Sorry, I can’t give you a trustworthy source for that at this time.
On tonight's interview with Michelle Malkin
One of my jobs and Hardball is to cut through to the truth.
Tonight on Hardball one of our guests pushed the idea that John Kerry had won his Purple Heart by deliberately shooting himself.
This charge [I found] to be without merit and baseless, as our guest under close questioning herself admitted.
We'll keep covering the political issues and will 'stand up' against any attempt to broadcast disinformation.
That's the most disgusting bit of wasted time I've ever spent, it's even worse then trying to wade through a limbaugh transcript. gaw, it's faulty as well.
Unintentional self-inflicted does not mean "shot himself" in this case.wasteofo2 said:Ok, so, when has anyone in the Kerry campaign said that he shot himself?
What I don't understand is why this surprises him? What idiot made this the centerpiece of his campaign?kat said:Kerry made his bed way back in the 70's, what a surprise that he may now end up having to sleep in it.
russ_watters said:What I don't understand is why this surprises him? What idiot made this the centerpiece of his campaign?
Did you watch any of the DNC? The slogan may as well have been 'Kerry, war hero, for President.'selfAdjoint said:He didn't. The SBV attacks tried to make it the centerpiece.
You do? This article is only 6 days old. I might have expected something like this two months ago (this is the reason why he made it the centerpiece of his campaign), but last week? Does he still not see? Anyway, the story says:“Any time there's a debate about Vietnam, we win,” Kerry spokesman David Wade contends.
And that's the way I see it as well: they made this an issue because of the usual perception that Dems are weak on defense and didn't anticipate the backlash (because, quite frankly, Dems don't understand defense).John Kerry assumed his record of heroism in Vietnam would help him avoid the soft-on-defense attacks often leveled against Democrats who want to be commander in chief. He was right — but he didn't anticipate that supporters of President Bush would seize on that same record to call him “unfit for command.”
From Kerry's own http://www.johnkerry.com/about/john_kerry/ , roughly half of his biography is about his service in Vietnam. That part is about twice as long as the section on his service in public office.After Kerry's July convention, which featured constant references to his military service[emphasis added], a CBS poll found him tied with Bush among veterans. CBS released a new poll Thursday that showed him trailing Bush 55%-37% among veterans.
A primary claim against Mr. Kerry by the Swift Boat Veterans is that Mr. Kerry's first Purple Heart — awarded for action on Dec. 2, 1968 — did not involve the enemy and that Mr. Kerry's wounds that day were unintentionally self-inflicted.
They charge that in the confusion involving unarmed, fleeing Viet Cong, Mr. Kerry fired a grenade, which detonated nearby and splattered his arm with hot metal.
Mr. Kerry has claimed that he faced his "first intense combat" that day, returned fire, and received his "first combat related injury."
A journal entry Mr. Kerry wrote Dec. 11, however, raises questions about what really happened nine days earlier.
"A cocky feeling of invincibility accompanied us up the Long Tau shipping channel because we hadn't been shot at yet, and Americans at war who haven't been shot at are allowed to be cocky," wrote Mr. Kerry, according the book "Tour of Duty" by friendly biographer Douglas Brinkley.
If enemy fire was not involved in that or any other incident, according to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, no medal should be awarded.
"The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy," according to the organization chartered by Congress. According to regulations set by the Department of Defense, an enemy must be involved to warrant a Purple Heart.
Elliott was not available for comment Sunday, but in an interview with USA TODAY earlier this year, he said that while he strongly disagreed with Kerry's anti-war activities, "I don't know how anyone would have taken the risks he took in combat just for the glory of running for office."
• Adrian Lonsdale, who in 1996 called Kerry "among the finest of those swift boat drivers." He says he changed his mind after reading Brinkley's book. Lonsdale, who outranked Kerry, recalls meeting him only once at an officers club. "The only thing I remember is he whined a lot about the lack of air support," he said.
• Charles Plumly, a retired Navy captain who was Hoffmann's chief of staff. He says Kerry "required a lot of supervision" and "did things without permission." Asked in an interview for examples, he said, "I can't give you exact specifics."
• Van O'Dell and Jack Chenoweth, who are among those who say Kerry lied about an incident on March 13, 1969, for which he received a Bronze Star and a third Purple Heart. Kerry was cited for pulling Army Special Forces Lt. Jim Rassmann from a river during a firefight, despite an arm injury. O'Dell says there was no enemy fire and Kerry "fled the scene." Chenoweth says that Kerry's arm was not bleeding and that the official reports were "completely different than" what he saw.
Rassmann has dismissed such accounts as "pure fabrication." Del Sandusky, Kerry's boat driver, says, "I saw the gun flashes in the jungle, and I saw the bullets skipping across the water," adding that the contrary accounts are "part of the Republican slime machine."
• Louis Letson, a doctor who says he treated Kerry. He says Kerry didn't deserve his first Purple Heart because he "inadvertently wounded himself" and "there was no hostile fire." Medical records, however, note that Kerry was treated for shrapnel by J.C. Carreon, not Letson. Bill Zaladonis, who was on Kerry's boat at the time, says the men believed they were shooting at Viet Cong.
FactCheck.org, a non-partisan group that monitors political ads, says Letson's story is "based on hearsay, and disputed hearsay at that." It concludes, "There is reason to doubt" the Swift Boat Veterans' ad because of its funding and because of the discrepancies in memory between Kerry's defenders and attackers.
Well...I think when you start argueing against the person instead of the content it's a good sign that you don't have a strong argument. The greatest evidence that I've seen has always been Kerry's own contradicting statements enjoined by the contradicting statements of those he's brought forth to argue for him..it doesn't take much critical thinking to see that there is a problem.Dissident Dan said:kat, you really seem to swallow with eagerness anything that is anti-kerry. A little critical thinking goes a long way. The fact that you trust the sbvft is evidence of this.
A Purple Heart is a military decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who have been wounded or killed in action. It is a symbol of bravery and sacrifice.
Yes, John Kerry received a Purple Heart for an accidental injury during his service in the Vietnam War. He was awarded three Purple Hearts in total.
John Kerry's accidental injury occurred when he was aboard a swift boat and a grenade exploded nearby, causing shrapnel wounds to his arm.
Some have questioned the legitimacy of John Kerry's Purple Hearts, claiming that his injuries were not severe enough to warrant the award. However, all of Kerry's Purple Hearts were officially approved by his commanding officers and the Navy.
John Kerry was awarded three Purple Hearts during his service in the Vietnam War, in addition to other military decorations for his bravery and service.