SwiftVets.com

[Patriotic Mom]

Kerry and the MSM repeat ad nauseum that we have no right to question the senator's war record, ant-war activism, or senate record for two decades because he volunteered to go to Vietnam and Bush didn't.

I mean this has become their platform--"vote for me because you have no right to question my "patriotism"!

Can the Swifties do an ad regarding the fact that his royal highness volunteered for the Naval RESERVES and not the Navy?

It would be quite advantageous to do so before Kerry attempts once again to use his questionable service throughout 3 presidential debates to yell at the president to stop questioning his record and patriotism, as Kerry has done for years in my state of Massachusetts whenever the going gets rough. If you do so, perhaps, just perhaps, some of the media will check the FACTS!

Keep the Faith Swifties!
Proud American and High School Teacher

[buffman]

I am getting so sick of this crap "I volunteered". We need to let people know he had several deferments, had the one to study in Paris turned down and then joined the reserves to keep from going to war, then gets called up, then volunteers for easy duty on a swiftboat, that is, before their mission changes. He di nothing of the sort, his hand was forced every time by fate.
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Never Ever Give Up
America First

[curtis]

After that attack on Cheney for getting deferrments, it seems pretty fair to point out that Kerry tried to do the same thing. Does Kerry think that no one is ever going to bring up that fact? He better avoid any real journalists, if there are any left, until the election is over.


Curtis

[You GottaBeKidding]

I'd love to see a script/commercial of Kerry's statements (like "I volunteered.") alternating with "Not exactly." and the explanations (deferment[s], Naval Reserve, to the swift boats when he thought they were safe, etc.)

[carpro]

Along that same line...How many deferrments did Kerry actually get while he was in college before he was finally turned down?

I don't remember how the deferrment process worked. He says Cheney had 5. Did you have to get one EACH year of college or was one good for the whole term?

Anybody?
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"If he believes his 1971 indictment of his country and his fellow veterans was true, then he couldn't possibly be proud of his Vietnam service."

[Tony]

I wouldn't make too much of the reserve part of this (the deferment he tried to get is a bigger deal). Many Naval Officers today are in the Reserves and only some augment to the regular Navy. It used to have a lot to do with commissioning source, with only USNA grads getting regular commissions and everyone else getting reserve commissions (I believe everyone gets reserve commissions now).
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http://tonyk.smugmug.com/photos/1822816-L-1.jpg
USN 1983-1992

[air_vet]

[Mooncusser]

Kerry has not volunteered for anything.

When I was in the army '64...'66, you volunteered by filing a form-1049 (request for transfer).

If he volunteered for Vietnam he should have this form in his records.
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MACV '64...65
Thu Thua, Long An

I actually won the election before I lost it.

"It is a good day to fight! It is a good day to die! Strong hearts, brave hearts to the front! Weak hearts and cowards to the rear!" (Crazy Horse)

[carpro]

[redneckvet]

I wonder what Clinton thinks of Kerry's outrage about deferments. It seems to me that he had a few also.
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"Full Tour Grunt"

[Daniel J. Hutchison]

Deferments:

The draft of the 1960’s and 70’s was managed by the thousands of local draft boards; “your friends and neighbors” that would send you “greetings” from time to time. The status, or even the concept, of deferments is often misunderstood, as every local board had some latitude to use the guidelines from the Selective Service when issuing “deferments” or when drafting individuals from their community. The Selective Service demand for draftees and the specific guidelines for deferments changed over time and included: age, student status, marriage status, dependent children, occupation, medical condition, and other considerations. The individuals in Vice Presidents Cheney’s age group had a very different “draft” than those of the slightly younger Senator Kerry, President Bush or Senator Edwards. I haven’t researched the Casper, Wyoming draft board records; however I would expect to find for Vice President Cheney: (1) student deferment, (2) graduate school deferment, (3) married deferment, (4) dependent children deferment, and (5) age deferment. I also have not researched the Boston, Massachusetts draft board records; however I would expect to find for Senator Kerry (1) student deferment (2) denial of a graduate school deferment a (3) occupation (service member) deferment and an (4) ex-service member deferment.

Once your status changed you were required to notify the local draft board and they would change your draft status. Schools and the military were also required to notify the local draft board when an individual’s status changed (not in school, or discharged from the military). In order to research the draft of the Viet Nam war one would have to research both the Selective Service records and those of each local draft board.

My best memory of the draft board in Boulder, Colorado occurred in 1969. I had been discharged from the army, upon the completion of flight school, to accept an appointment as a reserve warrant officer (on active duty). While home on leave, with orders to Viet Nam, I received a rather nasty letter from the draft board concerning the heavy penalties for failing to register with the draft board following my discharge from the army. I will never forget the look on their faces when my father (a World War II marine) suggested, as only a marine can! they take a more “civil” approach.

[air_vet]

Daniel,

I do know that (at least for MY draft board) critical skills deferments were issued just one year at a time (because I had 2 of them before I entered the AF). Student deferments went on a year to year basis as well.

[jrsdad]

Daniel -

This stimulates my memory a bit. I don't recall ever filling out any deferment as such, but I remember going down to the draft board and filling out a form and marking that I was a student. At that point in 1973 they were not drafting people for VN. I don't recall filling out any paperwork other than that one time.

[rmeals]

There was another way to avoid having to register with Selective Service during the Vietnam War era...you could do what I did - enter the military at age 17. No Selective Service hassles. Come to think of it, since Kerry was so fired up and patriotic his entire life (certainly he wouldn't lie about this) why didn't he rush down to his recruiter's office as soone as he was old enough to do so or if he was fired up about being an officer apply to ROTC or one of the military academies?
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fighting steel

[shadowy]

What bugs me is that Kerry knows perfectly well that he had 4 deferrments and asked for a fifth the whole time he's making out that Cheney's are some kind of disgrace. He apparently doesn't think we'll find out. He thinks we're stoooopid or somethin'.
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It's downright brilliant the way he's reserving his devastating intellect to spring it on us at exactly the right moment.