John Kerry's Two Bogus Purple Hearts and the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth Controversy

[whitehall]

Really now. Do a fast search for "stolen valor"

Most of them were republicans.

Now, stop wasting my time with your nonsense.

I have the book. Stolen valor was a crime until democrats appealed it. I'm not suggesting that every medal presented to members of the Military be reviewed, just the politicians (mostly democrat) who benefit from bogus claims and self recommended awards.

 

[whitehall]

John Kerry is an American hero

Something few Republicans can claim

Actually you have the word "claim" in the wrong place. Kerry "claims" to be an American hero and the mainstream media that never saw a democrat they didn't like, goes along with it without question. Note: self inflicted wounds are not eligible for a Purple Heart. A Silver Star for killing an unarmed V.C.? Most Soldiers would find themselves in the stockade.

 

[whitehall]

I'm not trying to deflect focus on the initial post because it it is genuine. We didn't use the term RINO at the time but alleged republican General MacArthur was awarded perhaps the shortest MOH citation in the book after he abandoned (under orders) his Troops in the Philippines.

 

[Vrenn]

I'm not trying to deflect focus on the initial post because it it is genuine. We didn't use the term RINO at the time but alleged republican General MacArthur was awarded perhaps the shortest MOH citation in the book after he abandoned (under orders) his Troops in the Philippines.

When you just get through defending lies, what makes you so sure that anyone will believe you if you present something else as true.

From what I can see is that book is to sell books, nothing more. Some of it is the truth while others parts are just made up.

 

[whitehall]

When you just get through defending lies, what makes you so sure that anyone will believe you if you present something else as true.

From what I can see is that book is to sell books, nothing more. Some of it is the truth while others parts are just made up.

I'm not defending lies. I'm posting an argument against lies.

 

[Vrenn]

I'm not defending lies. I'm posting an argument against lies.

You posted supporting a book that has a huge amount of lies in it. Let's face it, life in SEA was boring 99.5 percent of the time. The problem if one wrote a full book about it, that book would be just a few paragraphs. And at least one of those paragraphs is based on fantasy.

 

[mikegriffith1]

You are trying to remake history again.

No, I'm not. You just haven't done your homework.

Been there, done that. Our Nickle Pilots reached that level very quickly. And they didn't have a choice. It got so bad for Nickle Pilots that they were trying to use cargo and bomber pilots to replace them.
BTW, the majority of the Hanoi Hilton Officers were nickel pilots. And they weren't offered a choice. Get 3 Purples, receive either a Bronze or a greater award and be offered a desk job in the states. Or they could elect to be discharged. They weren't offered the plan to keep flying.

Look, Kerry admitted that he could have stayed. Even Kulik, who defends Kerry's Purple Hearts, admits that Kerry could have stayed in Vietnam.

I'll take your word that pilots with three Purple Hearts had to leave Vietnam, but Kerry was not a pilot.

And, on a side note, I think you're referring to the "Triple Nickel" pilots. They were so named because they belonged to the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

I only am aware of one person that claimed to have received 5 purple hearts with no higher awards. And he claimed to continue to be a Green Beret Lt. Col.. He was an Internet Hero that was operating fake valor. He disappeared right after that became a felony. If everyone that claimed to be a 101st really was, well, you should get the idea.

Whatever. But, again, Kerry admitted he could have stayed in Vietnam after his third Purple Heart.

 

[Mushroom]

And how many wounds did the MAGA cult's saviour sustain in fighting for his country? Whether the wounds were superficial or not, Kerry deserves them far more than Trump would.

How about we then ask about the wounds of Joe Biden?

You know, the college football player that got a deferment for asthma?

And you know about the saying about stones and glass houses, right? The big difference is that many of us do not have BDS, so do not feel this burning need to bring him up for every little thing. Very unlike those with TDS.

 

[whitehall]

You posted supporting a book that has a huge amount of lies in it. Let's face it, life in SEA was boring 99.5 percent of the time. The problem if one wrote a full book about it, that book would be just a few paragraphs. And at least one of those paragraphs is based on fantasy.

What book? You mean "Stolen Valor"? I said I read it, I didn't say I support it. The point is that Senator Kerry recommended himself for awards that he obviously didn't deserve and the media ignored it because Kerry is a democrat politician. Kerry claims he got a grenade splinter in his ass after he threw it at a sack of rice. A Heart is not authorized for a self inflicted wound.

 

[Vrenn]

No, I'm not. You just haven't done your homework.


Look, Kerry admitted that he could have stayed. Even Kulik, who defends Kerry's Purple Hearts, admits that Kerry could have stayed in Vietnam.

I'll take your word that pilots with three Purple Hearts had to leave Vietnam, but Kerry was not a pilot.

And, on a side note, I think you're referring to the "Triple Nickel" pilots. They were so named because they belonged to the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron.



