The Wounds that Never Heal

This gentleman felt so strongly about this that he paid for a full page ad in the Sept 6th Edition of the Army Times.

By Dexter Lehtinen, an Army paratrooper and Ranger, severely wounded in 1971while a reconnaissance platoon leader in Vietnam. He later graduated first in his class from Stanford Law School and later served as a Florida State Senator and the United States� Attorney in Miami.

Here is his Full Page Advertisement:

John Kerry & Vietnam
THE WOUNDS THAT NEVER HEAL

In 1971, I awakened after three days of unconsciousness aboard a hospital ship off the coast of Vietnam. I could not see, my jaws were wired shut, and my left cheekbone was missing, a gaping hole in its place.

Later, while still in that condition at St Albans Naval Hospital, one of my earliest recollections was hearing of John Kerry�s testimony before Congress. I remember lying there, in disbelief, as I learned how Kerry told the world that I served in an Army reminiscent of Genghis Khan�s; that officers like me routinely let their men plunder villages and rape villagers at will; that "war crimes" committed in Vietnam by my fellow soldiers "were not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command."

Then Kerry went to Paris, meeting with the North Vietnamese enemy officials, all while our soldiers still fought in the field. The pain and disbelief I felt listening to his words went deeper than the pain I felt from the enemy fire which seriously wounded my face.

Eighteen months later I was discharged from the hospital, the wounds inflicted by the enemy fully healed. But more than 30 years later, the wounds inflicted by John Kerry continue to bring pain to scores of Vietnam veterans. Those wounds--the bearing of false witness against me and a generation of courageous young Americans who fought and died in Vietnam--are much more serious than any wound warranting a Purple Heart. Those wounds go to the heart and soul. Those wounds never go away.

Today, my son is a Marine Corps weapons officer, flying the F/A 18 Hornet. He belongs to the same Marine Corps Kerry ridiculed with his 1971 book cover showing protestors simulating the Iwo Jima Memorial, raising an upside-down American flag. He flies the same F/A 18 fighter jet that Kerry voted against in the U.S. Senate. And today, Kerry�s picture hangs in an honored place in Saigon�s war museum, as a hero to the Vietnamese Communists.

Yet, John Kerry shamelessly drapes himself in the imagery of Vietnam, military service and the support of veteran�s devoid of any media scrutiny. Meanwhile, the criticism and disapproval of Kerry by scores of veterans continues to fall on deaf ears. Worse yet, any
legitimate criticism of Kerry�s post-war record is discredited as a "personal" attack or an attack against his service.

John Kerry is quick to surround himself with a handful of veterans and claims overwhelming support from the veteran community. He ignores, however, the wounds he inflicted on millions of veterans, and he refuses to sign a waiver to release his military personal records and medical records. This is the portrait of a man who has failed to comes to terms with his treacherous past.

I, Dexter Lehtinen, paid for this ad personally, without any connection to other individuals or groups, because I want the public to know what John Kerry did to our Vietnam veterans.

Dexter Lehtinen
7700 S.W. 88th St., Ste. 303
Miami, FL 33156

Join the rally on Sunday, September 12th to Expose John Kerry�s Lies About Vietnam Vets. Hear from Vietnam Vets, POWs, B.G. Burkett (author of Stolen Valor), and others. 2:00 pm, Senate side of the Capitol, Washington D.C.

i'm very curious to see how this article is welcomed. will kerry supporters decry this man as a liar? will he be painted as a republican supporter just trying to hurt kerry? personally, while this man's writings are not the sole reason to vote against kerry, he, and other vets that share his views, have every right to express their angst with kerry and deserve to be heard.

Originally posted by astroblade
i'm very curious to see how this article is welcomed.

Insofar as the ad ran in the relatively obscure Army Times, it is likely it will cause any perceivalble impact and we will hear nothing of from Kerry, unless the national media picks him up for interviews and whatnot. But, the Army Times reaches a lot of people and now that is making the round on the internet, it is not inconceivable that it could have an impact on the population of Servicemember and veteran voters.

What John Kerry did was unconscionable and caused returning veterans unspeakable distress for three decades. I think that many veterans never knew whom to blame for the "welcome" we received when we got home. I didn't put it altogether until very recently.

I heard a POW say just the other day that the N. Vietnamese played Kerry's testimony before Congress and how he was struck by Kerry's pronunciation of Ghengis Khan. It wasn't until the recent political ads that he recognized just who had made those allegations and caused him to undergo increased torture.

Kerry stabbed roughly 1.3 million veterans in the back. Those of us who survive will not forget.

[edit on 04/9/6 by GradyPhilpott]

yes, i understand it's kerry's unusual pronunciation of ghengis kahn that let people realize it was he they heard being played while they were in POW camps. the correct pronunciation is (and forgive me i'm doing this off the top of my head) "gain"-gis kahn, while kerry pronounced it as "jane"-gis kahn. i hope that's makes out right.

hey i just had a thought. i remember not too long ago many non-bush supporters actually had the balls to lecture bush on his pronunciation of "nuclear". bush pronounced it as "nuke"-"u"-"ler" while the apparent "correct" pronunciation is "new"-"clear". i say "correct" because while websters would tell you "new"-clear", i know for a fact "nuke"-"u"-"ler" is a widely accepted pronunciation among actual nuclear physicists and rocket scientists ( i happened to have met/know at least a dozen that concur). in any case, while bush does pronounce nuclear differently, at least the way he says it is a secondary option that's accepted. i'm curious as to why no one has made a fuss over kerry's pronunciation of ghengis, after all he's the only person i've ever heard to pronounce it the way he does.

