian

Beware of the lollipop of mediocrity! Lick it once and you'll suck forever.

If guns kill people, then I can blame misspelled words on my pencil.

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