Here’s my general take: with all due respect to the Swift Boat VfT, I think the fact that a man wears the uniform of his country into a combat zone is admirable, period. I further think that when a man is awarded a Bronze Star and a Silver Star, and these awards go unquestioned for years, someone seeking to undermine the validity of those awards bears a heavy burden. I don’t say it’s impossible, but I do think it’s an uphill climb, and the VfT have not, in my view, come close to shouldering that burden.
Mr. Kerry is a war hero. I don’t much like his approach to the war after his return to this country, but, damnit, a guy who put his ass on the line in Indochina is certainly entitled to voice a contrary opinion after the fact. I also don’t much like Mr. Kerry’s subsequent Senate record, but that has nothing to do with the fact that the man did time in-country, earned ribbons, and deserves praise and honor for that fact.
- Rick