April 26, 2004

John Kerry's Medals -- It's Just This Simple

Around and about the media and the blogsphere John Kerry's Vietnam war medals and their final disposition are a gigantic "Squawking Point ™" today. Asked by Gibson on Good Morning America:

GIBSON: Can you explain?
Answer:
KERRY: Absolutely.
And Kerry goes on to be anything but absolute about anything. This is typical but it doesn't harm him as far as the hero issue is concerned by any stretch of the imagination.

Still, since the media mind is more and more given over to imagination these days we can count, we will have several news cycles of this particular stretch until their off on the next thing that comes swirling into the realm of "The Politics of the Next Five Minutes" (™ 2004 -- Roger L. Simon)

At the risk of stating the obvious (which many others seem to have missed), this issue is not whether or not Kerry is a war hero who later became less than a hero by doing this, that, or the other with his or other's medals.

John Kerry is a war hero by virtue of the deeds he performed in order to be awarded his medals. It's the deeds that count and only the deeds in determining heroism. The medals don't count and what is done with the medals doesn't count. Once you get them, they're your medals. You can, as many have, sell them or pawn them. They are your property. You'd think the staunch conservatives calling for "Bloooood!" on this basis would have understood that much.

The deeds make the hero. And, from everything I've read about his decorations, the deeds were real and honorable.

Hence, regardless of whether or not the medals were kept, tossed, or melted down to make a large bling-bling peace symbol for John F. Kerry to wear as a erring, he remains a War Hero.

The question of whether or not John F. Kerry is a Political Coward is a different issue. On that he will have to run on his political record just as he runs on his war record.

Posted by Vanderleun at April 26, 2004 11:52 AM
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

I agree. This is like a tempest in a tea pot, as far as I'm concerned, though I am not surprised that this has arisen. Issues of character tend to be played down, normally, but Kerry keeps digging himself deeper with every flipfloppery.

Posted by: Jeremiah at April 26, 2004 12:54 PM

It's not the act of tossing, it's his past and current statements regarding the act.

I never tossed them.

I tossed someone else's.

I tossed my ribbons but kept my medals.

What I appear to have said on tape at the time is not what I really said.

Settle down, John! Pick a story and stick to it!

Posted by: Philip at April 26, 2004 2:36 PM

All will be judged at the last judgment, John Kerry's money will not help him.

Posted by: A Vet at August 14, 2004 6:08 PM

It's never just that simple ...

In the 70's wearing your ribbons or medals was an invitation to be spit on, yelled at or worse. In fact simply wearing a uniform could easily get you labeled "baby killer" ... Any veteran who served honorably (i.e. without committing beheadings, village burnings, etc ...) would never "throw those medals" back at the White House. Medals = Hero ? Medals do not make a man (or woman) heroic. Actions do, and those actions need to be consistant over time. You would not be labeled a good husband in 2004 if you were faithful in 1969 but cheated on your wife in 1971.

Yes, some would say that his Senate testimony was "Heroic". Lets be clear, when you sit in front of the Senate and repeat atrocity testimony that you don't not know to be true, YOU ARE NOT BEING HEROIC !!!
Of course maybe at that time Kerry thought it was true, but then why when FBI and Military criminal investigators tried to track down those atrocities not a single one of the 150 VVAW vets that "testified" at the Winter Soldier conference were will to give dates, units or locations. NOT ONE !!!

Historically, the fact is that not one of the atrocities Kerry relayed (remember he was relaying specific atrocities told to him by VVAW members) has ever been documented as fact.

Yes atrocities occurred, but no one can show the specific ones Kerry was talking about actually occurred.

Posted by: Jeff at August 31, 2004 9:04 AM