I e-mailed my uncle, who served in Vietnam as part of the Underwater Demolition Team (the “Frogmen”) and swam under those rivers trying to protect Navy boats from mines, about the Swift Boat Veterans controversy. Here’s his response:

It just heightens what we already know about Kerry: He’s a “crumb” as your granddad would say. Bringing attention to the Swift Boat issue only points toward and illuminates Kerry’s postwar position against the war and his association with the Jane Fonda types. It’s interesting that Kerry promotes his war record but not so much the ditching of his medals and anti-war activities.

Is the Swift Boat stuff true? Probably, but in the scheme of things, such as Kerry’s postwar position, his congressional record, his
inability to hold a position, and, of course, the fact that he’s a liberal, Kerry is just not Commander-in-Chief material. Because of free speech — remember the liberals screaming about free speech — the swifties should be able to print what they want. Kerry has the right to sue them. The Dem’s certainly have been using their free speech rights to trash Bush.

This business about 527’s and campaign reform, etc., is bunk. Why does campaigning have to be regulated at all? People can always get around it anyway.

I’m enjoying it all. We should really enjoy the freedoms we have, even the freedom to lie. We also have the freedom to weigh the information and make our own choices. I’m enjoying watching the liberals scurrying around like a disturbed hill of ants.

In Vietnam I saw first-hand those self-promoters such as Kerry. One of them took a rocket through the chest. Others were working the system to get their medals. It was easy to work the system because admin is greatly simplified in a war zone.

One of my customers here was a B-52 pilot. He was shot down over North Vietnam and held prisoner of war at the Hanoi Hilton. He took part in the bombing campaign over Hanoi, Linebacker II. It was at the end of the war and he was not held terribly long. He received 2 purple hearts. He earned his. He said, because of the abuses in Vietnam, people had become limited to 2.

I legitimately wrote up 3 of my men for purple hearts after being sprayed by shrapnel in an ambush in the U Minh (sp.) forest. They were told that they’d be picking shrapnel from under their skin for years to come.

Now, the rancor is because the media and the Dems are giving this lots and lots of attention. If this were a dead horse, the media would beat it into hamburger.