Difference between revisions of "John Kerry"
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| − | '''John Forbes Kerry''' (b. December 11, 1943) | + | '''John Forbes Kerry''' (b. December 11, 1943) is the junior United States Senator from [[Massachusetts]] where he has been the most liberal Democratic member of Congress since 1984. In 2004, he ran an unsuccessful bid for the [[United States of America|United States]] [[President of the United States of America|presidency]] as the [[Democratic Party]]'s nominee, losing to [[Republican Party|Republican]] incumbent president [[George W. Bush]]. Kerry is currently the Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. |
| − | + | As a U.S. Navy officer Kerry briefly spent time in Vietnam. His service in Vietnam lasted 4 months and 12 days, beginning in November 1968 when he reported to Cam Ranh Bay for a month of training. His abbreviated combat tour ended shortly after he requested a transfer out of Vietnam on March 17, 1969, citing Navy instruction 1300.39 permitting personnel with three Purple Hearts to request reassignment. | |
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| − | [ | + | John Kerry was the only Swift sailor ever to leave Vietnam without completing the standard one-year tour of duty, other than those who were seriously wounded or killed. Kerry went to unusual lengths to obtain the Purple Heart after being turned down by his own commanding officer. |
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| + | Kerry belonged to Vietnam Veterans Against the War ([[VVAW]]), where he attacked the American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines in Vietnam. | ||
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| + | Controversially referring to US servicemen in Vietnam as having been sent "''to die for the biggest nothing in history''," Kerry alleged that the military had "''created a monster''" in the form of violence-prone American soldiers, and recounted that soldiers had personally recollected stories of having "''personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads''," of Vietnamese citizens and rampaging across Vietnam "''[razing] villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan''". That these acts were "not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command." | ||
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| + | On NBC's ''Meet The Press'' in 1971, Kerry was asked whether he had personally committed atrocities in Vietnam. He responded: | ||
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| + | :"''There are all kinds of atrocities, and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed in that I took part in shootings in free fire zones. I conducted harassment and interdiction fire. I used 50 calibre machine guns, which we were granted and ordered to use, which were our only weapon against people. I took part in search and destroy missions, in the burning of villages. All of this is contrary to the laws of warfare, all of this is contrary to the Geneva Conventions and all of this is ordered as a matter of written established policy by the government of the United States from the top down. And I believe that the men who designed these, the men who designed the free fire zone, the men who ordered us, the men who signed off the air raid strike areas, I think these men, by the letter of the law, the same letter of the law that tried Lieutenant Calley, are war criminals.''" | ||
[[Category:Biographies]] | [[Category:Biographies]] | ||
[[Category:Politics]] | [[Category:Politics]] | ||
Revision as of 22:13, March 17, 2007
John Forbes Kerry (b. December 11, 1943) is the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts where he has been the most liberal Democratic member of Congress since 1984. In 2004, he ran an unsuccessful bid for the United States presidency as the Democratic Party's nominee, losing to Republican incumbent president George W. Bush. Kerry is currently the Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
As a U.S. Navy officer Kerry briefly spent time in Vietnam. His service in Vietnam lasted 4 months and 12 days, beginning in November 1968 when he reported to Cam Ranh Bay for a month of training. His abbreviated combat tour ended shortly after he requested a transfer out of Vietnam on March 17, 1969, citing Navy instruction 1300.39 permitting personnel with three Purple Hearts to request reassignment.
John Kerry was the only Swift sailor ever to leave Vietnam without completing the standard one-year tour of duty, other than those who were seriously wounded or killed. Kerry went to unusual lengths to obtain the Purple Heart after being turned down by his own commanding officer.
Kerry belonged to Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), where he attacked the American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines in Vietnam.
Controversially referring to US servicemen in Vietnam as having been sent "to die for the biggest nothing in history," Kerry alleged that the military had "created a monster" in the form of violence-prone American soldiers, and recounted that soldiers had personally recollected stories of having "personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads," of Vietnamese citizens and rampaging across Vietnam "[razing] villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan". That these acts were "not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command."
On NBC's Meet The Press in 1971, Kerry was asked whether he had personally committed atrocities in Vietnam. He responded:
- "There are all kinds of atrocities, and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed in that I took part in shootings in free fire zones. I conducted harassment and interdiction fire. I used 50 calibre machine guns, which we were granted and ordered to use, which were our only weapon against people. I took part in search and destroy missions, in the burning of villages. All of this is contrary to the laws of warfare, all of this is contrary to the Geneva Conventions and all of this is ordered as a matter of written established policy by the government of the United States from the top down. And I believe that the men who designed these, the men who designed the free fire zone, the men who ordered us, the men who signed off the air raid strike areas, I think these men, by the letter of the law, the same letter of the law that tried Lieutenant Calley, are war criminals."
