Dear Mr. Kerry

McGentrix said: Really Piffka, it's not like he was a grunt with his face in the mud. He was in the navy...on a boat...tanning and drinking I'll bet. Are there any actual witnesses to his heroism? I also heard that he put in his own papers for his last purple heart, you know the one that got his butt out of Vietnam?

Why did he leave anyways? I guess he just couldn't hack the puttering around in his sail boat all day.

He was in the navy...on a boat...tanning and drinking I'll bet. Are there any actual witnesses to his heroism? I also heard that he put in his own papers for his last purple heart, you know the one that got his butt out of Vietnam?

Why did he leave anyways? I guess he just couldn't hack the puttering around in his sail boat all day.

As the skipper of a small Navy "swift boat" that typically carried five or six sailors, Kerry went beyond the usual orders that called for flushing out the enemy. He would often order the boat to charge the shore, and at one point he chased down and killed a Viet Cong who had pointed a weapon at the craft. But after six months of dangerous duty on the waterways of South Vietnam, Kerry decided it was time to leave. He had received a Silver Star and a Bronze Star, as well as three Purple Hearts, all for relatively minor wounds, only one of which kept him out of action for a day or two. Naval regulations enabled someone with three Purple Hearts to leave early, and Kerry decided he had seen enough. One of his closest friends, Richard Pershing, the grandson of famed World War I general John Joseph Pershing, had been killed in combat, and Kerry had become disillusioned with the war.

-The Boston Globe, 1/18/2004

Suck on that, McG.

BPB, didn't the polls once show Dean with an unsurmountable lead? Just goes to show you that the polls mean nothing until the voting begins.

BPB, didn't the polls once show Dean with an unsurmountable lead?

The amazing thing about it Heywood, is that I replied to your post without one attack on you or your posting style. Yet you seem to be unable to extend the same courtesy. When you can refute my post, do so.

Really Piffka, it's not like he was a grunt with his face in the mud. He was in the navy...on a boat...tanning and drinking I'll bet. Are there any actual witnesses to his heroism? I also heard that he put in his own papers for his last purple heart, you know the one that got his butt out of Vietnam?
Why did he leave anyways? I guess he just couldn't hack the puttering around in his sail boat all day.

Kerry was "...on a boat...tanning and drinking I'll bet"

I also heard that he put in his own papers for his last purple heart, you know the one that got his butt out of Vietnam?

Why did he leave anyways? I guess he just couldn't hack the puttering around in his sail boat all day.

So, let me understand this...he risked not only his life, but also the lives of his crew charging a boat onto shore to give chase to a Vietnamese who may or may not have AIMED his gun at the boat?

Surely they could have with stood small arms fire

or maybe retaliated with any number of bullets from the twin 50's mounted on the bow.

It seems to me that continuously putting your crew in harms way and endangering your boat by running it ashore really shouldn't qualify one for a medal. More likely a kick in the butt would have done more good.

Anyone know how many crew members he lost performing these stunts?

Then, he bacame "disillusioned" and sad so he quit the war?!

You can do that?! I'll bet there were quite a few other soldiers in Vietnam who were disillusioned and sad but stuck out there tours...?

McGentrix wrote:

The amazing thing about it Heywood, is that I replied to your post without one attack on you or your posting style. Yet you seem to be unable to extend the same courtesy. When you can refute my post, do so.

**Sigh** Ok, McGentrix. I don't know why you want me to break down your arguments like this (Its just going to make you look bad), but if that's what you want... [/b]

First, you say this:

McGentrix wrote:

Really Piffka, it's not like he was a grunt with his face in the mud. He was in the navy...on a boat...tanning and drinking I'll bet. Are there any actual witnesses to his heroism? I also heard that he put in his own papers for his last purple heart, you know the one that got his butt out of Vietnam?
Why did he leave anyways? I guess he just couldn't hack the puttering around in his sail boat all day.

That initial post was really a series of wise-ass kind of comments that don't say anything at all, just kind of bashing Kerry. I'll take it apart, piece by piece so you can understand it fully.

McGentrix wrote:

Kerry was "...on a boat...tanning and drinking I'll bet"

No basis for that argument. Nothing relevant to back it up. You don't know what the f*ck he was doing on the boat. I can just as easily say: "McGentrix...posting on A2K...in front of his computer...rubbing mayonnase all over his body I'll bet". Do I have any right to say that? No. Do I have anything to back that up? No. Do you get my point? I hope so.

McGentrix wrote:

I also heard that he put in his own papers for his last purple heart, you know the one that got his butt out of Vietnam?

