Good article on Kerry and Georgia veterans.

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/clips/news_2004_0420b.html


Kerry lends a sympathetic ear to veterans
Democratic presidential candidate hopes to blunt criticism of his positions on defense.

April 20, 2004

Savannah Morning News



Walter C. Jones
Atlanta, GA


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Squires said she's not worried about being tied to Kerry's uphill race in Georgia, where Bush won heavily in 2000 and continues a wide margin of support.

"The greatest concern that I have is about National Guard and Reserve troops," she said. "We train for international conflicts but not for deployments over long periods of time."

Last week, Kerry reacted to Bush's televised press conference by blasting the president for answering nearly every question with a reference to the war on terrorism. Republicans immediately contacted reporters to use that as evidence that Kerry is soft on defense.

But Vietnam veteran Timothy Jones of Atlanta — an officer in the Georgia Department of the Military Order of the Purple Heart — said Kerry does have the credibility to comment on national-defense matters, just as he did as a young veteran who spoke openly against the Vietnam War.

"He earned the right to bring the conditions of the Vietnam War to the public," Jones said. "Through his efforts, a lot of lives were saved. I don't see it as unpatriotic."