An old band of brothers

[Mass]

Nice story.

<http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/03/an_old_band_of_brothers/>
An old band of brothers
By Adrian Walker


For Fred Short, Saturday marked 14,610 days since his life was saved by Navy Lieutenant John F. Kerry.

"I always count the days," Short said. "I wouldn't be here, except for John."

The episode has become a critical piece of Kerry's biography, for good and ill. On Feb. 28, 1969, as his six-man crew was being ambushed, Kerry led the retaliation.

Viet Cong forces retreated under a barrage of fire, and Kerry shot and killed an enemy soldier who was carrying a loaded rocket launcher.

On the 40th anniversary of the ambush, four of Kerry's men called to thank him. It was a conference call. Kerry had been told he would be speaking to a group of Massachusetts reporters about the proposed stimulus package.

"This is a total shock," Kerry said when he came on the line. "This is really a surprise. This is an unbelievable bunch of guys."

Kerry was awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day, which was far from the end of it. In his presidential campaign, he was accused of distorting his record. And he has been criticized over the years for filming the attack, seemingly attempting to preserve a record of his heroism.

His men are acutely aware of the controversy that has followed this attack. "It's a big day because of all the hoopla that's been made about it," said Del Sandusky. In the 2004 campaign in particular, Kerry's actions were endlessly debated. You probably remember the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. So do Kerry's men.

"People chose to listen to a bunch of liars instead of listening to the people who were there," growled Del Sandusky.

Kerry has made a point of maintaining ties to his crew, occasionally recruiting the men for campaign events. But he said he had no idea about the anniversary. "I had completely forgotten," he said.

In many ways, the conversation was like any gathering of men in late middle age, with jokes about knee and hip replacements, and other maladies of middle-age. But their bond to one another, and to Kerry, was obvious.

Kerry told them he has been getting their e-mails, and had just returned from a trip to the Middle East. Inevitably, the conversation turned to the current war - the only time in the discussion that Kerry sounded like a senator instead of a war buddy.

He talked about the size of the force that will remain in Iraq, noting that it might be smaller than the 50,000 troops that have been reported.

"I looked at the photograph the other day that was taken when we got our medals," he said. "Del is standing around looking like a superior guy to everybody."

They talked about arranging a real reunion, with Kerry suggesting they should travel to Vietnam together.
..."

[beachmom]

1. The whole "film reenactment" stuff is off base.

First of all, LOTS of people made films while at war, exponentially moreso now due to cell phone cameras and video recorders. Secondly, the majority of Kerry's old movies from Vietnam do NOT have him in it. Out of the hours of film he made in Vietnam, he is only on screen for a few minutes TOTAL. I am not going to dig up the Daily Howler posts, but he rightly skewers the Globe on this point. And yet they continue to print it.

Anyway, nice that those guys are still keeping in touch, which no doubt is hard when one of your buddies is so fantastically busy the way Kerry is.

[karynnj]

3. Here it is strange

that the author goes a step further - suggesting the attack itself was filmed. That is just crazy. The small bits of Kerry filmed were completely without any violence or heroics. The type of footage his family likely valued seeing of him.

[karynnj]

2. How cool that they surprised him with that call

I bet he enjoyed it far more than a another of the likely manycalls he had on the stimulus bill.

I really wish the BG would stop writing of the SBFT lies as if there were two sides to the story. There really aren't. Maybe the reporter - before mentioning the claims that Kerry filmed heroics - should have asked the crew about what was filmed. Kerry showed all his tapes to the NYT editor and he conceded that the attacks were false.

Not to mention, they make no sense. These raids did not secure the areas they happened in. The idea that anyone could get his crew to go back just to make a film - risking death is strange. They would refuse and higher ups would back them.

[beachmom]

4. You know it was SUCH a nice story, that a decision was made

to "balance" it. If you delete the SBVT stuff from the article, it shows what good friends Kerry has and how special the friendship between the Band of Brothers is. It shows John Kerry being an actual human being who people actually want to be friends with. That cannot stand. It would have been a little bit embarrassing for the Globe to just print this catnip, so they threw the SBVT stuff in to cover up the warm and fuzzies of the moment.

[karynnj]

5. I think you are right

Not to mention their own guilt in having for decades ignored the constant stream of catnip stories showing their Senator to be a very nice decent person.

(It was also disingenuous to say 4 of the 6 man crew made the call - checking Tour of Duty, the 6 included Kerry and Belodeau, who died before 2004. So, this was the whole crew.)

[MBS]

6. ah, perfectly said. : ) n/t

[DoBotherMe]

7. I'm enraged again

shouldn't have read the comments. I just don't understand why anyone would believe that crap. Will this ever end? Dana ; )

[TayTay]

8. Hey, nice to see you again

What was your old DU name again? (My bad, I have the worst memory for these.)

Don't go by that. Anytime Sen. Kerry makes news in MA the dead-enders come out against him. It is, after all, the only way they can get their opinion out. They do so because the comments are made anonymously and because there is no chance they will have to back up what they say. It's a sort of cowards way out.

[DoBotherMe]

9. DanaM

I got caught up in a "Beatle bubble" and changed my user name to an iteration of an obscure George Harrison song "Don't Bother Me." Still mourn the lost Kerry presidency, and am moved to violent thoughts when he is bashed for his herosim and compassion. He's still the tops for me. Dana ; )