[edit on 6-9-2004 by astroblade]

Yeah. The point is that it was so unusual that it caught a lot of peoples attention, although at the time, I'm sure no one thought about it for more than a nano-second since it was his message that was twisting the knife in our backs. Thirty years later, it comes like an electric shock, everytime you hear it.

Just another attempt to bring the sympathy of the veterans to be against Kerry, very sad and very twisted that they have to appeal to this people, now did this man remember all this before Kerry became a political candidate or he just remember his ordeal for the advantage of the republican party.

He must be in very heavy doctor care when he is still in pain after 30 years.

oh see, marg is just the kind of person i'm talking about. but hey, she believes the entirety of the republican party is out to get us. marg, no one needs to work to get the vets against kerry since most of them haven't liked him from the first time they heard his voice being played over the loudspeakers in POW camps. also, must not have been paying attention. these men have always known the voice of the person that called then baby-killers, but they were never able to put a face to that vote until recently when they found out it was kerry who was the speaker. besides, just as kerry is using his vietnam service to support him, are his opponents not allowed to use his disservice to vietnam vets against him? furthermore, your joke as to the authors emotional anguish due to him hearing an american speak against soldiers with such viciousness while in a POW camp really goes to speak about the kind of person you are.

Originally posted by marg6043
He must be in very heavy doctor care when he is still in pain after 30 years.

Marg

That is just the kind of statement that really shows the left for what it really is. Betrayal is the worst kind of insult and no one takes it lightly. When the stakes are as high as they are in war, it is "seared" into your memory, to use John Kerry's word.

There are some things people never get over and your lack of understanding or empathy is indicative of your characterological development. You have my deepest sympathy.

[edit on 04/9/6 by GradyPhilpott]

astroblade,

astroblade


Well I know the type of person that I am, now do you know who you are or what you are? I can not feel sympathy for people that uses their pain are tragedy not for cleansing themselves but for political gain, you want sympathy then choose another time to bring the compassion of your fellow Americans but don't tried to exploited it during political year because it is not going to work, only the ones that sympathize with your motives will.

And my dear fellow member of ATS do not play the guilty trip on me I was not born yesterday and I will never become a victim of self pity.

That is for the weak of mind.

Originally posted by astroblade
your joke as to the authors emotional anguish due to him hearing an american speak against soldiers with such viciousness while in a POW camp really goes to speak about the kind of person you are.

Nicely stated, astroblade.

I guess this is a two way post so enjoy yourselves in your private chat.

marg, your paranoia has gotten to you. you believe the author of this article, a lone gentleman who wishes to express his personal views on why kerry doesn't deserve to be president, at his own personal expense no less, is working for political gain? he's a nobody, that is to say, he gains nothing by saying this, short of the same thing every american is gulity of, and that is simply wanting your guy in office. your own quickness to write this guy off as a republican puppet should alert you to how overly paranoid you've become. again, i'm really amazed you don't think this man should be able to express his own personal views. and is it too much to understand that he remembers kerry condemning him, and all soldiers in vietenam, even though they had never met, and that still angers him? i commend this guy, for at the very least he reasonably explains why he doesn't want kerry in office, unlike some who just rant about how kerry or bush shouldn't be president.

hey, anyone is allowed to join the discussion, but for one reason or not no one has. by the way, grady, and marg i suppose, have either of you had a recent JUMP in points? they seem so high all of a sudden.

Originally posted by astroblade
have either of you had a recent JUMP in points?

If you took the last two polls, they were worth 600 points combined.

Marg,

I can�t help but notice that you don�t fault the very few service members that do support Kerry. As they didn�t until recently�..and we all know that they have nothing to gain�wait aren�t the democrats paying for them to go round the country staying in nice hotels�I�m sure paying their bills�..it�s not disingenuous for them though, huh�.would that be because they are supporting your ideology. What say you?

so does it even matter if what kerry said is true or not ?? I read his testimony and it seems to me that what he said is what you'd expect to happen in a war situation.

Maybe it's a good idea for people so sensitive about these things not to be so eager to get into wars in the first place.






[edit on 6-9-2004 by transient]

Originally posted by transientMaybe it's a good idea for people so sensitive about these things not to be so eager to get into wars in the first place.

Could you clarify that? It's a little vague.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Then Kerry went to Paris, meeting with the North Vietnamese enemy officials, all while our soldiers still fought in the field. The pain and disbelief I felt listening to his words went deeper than the pain I felt from the enemy fire which seriously wounded my face.

Grady-you seem to the one in the know. What was the purpose behind Kerry's meeting with the North Vietnamese?

Also has anyone taken a poll on the feelings of Veterans in general? Who are the majority of vets putting their support behind?

Could you clarify that? It's a little vague.

I was referring to the words that apparently had the effect of stabbing "roughly 1.3 million veterans in the back". I just think that if he feels so strongly that kerry bore a false witness maybe he should bring up charges against him cause I believe he was under oath at the time.

Originally posted by Bleys
Also has anyone taken a poll on the feelings of Veterans in general? Who are the majority of vets putting their support behind?

i'll let grady field the one regarding the visit to NV....

polls indicate that vets are now trending against kerry 35 to 58 www.turkishpress.com...