Today’s post courtesy of my friend Janet. Pass it on.
This could be the last election where military service in Vietnam has any political significance, but just for the record it’s worth noting who really served among the heavyweights in each of the major political parties. Be sure to check out the bottom of the list where the people who spend their time jabbering about military service ( the TV pundits) have their military credentials – or lack thereof – exposed.
DEMOCRATS:
� Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
� David Bonior: Staff Sgt. Air Force, 1968-72.
� Tom Daschle: 1st Lieut., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
� Al Gore: enlisted 1969, sent to Vietnam Jan.’71 as army journalist- 20th Engnr. Brig.
� Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. US Navy, 1966-69, Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
� Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47, Medal of Honor, WWII.
� John Kerry: Lieut., US Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat Purple Hearts.
� John Edwards: did not serve.
� Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt. US Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
� Max Cleland: Captain, US Army 1965-68: Silver Star & Bronze Star,Vietnam.
� Ted Kennedy: US Army, 1951-53.
� Tom Harkin: Lieut. US Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
� Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-79; Captain, Army Reserve, 1979-91.
� Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII, Bronze Star & 7 campaign ribbons.
� Leonard Boswell: Lieut. Col., Army 1956-76: Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Star
� Pete Peterson: Capt. USAF, POW, Purple Heart, Silver Star & Legion ofMerit.
� Mike Thompson: Staff Sgt., 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
� Bill McBride:( Candidate for Fla. governor), USMC Bronze Star-Vietnam.
� Gray Davis: Captain, US Army; Bronze Star – Vietnam.
� Pete Stark: USAF, 1955-57.
� Chuck Robb: USMC- Vietnam.
� Howell Heflin: Silver Star.
� George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC – WWII.
� Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments – Entered draft & rec’d #311.
� Jimmy Carter: Lieutenant US Navy ; seven years of service including WWII.
� Walter Mondale: US Army, 1951-53. Korea.
� John Glenn: US Navy WWII & Korea, six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 clusters.
� Tom Lantos: served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg
� Wesley Clark: US Army 1966-2000, West Point, Vietnam, Purple Heart, Silver Star, retired Four Star General.
� John Dingell: WWII.
� John Conyers: US 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 due to “other priorities”
� John Ashcroft: did not serve. 7 deferments to teach business.
� Jeb Bush: did not serve.
� Karl Rove: did not serve.
� Saxy Chambliss: did not serve due to a “bad knee”. This is the man who attacked the patriotism of Max Cleland who lost three limbs in combat in Vietnam.
� Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
� Vin Weber: did not serve.
� Douglas Feith: did not serve.
� Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
� Richard Shelby: did not serve.
� Jon Kyl: did not serve.
� Tim Hutchinson: did not serve.
� Christopher Cox: did not serve.
� Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
� Don Rumsfeld: US Navy flight instructor 1954-57.
� Geo. W. Bush: six year Nat’l Guard commitment (incomplete).
� Ronald Reagan: poor eyesight, made movies and canteen visits in WWII.
� Gerald Ford: US Navy WWII.
� Phil Gramm: did not serve.
� John McCain: Vietnam POW, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, DFC.
� Bob Dole: US Army WWII, wounded in action.
� Chuck Hagel: Purple Heart & Bronze Star – Vietnam.
� Jeff Sessions: Army Reserve 1973-86.
� J.C. Watts: did not serve.
� Lindsey Graham: attorney for National Guard.
� G.H.W. Bush: US Navy pilot-WWII, shot down by Japanese.
� Tom Ridge: Bronze Star – Vietnam.
� Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
� Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
PUNDITS
� 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.
Got your email on this — I’d like to say it doesn’t surprise me, but it actually does surprise me. The number of blabber-mouthed, hawkish Repugs that have never served in the military is astounding. Ditto for the pundits.
All of us mamby-pamby, doveish, liberal Dems seem to be the ones who most volunteer our bodies and lives for our country.
Hmmm…interesting…makes sense though…even my dad who served in VietNam became democrat after awhile…he told me that he felt like the Republican Party had abandoned him, especially after the Gulf War…
Rush limbaugh has a boil on his ass LOL…
http://www.snopes.com/military/limbaugh.htm
And remember how Jack Kemp dodged the draft with a knee injury and then played 8 more years of pro football?
Buncha chickenhawks!
Bird, this simple lists makes it abundantly clear why the GOP has such a cavalier attitude about commiting our troops to war without first exhausing all other remedies.
It’s a disgrace.