For DU Kerry Fans - Transcript of his 1971 vietnam testimony

I still like the guy. I'm not asking all DU'ers to be Kerry fans - they have a right to really like him and a right to not care. But I'm tired of the Kerry-bashing on this site. So I thought I'd post a bone for those of you who, like me, still have respect and admiration for this man. From Truthout.org, the transcript of Kerry's 1971 testimony. I'm at a loss that we won't have a man of such intelligence and ability as John Kerry for our President.

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"How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/printer_082204F.shtml

Excert:

In 1970 at West Point, Vice President Agnew said "some glamorize the criminal misfits of society while our best men die in Asian rice paddies to preserve the freedom which most of those misfits abuse," and this was used as a rallying point for our effort in Vietnam.

But for us,as boys in Asia whom the country was supposed to support, his statement is a terrible distortion from Which we can only draw a very deep sense of revulsion. Hence the anger of some of the men who are here in Washington today. It is a distortion because we in no way consider ourselves the best men of this country, because those he calls misfits were standing up for us in a way that nobody else in this country dared' to, because so many of us who have died would have returned to this country to join the misfits in their efforts to ask for an immediate withdrawal from South Vietnam, because so many of those best men have returned as quadraplegics and amputees, and they lie forgotten in Veterans' Administration hospitals in this country which fly the flag which so many have chosen as their own personal symbol. And we cannot consider ourselves America's best men when we are ashamed of and hated what we were called on to do in Southeast Asia.

In our opinion, and from our experience, there is nothing in South Vietnam, nothing which could happen that realistically threatens the United States of America. And to attempt to justify the loss of one American life in Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos by linking such loss to the preservation of freedom, which those misfits supposedly abuse is to us the height of criminal hypocrisy, and it is that kind of hypocrisy which we feel has torn this country apart.

<snip>

We found most people didn't even know the difference between communism and democracy. They only wanted to work in rice paddies without helicopters strafing them and bombs with napalm burning their villages and tearing their country apart. They wanted everything to do with the war, particularly with this foreign presence of the United States of America, to leave them alone in peace, and they practiced the art of survival by siding With whichever military force was present at a particular time, be it Vietcong, North Vietnamese, or American.

We found also that all too often American men were dying in those rice paddies for want of support from their allies. We saw first hand how money from American taxes was used for a corrupt dictatorial regime. We saw that many people in this country had a one-sided idea of who was kept free by our flag, as blacks provided the highest percentage of casualties. We saw Vietnam ravaged equally by American bombs as well as by search and destroy missions, as well as by Vietcong terrorism, and yet we listened while this country tried to blame all of the havoc on'the Vietcong.

We rationalized destroying villages in order to save them. We saw Ammerica lose her sense of morality as she accepted very coolly a My Lai and refused to give up the image of American soldiers who hand out chocolate bars and chewing gum.

We learned the meaning of free fire zones, shooting anything that moves, and we watched while America placed a cheapness on the lives of orientals.

We watched the U.S. falsification of body counts, in fact the glorification of body counts. We listened while month after month we were told the back of the enemy was about to break. We fought using weapons against "oriental human beings," with quotation marks around that. We fought using weapons against those people which I do not believe this country would dream of using were we fighting in the European theater, or let us say a non-third-world people theater, and so we watched while men charged up hills because a general said that hill has to be taken, and after losing one platoon or two platoons they marched away to leave the high ground for the reoccupation by the North Vietnamese because we watched pride allow the most unimportant of battles to be blown into extravaganzas, because we couldn't lose, and we couldn't retreat, and because it didn't matter how many American bodies were lost to prove that point. And so there were Hamburger Hills and Khe Sanhs and Hill 881's and Fire Base 6's and so many others.

it says something that after everything we know about that war that it was considered a negative for Kerry to have come out against it while Bush who supported it was not held accountable.

He was so brave and passionate. :loveya: Where is that John Kerry?

That would require him to admit a mistake.

that use to be admirable when people did it for the RIGHT reasons. such as civil rights.

but it seems people think being consistent is a positive thing even when it comes to things that are not only wrong, but have proven to be based on lies .

yeah, the iraq war may have been based on lies, and it's a mess, but at least bush is consistent about it. sadly that's what it has come to.

"You can be certain and wrong."

but you have to be a donor. i will donate for you and when you get the yellow star next to your name you will be able to post in the du groups forums.

I will donate, but I'm a college student and still living mostly off my parents' money and while they're not against me posting on political sites, they don't like to spend on the internet - when I get a job later and have my own money in my checking account, then I'll definitely donate.

depending on how things go on here.

the Kerry campaign to have Kerry read this testimony when the Swiftliars were doing their stuff.

And I begged them to have Kerry read the speech he gave to the Senate before his IWR vote and then read what Bush said to Congress in his Causis Belli and to the UN, and then DARE Bush to say who had flip flopped.

And I begged John Kerry to pick Wes Clark.

If he had done even one of the three I believe he would be the President elect and everyone would admit it.


DU er originally known as KERRYFAN.

Edwards was cool, but I liked the general in the primaries.

and a nice PM you sent me very soon after I joined DU. :hi:

I agree -- any of your three ideas would have gone a long way. The contrast between Kerry and the Chimp is *huge.* It still boggles my mind that anybody could have chosen the cowardly cheerleading spoiled brat over such a smart, compassionate, experienced, insightful American hero. :(

And I know because I have been crying right along with the rest of you. I can't even bring myself to hang out at the Kerry forum yet.
After seeing Kerry with Clark in February I was so sure it would be the two of them and I knew they would be headed for the top. I was about 3 feet from them when the picture in my avatar was taken.

Oh, well, we must get back on track and I'm sure I will soon. Thanks for your kind words. I remember you too, Sparkly. :)

I bookmarked it as well. I saw it on air in 1971.

I saw it in 1971 and just now printed it out. I need to keep it so that, some day when I am gone, someone will know that it was something that meant a lot to me.

The one thing that impressed me the most about him was the video of his 1971 testimony. My favorite part was when one of the Senators asked him,
Senator: "Did you receive the purple heart?"
Kerry: "Yes"
Senator: "And how many wreaths are on it?"
Kerry: "Two" (for each additional award)
Senator: "Did you receive the silver star and the bronze star?" Kerry: "Yes"
Senator: "No futher questions"

The best part was that the Senator's final comment was a loud dramatic statement that's underlying tone stated: "I have complete respect for you, John Kerry". The statement was greeted with rousing applause from the gallery. That was a priceless moment. I'm surprised it wasn't used during the campaign.

When you think what those despicable Swiftliars did with Kerry's appearance before the Senate committee it is incomprehensible that someone didn't see how Kerry could have turned that boat around. Why didn't they listen to us ?

PETE, I begged you ! Don't know if he is still here on DU. I guess there was nothing he could do about it.