Latest Commentary: The Democrats Choice, John Kerry The Hypocrite

Posted Tuesday 10 February 2004 at 16:00 EST

     John Kerry makes me sick, and I'm going to tell you why.

   I was born in 1962, and grew up during the height of the Viet Nam War. I remember as
a child knowing the war was going on, and thinking our country existed in a perpetual 
state of war. I was never frightened of it, never thought it would come to our country, 
nor thought I would be called to serve in it. The war was just "there". As I got older,
I remember the anti-war protests, Walter Cronkite's casualty report, and the news 
footage of the ground pounders in action. I remember staying at my grandparent's house
near Westover A.F.B., and the non-stop flights of B-52's going right over the house,
rattling the windows. It never bothered me, and I always ran to the window to watch them.

   When I got to be twelve or thirteen, I thought hippies were the coolest dudes around,
not fully understanding the hippy, anti-war, anti-establishment culture. I just remember 
thinking how laid back and cool they seemed, yet never thinking ill of our soldiers as 
they did. In fact, not until a few years later did I learn how our servicemen were treated
when they returned, and how the war protesters portrayed the servicemen doing their duty.
That's when my opinion of the hippy culture started to turn away from wanting to emulate 
them. My mom got us kids each a P.O.W. bracelet, and I had a pin (still have it) that is 
an upside down smiley face that says, "POW's Never Have A Nice Day!" I wish I still had 
the bracelet, but when the war ended in 1975, all us kids from school hung them on a maple
tree by the library in the center of town in a ceremony I vaguely remember. The war was 
over and faded from memory.

    Fast forward to December 1981, when I enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves. Looking back,
I wish I served as my brother did on full active duty, but I was employed full time, had a
steady girlfriend, etc....stupid! What's really funny, was in the 1980 election I voted for
Jimmy Carter, since we (young, first time voting knuckleheads) were convinced Ronald Reagan
would put the U.S. right into WWIII! How naive was that? Here I am one year later enlisting
in the military. I was assigned to the 173d Medical Group, stationed at Westover A.F.B., in
the S-3 Commo section. Because we were a "in the rear with the gear" headquarters unit, 
coordinating the EVAC and Field Hospitals, most of the unit were paper pushers, except for 
Commo, the Motor Pool, and Supply. We got to do all the good stuff, perimeter security, drive
the trucks, do the lighting and electricity, communications, camp set up, etc. It turns out
that most of the Officers, and the NCO's, were Viet Nam Veterans, finishing out their 20
years for retirement. Some of the names I remember are SSG Joe Oullette, SFC Billy Constant,
SFC Gomez, MSG Eugene Van Horn, Major Joe Nietupski, Colonel J. Robert Galvin, Major William 
Dinsmore, Captain Darrell Mertens and I can picture others in my mind but can't recall names.
We had a full bird Colonel Nurse (she was an older woman pushing 60), as well as a CWO who 
was also up there in age. It never occurred to me to ever ask any of them of their experiences
in Viet Nam. During my time in the service, all that took place militarily was the invasion
of Grenada, and the terrible ending of the Marines being stationed in Beirut.

    After being Honorably Discharged in January 1987, I started to discover that I was 
surrounded by Viet Nam Veterans, many of who saw combat and the other bad things that happen in
war. No one spoke about it unless asked, and even then it was told in vague generalizations.
I associate today with a few Viet Nam Vets, namely Lawrence Cooper (USMC), Carmine Margiotta
(1st Cav), and John Del Bene (1st Cav). To me these guys typify the hero. I don't know what
medals they may have been awarded, and they don't brag. I've overheard a few stories, but I don't
allow my curiosity to make me ask for more. I watch enough History Channel to satisfy that.
This is why John Kerry makes me wretch, and why when it comes down to it, he will turn out
to be un-electable. When he came home from Viet Nam, he joined the anti-war protesters, 
chucked "his" medals over the fence at The Capitol, and used his senate career for the 
past nineteen years to cut the military, and to try and deny our military the tools and 
technology to be the greatest military in the world. Now he is surrounding himself with Viet
Nam Vets, wrapping himself in the flag, and trying to portray himself as a great war hero. 
True heroes don't promote themselves, others do, and while I don't deny Mr. Kerry is a hero
who earned his Purple Hearts and Silver Stars, denegrating others to promote yourself is 
wrong. Most of us who served in the National Guard and Reserves may not have ever been called
up to active duty, but some have, and they paid the ultimate price (almost 6,000 in Viet Nam).
They are no less heroes than those who went straight to Southeast Asia right from boot camp.

   So, Mr. Kerry, you are a HYPOCRITE! You came home hating your service and your country. I'm
sorry the politicians wouldn't let the military win the war in Viet Nam. That it dragged on
longer than necessary because of the politics involved. Now you are again using politics and 
that war to try and further your political career. President george W. Bush has an honorable
record to run on from the Texas and Alabama National Guard, and an honorable record as our
Commander In Chief in the War On Terror. What is your record? Pitiful, certainly not Presidential!

NOTE: After writing this I was so steamed, I made a $200.00 donation (I wish it could've been 
the full $2,000.00) to Bush-Cheney 2004. 


                           I suggest you do the same!


Written, edited, and produced by David LaPorte on 02-10-04. Permission is hereby
granted for this commentary to be freely reproduced, printed, and distributed, 
unedited and in it's entirety, with full credit given to the author.