SwiftVets.com

Wynne · Lieutenant Joined: 19 Sep 2004 Posts: 228

A letter to the Editor in today's Raleigh News and Observer from Col. Jack Donovan says the very opposite of what Navy Chief has worked so hard to expose: Kerry's despicable act of sacrificing thousands of POWs to forward his political career. The letter was written in response to an op ed piece by a widow of a guy John Kerry met in Viet Nam. She praised Kerry for phoning her husband when he was ill and taking time out of his busy campaign schedule to come to her husband's memorial service. His office also helped her get her widow's veteran's benefits. I doubt anybody would ever respond to her sad story by awakening her to the fact that Kerry did what he did for a photo op.

When I read Col. Donovan's letter today I thought of all the work Navy Chief has done to expose Kerry's despicable acts, sacrificing thousands of POWs to forward his political career.

Chief, is there any way you would write a letter or an op ed piece for this newspaper about your experience?

http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/story/1715851p-7974504c.html

Kerry's good work

Susan Carroll Whitcomb's Oct. 7 Point of View article "Kerry went the extra mile" brings to light very important traits of Sen. John Kerry: caring, compassion and commitment. While serving as the first commander of Detachment 2, Joint Task Force Full Accounting in Hanoi in 1992, I worked closely with the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA.
Kerry was the co-chair of that bipartisan committee, and he led with distinction despite a variety of antagonists. He received very unfair press coverage from the Boston-area news media that repeatedly attacked him as self-serving in his role on the committee. I can attest that was certainly not the case whatsoever. He endured excruciating schedules, attacks on his loyalties and patriotism by fellow Americans and seemingly insurmountable barricades from the Vietnamese government. He steadfastly endured all the challenges for the common good, which was finding answers for the families of those still unaccounted for from the war in Vietnam.

He knew I was originally from Massachusetts, still had family there but was not a constituent of his. Regardless, he once asked me if there's anyone back home he could call and tell them I was all right, as he understood the deplorable living and working conditions we experienced.
I told him my brother was a Massachusetts State Trooper, serving as an instructor at the academy and that it would mean a lot if he could call him. After an exhausting journey from Southeast Asia back to Boston, Kerry took the time and initiative to track my brother down and speak with him about my well-being. He didn't have to do that. That single event meant more to my brother than words can express.

Kerry is a genuine leader in all aspects of the word; he worked tenaciously within his committee, with his Republican co-chair Sen. John McCain, with the family members of those unaccounted for and with the government of Vietnam to resolve over 2,000 cases of Americans who did not return from war. The American people need to know this.

Jack Donovan
Col., U.S. Army (Ret.)
Durham

*********************
N&O letters may be addressed to forum@newsobserver.com

or to the Executive Editor, Melanie Sill msill@newsobserver.com
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TRUTH IS ALWAYS THE VICTOR

Anker-Klanker · Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2004 4:22 pm Post subject:

Amen to that. This could be just coincidence, but this smells very much like a preemptive strike. Any chance Col. Donaldson (or one of his Kerry associates) has been reading what Navy Chief has been disclosing here?

Hammer2 · PO2 Joined: 30 Aug 2004 Posts: 387 Location: Texas

I was thinking this Col. Donovan was the same guy that runs this website:

http://www.miafacts.org/index.htm

I was wrong, its Joe Schlatter, but you can understand from looking at his site what the other side claims on the POW-MIA issue.

NavyChief, do you know anything about this Col. Schlatter or Col. Donovan? It would seem from what Schlatter says is his resume that you would have worked with him, or at least known of him, ditto for Donovan.
Let us know.
Tim
_________________
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilence" - Thomas Jefferson
"An armed society is a polite society" - Thomas Jefferson
"The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it won't be needed until someone tries to take it away." -- Thomas Jefferson

2ndamendsis · PO3 Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 288 Location: NJ

Something's wrong here! Was this guy a POW? Why was he living in deplorable conditions?

Wynne · Lieutenant Joined: 19 Sep 2004 Posts: 228

A quick Google search for 'Col. Jack Donovan' just turned this up:

http://www.namebase.org/sources/YP.html

I don't know the significance. I'm a complete novice at this... I think maybe it means Donovan's name appears in their book? I haven't read this book. First time I've heard of it is when it turned up in this search.
_________________
TRUTH IS ALWAYS THE VICTOR

NavyChief

ord33 · Rear Admiral Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 670 Location: Ohio

Thanks for all your incredible work Chief. Looks like you've been awful busy after retirement too! Very Happy

Geano · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 4:40 pm Post subject:

What about this:

JOINT TASK FORCE FULL ACCOUNTING
DETACHMENT 2, HANOI, VIETNAM

FAX MESSAGE

DATE: 28 April 1993
TOTAL PAGES INCLUDING COVER SHEET): 14
FROM: DET 2, JTF-FA, HANOI, SRV
OFFICE PHONE: 84-42-33709
FAX NUMBER: 84-42-33628
TO: HQ JTF-FA, CAMP SMITH, III 96861
ATTN: J2 (CDR HAYS)D//J223 (LT [XXXX])
OFFICE PHONE: (808) 4774041
FAX NUMBER: (808) 477-5501
~~msg body http://www.pownetwork.org/ohist/042893.htm ~~
JOHN V. DONOVAN
LTC, USA
COMMANDER