Irony on the rocks with a twist...

Yesterday, I took time out of my Sunday routine to attend an "informational meeting" of the Nevada Veterans for John Kerry organization at the local VFW. All the local news channels were there. As usual, being a Gulf War I vet, I was a minority. I would say that 2/3rds of those in attendance were Vietnam era veterans, with 1/3 of them from either the Korea or WWII eras. All told, there were some 100 people there. Some of them were members of the Democratic party, as well as a Nevada State Senator in attendance.

The information presented was primarily aimed at countering the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (Bush) ad campaign that has been a hot news item for several weeks. I find it ironic that veterans who served together and relied on each other for their very lives would choose to “politicize” who did what and whether or not they deserved medals for their actions. The primary accuser of Kerry states that he saw no small arms fire on the day Kerry claims to have won some of his medals, yet this accuser won a bronze star in the very same engagement...for coming under small arms fire. It seems rather unusual to me that the enemy would target just one swift boat out of many and not the rest of them. The debate over whether or not a person earned medals in combat is one that used to be sacrosanct. One did not question such things. Service in combat was honorable, especially when that service was voluntary. The people who have tried so desperately to discount John Kerry’s war record were not members of Kerry’s crew in fact, they were not even members of John Kerry’s squadron, yet they apparently were there at the same time he was.

Perhaps these Bush supporters feel that Kerry betrayed them by coming back from the war and speaking out against it. I tend to think that Kerry’s experience made him uniquely qualified to comment on that war. I would also like to think that Kerry played some small role in President Nixon’s decision to withdraw us from Vietnam. Whether drafted or volunteer, the men and women who went to Vietnam and did their duty deserve just as much support and thanks as all the men and women who have served our nation honorably, just as those men and women who are serving in Iraq today. For them, there can be no conflict concerning service, duty, and honor. They must be there to do what they were trained to do because their lives, the lives of their comrades, and the spirit of their nation depends upon that level of resolve. For it is the members of our armed forces who are willing to do their duty which provides the rest of us with the luxury of discussing, debating, and protesting whether or not a war is justified.

Perhaps our political leaders blundered in Vietnam. Perhaps we had no business there. I am not going to try to “second-guess” a war, much of which was waged before I was born. I served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm. In this instance, we had broad-based international support to kick the Iraqis back across their own border and liberate Kuwait. We did not press this attack and march into Baghdad. Goals and objectives were set, and then met. Once the operation was over, we withdrew our forces. From the very start, we knew why we were there and what we were doing. There was no need for us to “occupy” the enemy country. There was no desire to oust the “regime” and install our own “puppet government.” There was no misleading the American people with talk of “imminent danger” due to “weapons of mass destruction.” There were simply clearly specified objectives and a rapid outcome.

I do not wish to compare the service records of George W. Bush with that of John Kerry. Both served their country in one capacity or another, however, there is one important difference that I feel I must point out. One of these men has seen combat firsthand, the other has not. If I were serving in Iraq at this very moment, who would I want making the decision as to whether placing me in harm’s way is a sound one? Which one of these men has at least been shot at, and has shot back? Who is more likely to consider the deployment of troops with more care, concern, and compassion? I would want someone who understood what it meant to be in combat, and understood that there is no such thing as “civilized warfare.” I would want someone who considers the use of troops as a “last resort” rather than a “first response.”

We were not there when a young Navy Lieutenant and his swift boat crew did what they did. We have no idea what transpired. We have only the accounts of witnesses who were there. The people closest to John Kerry in those moments seem to confirm a situation in which he acted bravely and without hesitation. The man whose life he saved also states quite clearly that John Kerry acted selflessly and honorably. How is it that people who were right there in the thick of the action can relate one accounting while others who were not can have another?

I believe that these “Swift Boat Veterans for Bush” have made their choice. Perhaps they are counting on besmirching Kerry's war record to cover the fact that George W. Bush doesn't have one. Perhaps some will see this choice as beneficial to some “greater good.” I suspect that many more will see it as a betrayal of brothers-in-arms for nothing more than selfish political gain. Regardless of the outcome, it is a sad day for our nation when veterans "suddenly" decide to degrade and dispute the actions of fellow servicemen years afterwards. We must return to a time when the service of veterans is not questioned, but honored for what it stands for: men and women standing up to be counted when their nation needed them most. Anything less tarnishes the memory of those who gave their lives so we could be free.

The Kerry-Edwards Campaign Website

John Kerry Veteran's Outreach Site

Smear Boat Veterans for Bush

The "swift boat" veterans attacking John Kerry's war record are led by veteran right-wing operatives using the same vicious techniques they used against John McCain four years ago.

Kerry blasts Bush over veterans' ad. Says president allows others to do 'dirty work'


Speak Out about Swift Boat Veterans' Lies

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT) is an organization formed in 2004 by opponents of John Kerry'sU.S. presidential campaign. Their primary projects have been: their website, the book "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry", and television advertisements challenging John Kerry's military record and activism against the Vietnam War.

Shame on the swift boat veterans for Bush

I came to know Lt. John Kerry during the spring of 1969. He and his swift boat crew assisted in inserting our Special Forces team and our Chinese Nung soldiers into operational sites in the Cau Mau Peninsula of South Vietnam. I worked with him on many operations and saw firsthand his leadership, courage and decision-making ability under fire.
On March 13, 1969, John Kerry's courage and leadership saved my life.

The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are not really interested in the truth. If they were, they would be condemning Bush--not Kerry.

TANSTAAFL!