Senator John Kerry (Personal opinion)

[stpauler]

Yeah…so I get a response from my step-dad.
Heh.

the open minded individual that I’m I did go to the
link and read Mr. Kerry’s testimony and have come to this
conclusion. Since Mr. Kerry did not personally witness any of
the actions mentioned in his testimony first hand
,everything he presented is hearsay. Mr. Kerry attributes those
accounts as related to him from people named “They”. Who are
“They”? Since Mr.Kerry does not name, names and sight
specific events that he or “They” say happend,Mr. Kerry tarnishes
all Vietnam soldiers that were going through a living
hell. The military was doing what there country asked them to
do. Every soldier from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff down to lowest PFC. were under orders form civilian
government administrations, i.e., Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon(
Nixon DID bring them home ) to do a job. The job did not
include the things that Mr. Kerry says happened. As the open
minded person that I believe you are, you also need to be
exposed to actual first hand accounts from individuals that
do identify themselves. Mr. Kerry’s testimony never did
sight any of the good things the military did for the
Vietnamese civilian population , but then again ,that would be
looking at both sides of a given issue and we certainly can’t
have any of that. Only moderates ,conservatives and
right-wingers are accountable for having to look at both sides of
an issue while Liberals, Socialists, and Left-wingers get a
pass. Hum, something wrong with that picture.

I first reminded him that the purposes behind the Winter Soldier weren’t a military fuckfest but to find truth behind some of the atrocities that happened in Viet Nam, so don’t go looking for praise in this instance. As for the “they” he kept referring to, I was able to find this website which gives the full transcript of what happened and the testimony from some of the marines. It’s really, really sad to read some of it so I’ll put it in spoiler text:

[spoiler]CRAIG. My name is Stephen Craig. I’m 23 years old. I entered the service about two weeks after graduation in 1965. I entered the service after high school in 1965. Went to Vietnam in 1966 to serve with Second Battalion, 5th Marine and served there from September '66 to September '67. When I got out of the service I worked as a laborer. My testimony basically covers the maltreatment of prisoners, the suspects actually, and a convoy running down an old woman with no reason at all–no provocation or anything. And bounties were put on our own men in our own companies if they were inadequate in the field. And they were either disposed of, or wounded, or something to this effect just to make sure they were taken away. I was a Pfc. in the service.

MODERATOR. We’re going to allow everybody to speak first and after that the press will be allowed to ask questions.

SACHS. My name is Rusty Sachs. I entered the Marine Corps in 1964 after working as a news broadcaster for a network radio station. I was a helicopter pilot. I came out as a Captain. I was in Vietnam with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 362 as a medivac pilot from August of '66 to September of '67 and my testimony concerns the leveling of villages for no valid reason, throwing Viet Cong suspects from the aircraft after binding and gagging them with copper wire, and racism in the assignment of priorities to medical evacuations where white people were given priority over nonwhite people.

CAMILE. My name is Scott Camile. I was a Sgt. attached to Charley 1/1. I was a forward observer in Vietnam. I went in right after high school and I’m a student now. My testimony involves burning of villages with civilians in them, the cutting off of ears, cutting off of heads, torturing of prisoners, calling in of artillery on villages for games, corpsmen killing wounded prisoners, napalm dropped on villages, women being raped, women and children being massacred, CS gas used on people, animals slaughtered, Chieu Hoi passes rejected and the people holding them shot, bodies shoved out of helicopters, tear-gassing people for fun and running civilian vehicles off the road.

CAMPBELL. My name is Kenneth J. Campbell. I’m 21. I’m a Philadelphia resident. I was a Corporal in the Marine Corps. I was an FO, Forward Artillery Scout Observer. I FO’d for Bravo Company, First Battalion, First Marine Regiment, First Marine Division. I was in Vietnam from February of '68 to March of '69. I went straight into the Marine Corps from high school and I am now a student at Temple University in Philadelphia. My testimony will consist of eyewitnessing and participating in the calling in of artillery on undefended villages, mutilation of bodies, killing of civilians, mistreatment of civilians, mistreatment of prisoners and indiscriminate use of artillery, harassment and interdiction fire.

SIMPSON. My name is Chris Simpson. Age 21; of New York. I was a Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps from '66 to '70. I was in Vietnam from '67 to '68. I’ll be talking about maltreating of prisoners, destruction of villages, crops and animals. I was attached to Echo Company, Second Battalion, 5th Marines.[/spoiler]

[mack]

From Don Bendell’s bio on his website:

In May, 1968, as a Green Beret first lieutenant, Don joined the 5th Special Forces Group in South Vietnam where he was assigned to an A-Team, A-242, living at Dak Pek with the Montagnards (aboriginal-type warriors who lived in Vietnam’s mountainous Central Highlands). The Montagnards made him a brigadier in their secret movement called the FULRO. Don was also in charge of the Top Secert Phoenix Program for that immediate area of operations.

Does he mean this Phoenix Program?

Vietnam, 65-72 During Nixon’s first 2 1/2 years, state department officially admits that the CIA-run Phoenix Program murdered or abducted 35,708 VNese civilians, 4,836 more than the pentagon claimed the NLF had assassinated or kidnapped during the same period, and a monthly increase over the 200 killed by the CIA every month under johnson. Senator Gravel edition, (1971). Pentagon Papers v 300.

cite
From the OP:

But we did not just kill people, we built a church, a school, treated illnesses, passed out soap, food, and clothing, and had fun and loving interaction with the indigenous people of Vietnam

We all gave away our candy bars and rations to kids.

But for political expediency, John Kerry has rewritten history, again.

With all due respect, who’s the one rewriting history here?

[mic84]

With all due respect, who’s the one rewriting history here?

Well, he’s not rewriting history, exactly. From “we did not just kill people” it appears that that was the primary occupation, and he’s not denying that. I do wonder whether my hunch about the meaning of the rather cryptic “had fun and loving interaction” is correct.

[Earthling]

From Don Bendell’s quoted passage:

But we did not just kill people, we built a church, a school, treated illnesses, passed out soap, food, and clothing, and had fun and loving interaction with the indigenous people of Vietnam,

If I may indulge in a bit of selective reading here, I’ve checked a couple of sources, and I am reasonably sure that the majority religion in Vietnam is (or was, before the Communists took over) Buddhism. According to Britannica GeoAnalyzer (needs paid log-in, so no linky), it’s 2/3 Buddhist and < 9% Christian. I’m sure the locals appreciated the church…

And maybe I’m just hypersensitive, but “indigenous people” sure sounds condescending.

[Desmostylus]

@mack

Does he mean this Phoenix Program?

He most certainly does:

Don Bendell Speaks About Writing

Bendell’s first book under his own name, a non-fiction account entitled Crossbow, was based on his experience in Vietnam as an advisor to the Montagnards, or “mountain people,” an ethnic group distinct from other Vietnamese. He was assigned to an A-Team living at Dak Pek with the Montagnards in the highlands of Central Vietnam. Bendell led the secret Operation Phoenix program, which sought to assassinate Viet Cong leaders, for the immediate area of operations. For a year, Bendell risked his life many times, coming close to losing it. He was forced to eat whatever was available including monkey, rats, maggots, snakes, grubs, bats and the like. Eventually illness forced him to be evacuated to Tokyo.

“sought to assassinate Viet Cong leaders” being CIA speak for torturing and killing civilians.

[Desmostylus]

What happened, Logic? A bit too tough for you to defend?

<sound of crickets chirping>

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

Methinks illogic is at a standstill.