Really? You "heard" that? Well, I "heard" that Sean Hannity likes to stuff cherries up his ass. What...you didn't hear about that? I hope you see where I'm going with this point. I'm saying that once again, your making baseless claims. When you have something substantial to back that up, something like...oh, say... FACTS or PROOF, then go ahead and say it. Otherwise, your just planting bullsh*t ideas in people's heads.

McGentrix wrote:

Why did he leave anyways? I guess he just couldn't hack the puttering around in his sail boat all day.

Man, I'm REALLY trying not to rip you a new assh*le over THAT comment. "Puttering around" on a "sail boat" all day? Kerry's actions on his navy boat were above and beyond what was expected of a soldier. So quickly, you just make the assumption that he's just floating around, having a grand old time, doing nothing, when a LITTLE SIMPLE RESEARCH would have cleared you up to that point. You, who (supposedly) has so much respect for our soldiers today, talking sh*t about someone who served his duty when he was called to. You should be ashamed.

Still with me? I hope so...

Ok, so I answered your first post, with a demonstration of Kerry's valor, reported in a reputable newspaper (I can do a lexis search for more, but that was sufficient for my point), basically destrying your previous comments.
What do you do? Acknowledge your mistake? Say how you misunderstood Kerry's actions in Vietnam? NO!!! Instead, you come at me with this b*llshit, trying to paint Kerry as some insane soldier, who was a liability to the rest of his unit:

McGentrix wrote:

So, let me understand this...he risked not only his life, but also the lives of his crew charging a boat onto shore to give chase to a Vietnamese who may or may not have AIMED his gun at the boat?

Oh my God! Kerry actually risked his life in a time of war in chasing down an enemy? How wreckless of him! Come on, dude. Wake the f*ck up.
And I like how you inserted "to give chase to a Vietnamese who may or may not have aimed his gun".

FIRST, the article clearly said it was a VIET CONG. Not a "Vietnamese".
SECOND, the article clearly said he POINTED A WEAPON. Not "may or may not have pointed a weapon.
Your starting to reek of desparation, dude. Changing a directly quoted news article to slant the view in your favor is pretty damn pathetic.

McGentrix wrote:

Surely they could have with stood small arms fire

Listen to yourself. Your advocating soldiers to sit back and take fire from the enemy. And did anyone say anything that the weapon that was pointed at them was "small arms"? No. It just says "a weapon". Once again your adding to the article. We have no clue what was pointed at the ship. I can only imagine the comments that would be coming from the conservatives today if instead of going after the enemy Kerry told the soldiers "No, guys...were not going to attack...I'm sure this boat can take some fire!" You'd be foaming at the mouth with rage.

mcGentrix wrote:

or maybe retaliated with any number of bullets from the twin 50's mounted on the bow.

Do you know the status of their .50 cal gun was? or the terrain where the enemy was? Or how much ammo they had or may have needed to conserve? You haven't a clue what your talking about.

McGentrix wrote:

It seems to me that continuously putting your crew in harms way and endangering your boat by running it ashore really shouldn't qualify one for a medal. More likely a kick in the butt would have done more good.

"continuously putting your crew in harms way"???? He was doing his f*cking job- Killing Victor Charlie. Not only that, but he was doing it with gusto, apparently. Hence his medals.

McGentrix wrote:

Anyone know how many crew members he lost performing these stunts?

Beats me. But I think it would be safe to say that if he lost crewmembers due to "stunts", it would be all over the place. I haven't seen anything of that nature yet, so your guess is as good as mine. Could have been none, could have been alot.

McGentrix wrote:

Then, he bacame "disillusioned" and sad so he quit the war?!

See, comments like this make me wonder about your mental competence. The article I posted explicitly stated: "Naval regulations enabled someone with three Purple Hearts to leave early". Kerry qualified for that category. Did you read that part of the article? Or did your "Conservative glasses" filter that part out for you?

Naval regulations enabled someone with three Purple Hearts to leave early, and Kerry decided he had seen enough. One of his closest friends, Richard Pershing, the grandson of famed World War I general John Joseph Pershing, had been killed in combat, and Kerry had become disillusioned with the war.

McGentrix wrote:

You can do that?! I'll bet there were quite a few other soldiers in Vietnam who were disillusioned and sad but stuck out there tours...?

Point one: The article never said "and sad"... another one of your attempts to cheapen the article. That being said-
Kerry lost one of his closest friends to combat, and he was disillusioned over the war. Sounds reasonable to me.

As for the other soldiers...yes, I'm sure they were upset too. They also would have been able to come home early if they earned three purple hearts of their own. Now shut the f*ck up.

I am far too young to have served in Vietnam, but I could tell you about my dad...He was serving over there when I was born.