Whatever. But, again, Kerry admitted he could have stayed in Vietnam after his third Purple Heart.

Yah, rewriting history is your strongest point. Have as nice day.

 

[mikegriffith1]

Yah, rewriting history is your strongest point. Have a nice day.

You're the one trying to rewrite history. Are you denying that Kerry himself freely admitted he could have stayed in Vietnam after his Third Purple heart? Again, even Kulik admits this undeniable fact. It's a matter of record.

Michael1985 said:
And how many wounds did the MAGA cult's saviour sustain in fighting for his country?

Oh, sheesh. How did Trump get dragged into this discussion? Do you check under your bed every night to make sure Trump isn't there? You people are deranged when it comes to Trump.

I mean, if you want to talk about politicians who avoided or dodged going to Vietnam, the list includes plenty of Democrats too, e.g., Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders (applied for conscientious objector status, which enabled him to age out of the draft while his CO application was pending), Dennis Kucinich, Howard Dean, etc., etc.

And just so we're clear: Kerry only joined the Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army and because he never thought he would see combat as a Navy officer. He did not know that the Navy's mission would change after he arrived in Vietnam, and he frequently complained about it, whining that he did not sign up for duty that involved combat.

He managed to get himself shipped out of Vietnam after just four months by amazingly getting three Purple Hearts in 11 weeks.

Whether the wounds were superficial or not, Kerry deserves them far more than Trump would.

Nobody deserves a Purple Heart for a bruised arm and for a tiny cut that was so minor it didn't need a single stitch but just a band-aid.

 

[DGS49]

A true anecdote, if I may.

When I was in Vietnam, I worked in an office in Danang. No dodging bullets or anything, the city was quite secure and our duty was working 12-hour days in Personnel, finance and such, in an air-condition office for 6-1/2 days a week. On Sunday afternoons if we could get our hands on a vehicle, we would sometimes go to China Beach,which was actually a beach. The trip took us over a bridge that was protected by RVN army soldiers who walked across and made sure no one was trying to blow up the bridge, or whatever.

When these soldiers got bored, sometimes they would shoot at fish in the water. But there was a tiny problem with that, we learned. If the angle into the water was too shallow, the bullet would skim off the water and could actually hurt someone. So a group of us were coming back to our barracks from the beach one day, crowded into an open-top jeep, and wearing only our bathing suits. Riding along, we heard Ed Bisson, riding in the back say "Ouch" or something like that followed by a "clink" sound.

What had happened was, Ed was struck by an M16 bullet that had been fired from the bridge (about half a mile away). It didn't even break the skin, but he had a red welt where it struck him, and of course he had the spent bullet as a souvenier.

When we got back to the barracks, Ed said that he was going to go out to the Medevac hospital to have his wound looked at. We thought he was being silly, but...who cares? Upon returning he told us he was going to get a Purple Heart. We laughed it off.

Fast forward two months. Ed gets a newspaper clipping from his hometown with the following headline, "Local Boy wounded in Attack outside Danang!"

He got his purple heart.

 

[mikegriffith1]

A true anecdote, if I may.

When I was in Vietnam, I worked in an office in Danang. No dodging bullets or anything, the city was quite secure and our duty was working 12-hour days in Personnel, finance and such, in an air-condition office for 6-1/2 days a week. On Sunday afternoons if we could get our hands on a vehicle, we would sometimes go to China Beach,which was actually a beach. The trip took us over a bridge that was protected by RVN army soldiers who walked across and made sure no one was trying to blow up the bridge, or whatever.

When these soldiers got bored, sometimes they would shoot at fish in the water. But there was a tiny problem with that, we learned. If the angle into the water was too shallow, the bullet would skim off the water and could actually hurt someone. So a group of us were coming back to our barracks from the beach one day, crowded into an open-top jeep, and wearing only our bathing suits. Riding along, we heard Ed Bisson, riding in the back say "Ouch" or something like that followed by a "clink" sound.

What had happened was, Ed was struck by an M16 bullet that had been fired from the bridge (about half a mile away). It didn't even break the skin, but he had a red welt where it struck him, and of course he had the spent bullet as a souvenier.

When we got back to the barracks, Ed said that he was going to go out to the Medevac hospital to have his wound looked at. We thought he was being silly, but...who cares? Upon returning he told us he was going to get a Purple Heart. We laughed it off.

Fast forward two months. Ed gets a newspaper clipping from his hometown with the following headline, "Local Boy wounded in Attack outside Danang!"

He got his purple heart.

Very good stuff. A good example of the fact that some commands in Vietnam--not all, but some--handed out medals like candy. Of course, you had the same thing happen at times in WWII and in Korea. It varied by chain of command.

You hit the nail on the head when you noted that you and the other guys thought Ed was being silly for going to the medevac hospital to get his welt treated. Most soldiers would not have bothered seeking medical attention for a welt, much less think they deserved a Purple Heart for it.

Thanks for sharing.