Me#1You#10
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Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 6503
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 Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 5:14 pm Post subject: "SwiftBoat veterans, POW denounce Kerry war record" |
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Dick Pees, Ken Cordier and Steve Gardner have hit the campaign trail in Ohio. Congrats guys and thanks for your dedicated effort!
| Quote: | Swift Boat veterans, POW denounce Kerry war record
By Mark Hansel
Cinninnati Post staff reporter
October 19, 2004
A group that included Swift Boat veterans and a former prisoner of war Monday brought to Cincinnati its denunciation of Sen. John Kerry's war record in Vietnam and his postwar claims of American atrocities there.
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and POWs for Truth members said Kerry exaggerated claims of atrocities and lied about his actions during his Vietnam service.
"There have been atrocities in every conflict since the Civil War," said Dick Pees, of Ada, Ohio. "Kerry made it seem as though they were commonplace in Vietnam when, in fact, they were vary rare."
Pees, 60, said he served in the same area as Kerry for about a month in 1969.
He said claims made by Kerry and others that soldiers were "baby killers" harmed the war effort and contributed to the backlash some soldiers faced when they returned home.
"No soldiers in any war before or since have been treated the way Vietnam veterans were and it was because of people like John Kerry and the way they portrayed our soldiers," Pees said.
Ken Cordier, a prisoner of war for more than six years in Vietnam, said Kerry's statements to Congress "left us out to dry."
"After (President Lyndon) Johnson stopped bombing North Vietnam, things didn't get better, they got worse," said Cordier, 67, of Minneapolis. "They tortured us and made us sign statements admitting to atrocities and then they wanted to try us for war crimes."
Steve Gardner, a swift boat veteran from Port Clinton, Ohio, who said he served with Kerry for several months, called him a "liar and a traitor." He accused Kerry of lying to avoid a military inquiry that could have led to a court martial.
Others who served with Kerry tell a very different story, describing him as a brave and caring leader. He was awarded a Bronze Star with Combat V, a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts.
Cordier said he does not question Kerry's patriotism, but maintains the candidate does not have the character to be president.
"A person's character is measured by everything they have said and done up to today," he said. "John Kerry has not changed, he lacks the moral fiber to be president."
He cited Kerry's recent congressional votes, which he said were inconsistent and not supportive of U.S. troops.
The Cinninnati Post |
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