🚀 go-pugleaf

Serve or not to serve???

Posted By: Mark Stephenson subject=Serve or not to serve???>
Date: Sunday, 26 September 2004, at 8:05 p.m.

  Nothing I have read in the past few months during this pitiful debate on
service in Vietnam more forcefully articulates the absurdity of where this
criticism is coming from, and how cold, calculated and, yes, shrewd it
really is!

  This could be the last election where military service in Vietnam has any
political currency. But just for the record, it's worth noting who really
served among the heavyweights in each of the major political parties. There
are some surprises here.

  Recognizing who served:

  Democrats
  Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
  David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
  Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
  Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army
  journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
  Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
  Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-'47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
  John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V
  Purple Hearts.
  John Edwards: did not serve.
  Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
  Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.
  Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-1953.
  Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
  Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
  Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII, receiving the Bronze Star and seven
  campaign ribbons.
  Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, and
  Soldier's Medal.
  Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and
  Legion of Merit.
  Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
  Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star
  with Combat V.
  Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
  Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
  Chuck Robb: Vietnam
  Howell Heflin: Silver Star
  George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.
  Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but
  received 311.
  Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
  Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
  John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
  Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul
  Wallenberg.
  Wesley Clark: U.S. Army, 1966-2000, West Point, Vietnam, Purple Heart,
  Silver Star. Retired 4-star general.
  John Dingell: WWII vet
  John Conyers: Army 1950-57, Korea

  Republicans
  Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
  Tom Delay: did not serve.
  House Whip Roy Blunt: did not serve.
  Bill Frist: did not serve.
  Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
  George Pataki: did not serve.
  Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
  Rick Santorum: did not serve.
  Trent Lott: did not serve.
  Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
  John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
  Jeb Bush: did not serve.
  Karl Rove: did not serve.
  Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Max
  Cleland's patriotism.
  Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
  Vin Weber: did not serve.
  Richard Perle: did not serve.
  Douglas Feith: did not serve.
  Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
  Richard Shelby: did not serve.
  Jon Kyl: did not serve.
  Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
  Christopher Cox: did not serve.
  Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
  Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as aviator and flight instructor.
  George W. Bush: six-year Nat'l Guard commitment (in four).
  Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making
  movies.
  Gerald Ford: Navy, WWII
  Phil Gramm: did not serve.
  John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and
  Distinguished Flying Cross.
  Bob Dole: an honorable veteran.
  Chuck Hagel: two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, Vietnam.
  Duke Cunningham: nominated for Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Silver Stars,
  Air Medals, Purple Hearts.
  Jeff Sessions: Army Reserves, 1973-1986
  JC Watts: did not serve.
  Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
  G.H.W. Bush: Pilot in WWII. Shot down by the Japanese.
  Tom Ridge: Bronze Star for Valor in Vietnam.
  Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
  Clarence Thomas: did not serve

  Pundits & Preachers
  Sean Hannity: did not serve.
  Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
  Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
  Michael Savage: did not serve.
  George Will: did not serve.
  Chris Matthews: did not serve.
  Paul Gigot: did not serve.
  Bill Bennett: did not serve.
  Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
  Bill Kristol: did not serve.
  Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
  Michael Medved: did not serve.


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