badbobusnret Seaman Recruit
Joined: 28 Aug 2004 Posts: 42 Location: Patuxent River
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Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 1:31 am Post subject: 6 Sep Army Times advertisement by wounded vet |
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This gentleman felt so strongly about Kerry that he paid for a full page
ad in the Sept 6th Edition of the Army Times:
By Dexter Lehtinen, an Army paratrooper and Ranger, severely wounded in 1971while a reconnaissance platoon leader in Vietnam. He later
graduated first in his class from Stanford Law School and later served
as a Florida State Senator and the United States’ Attorney in Miami.
Here is his Full Page Advertisement:
"John Kerry & Vietnam ..........THE WOUNDS THAT NEVER HEAL
In 1971, I awakened after three days of unconsciousness aboard a
hospital ship off the coast of Vietnam. I could not see, my jaws were
wired shut, and my left cheekbone was missing, a gaping hole in its
place.
Later, while still in that condition at St Albans Naval Hospital, one of
my earliest recollections was hearing of John Kerry’s testimony before
Congress. I remember lying there, in disbelief, as I learned how Kerry
told the world that I served in an Army reminiscent of Genghis Khan’s;
that officers like me routinely let their men plunder villages and rape
villagers at will; that "war crimes" committed in Vietnam by my fellow
soldiers "were not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a
day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of
command."
Then Kerry went to Paris, meeting with the North Vietnamese enemy
officials, all while our soldiers still fought in the field. The pain
and disbelief I felt listening to his words went deeper than the pain I
felt from the enemy fire which seriously wounded my face.
Eighteen months later I was discharged from the hospital, the wounds
inflicted by the enemy fully healed. But more than 30 years later, the
wounds inflicted by John Kerry continue to bring pain to scores of
Vietnam veterans. Those wounds--the bearing of false witness against me
and a generation of courageous young Americans who fought and died in
Vietnam--are much more serious than any wound warranting a Purple Heart
Those wounds go to the heart and soul. Those wounds never go away.
Today, my son is a Marine Corps weapons officer, flying the F/A 18
Hornet. He belongs to the same Marine Corps Kerry ridiculed with his
1971 book cover showing protestors simulating the Iwo Jima Memorial,
raising an upside-down American flag. He flies the same F/A 18 fighter
jet that Kerry voted against in the U.S. Senate. And today, Kerry’s
picture hangs in an honored place in Saigon’s war museum, as a hero to
the Vietnamese Communists.
Yet, John Kerry shamelessly drapes himself in the imagery of Vietnam,
military service and the support of veteran’s devoid of any media
scrutiny. Meanwhile, the criticism and disapproval of Kerry by scores
of veterans continues to fall on deaf ears. Worse yet, any legitimate
criticism of Kerry’s post-war record is discredited as a "personal"
attack or an attack against his service.
John Kerry is quick to surround himself with a handful of veterans and
claims overwhelming support from the veteran community. He ignores,
however, the wounds he inflicted on millions of veterans, and he refuses
to sign a waiver to release his military personal records and medical
records. This is the portrait of a man who has failed to comes to terms
with his treacherous past.
I, Dexter Lehtinen, paid for this ad personally, without any connection
to other individuals or groups, because I want the public to know what
John Kerry did to our Vietnam veterans.
Dexter Lehtinen
7700 S.W. 88th St., Ste. 303 Miami, FL 33156
Join the rally on Sunday, September 12th to Expose John Kerry’s Lies
About Vietnam Vets. Hear from Vietnam Vets, POWs, B.G. Burkett (author
of Stolen Valor), and others. 2:00 pm, Senate side of the Capitol,
Washington D.C." |
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