Let's Take A Look At The Military Records

[Imagolfer]

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.
* Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
* Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star,
Vietnam.
* Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
* 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; Bronze Star and seven cmpaign 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 tar 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 aoul Wallenberg.


Republicans
* Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
* Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
* Tom Delay: did not serve.
* Roy Blunt: did not serve.
* Bill Frist: did not serve.
* Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
* Rick Santorum: did not serve.
* Trent Lott: did not serve.
* 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 ttacked 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 Kyle: 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 flight instructor.
* George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty.
* Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role
making movies.
* B-1 Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in
Korea.
* Phil Gramm: did not serve.
* John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
* Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.
* John M. McHugh: did not serve.
* JC Watts: did not serve.
* Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem," although continued in
NFL for 8 years.
* Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
* Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
* George Pataki: did not serve.
* Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
* John Engler: did not serve.
* Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
* Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.

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.
* John Wayne: did not serve.
* Bill Kristol: did not serve.
* Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
* Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
* Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
* Ralph Reed: did not serve.
* Michael Medved: did not serve.
* Charlie Daniels: did not serve.
* Ted Nugent: did not serve.

 

[Seatacus]

So what is the big deal?????

 

[Fly]

Wow....proves why Republicans love to kill young Americans.....the Americans they murder aren't their own kids.

 

[bwipilot]

I guess this is the obvious reply to your lame post:

The reason why so many people in the military are Republicans is that we love to die.

Democrats rarely get it. People in the "all voluntary" military volunteered to serve their country. We are willing to put our lives on the line to defend US. We aren't so gung ho to get killed putting our lives on the line for the UN et. al. Reagan, Bush Sr. and G.W. put soldiers on the line to defend the US. Clinton did and sounds like Kerry would put soldiers lives on the line to make us look like good citizens to the rest of the world. I'm no longer on the front line or anywhere close. But when I was, I hated Bosnia, Somalia, Ruwanda but cheered Libya, Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan, Gulf I and Gulf II. The former battles had little to do with US interests (will admit they were Humanitarian efforts). While oil and drugs are economic interests, terrorism is definitely a security interest. Has Iraq gone well--no. But wars don't go well just because they're important. The hardest wars are often the most important: WWI, WWII, Civil War, Revolutionary War, Cold War. The carping now is for political gain and/or people who would not fight for freedom.

Have you bought a dinner--even a drink--for a vet who defended your freedom lately?

 

[KCFlyer]

I guess this is the obvious reply to your lame post:

The reason why so many people in the military are Republicans is that we love to die.

Democrats rarely get it. People in the "all voluntary" military volunteered to serve their country. We are willing to put our lives on the line to defend US. We aren't so gung ho to get killed putting our lives on the line for the UN et. al. Reagan, Bush Sr. and G.W. put soldiers on the line to defend the US. Clinton did and sounds like Kerry would put soldiers lives on the line to make us look like good citizens to the rest of the world. I'm no longer on the front line or anywhere close. But when I was, I hated Bosnia, Somalia, Ruwanda but cheered Libya, Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan, Gulf I and Gulf II. The former battles had little to do with US interests (will admit they were Humanitarian efforts). While oil and drugs are economic interests, terrorism is definitely a security interest. Has Iraq gone well--no. But wars don't go well just because they're important. The hardest wars are often the most important: WWI, WWII, Civil War, Revolutionary War, Cold War. The carping now is for political gain and/or people who would not fight for freedom.

Have you bought a dinner--even a drink--for a vet who defended your freedom lately?

[post="193925"][/post]​

No, but I bought a drink for an Iraq vet once...does that count?

The point of this post is obvious...why are the ones who are gung ho from sending our young men and women to battle the same ones who failed to serve when their country needed them. Not only that....why did so many of them take steps that would help them avoid the draft that was in place when their country needed them?

 

[Busdrvr]

Typical Dem BS.....

For the RECORD, HERE IS THE TRUTH

http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RS21379.pdf

If you go to the bottom, you will see that, by a pretty good margin, most of the military Vets in congress are REPUBLICAN.

Funny, the dems don't mention Howwy Dean, who while too "disabled" to serve in Vietnam, was well enough to be a Ski Bum. I did notice some prominent Dems either spending the war in the Guard or in "SAC". Why isn't MM calling them "Cowards"? where were you when Bill Clinton sent me to Iraq, Albania and Bosnia? Or when he had the plans launched to invade Haiti (what did they ever do to us? Oh but we were deposing a military dictator....) GMAFB

 

[TWAnr]

Typical Dem BS.....

For the RECORD, HERE IS THE TRUTH

[post="193930"][/post]​

Typical Republican distortion by quoting out of context. How come you left this tidbit out?

There has been a steady decline in the number of Members who have served in the military, which may be attributed in part to the end of the Selective Service System draft in 1973.

 

[KCFlyer]

Typical Dem BS.....

For the RECORD, HERE IS THE TRUTH

http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RS21379.pdf

If you go to the bottom, you will see that, by a pretty good margin, most of the military Vets in congress are REPUBLICAN.

Funny, the dems don't mention Howwy Dean, who while too "disabled" to serve in Vietnam, was well enough to be a Ski Bum. I did notice some prominent Dems either spending the war in the Guard or in "SAC". Why isn't MM calling them "Cowards"? where were you when Bill Clinton sent me to Iraq, Albania and Bosnia? Or when he had the plans launched to invade Haiti (what did they ever do to us? Oh but we were deposing a military dictator....) GMAFB

[post="193930"][/post]​

Bussie... some of the ones that matter are:

Karl Rove - got beat up as a kid and didn't serve. Now "advising" president.

Dick Cheney - Didn't serve, but doesn't mind paying soldiers to protect Haliburton employees

John Ashcroft - didn't serve, but makes those who do jobs a little easier by reducing the number of freedoms they need to defend.

Those are the guys who are sending our troops to put their lives on the line...why wasn't it the noble thing to do when THEY had the opportunity to serve their country.l Rove especially scares me....unelected, out of the limelight, and has the presidents ear. This whole administration needs to be fired on November 2.

 

[NWA/AMT]

For the RECORD, HERE IS THE TRUTH

http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RS21379.pdf

If you go to the bottom, you will see that, by a pretty good margin, most of the military Vets in congress are REPUBLICAN.

[post="193930"][/post]​

From http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RS21379.pdf

Party Breakdown

In the 108th Congress, the current party breakdown in the House is 228 Republicans, 210 Democrats (including five Delegates), and one Independent who is aligned with the Democrats. The Senate has 51 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and one Independent who is aligned with the Democrats.

and:

Military Service

There are 154 Members of the 108th Congress who have had some form of military service, some 14 fewer than in the 107th Congress. The House has 118 veterans: 70 Republicans and 48 Democrats, including one woman, who is a Republican. In the Senate, 35 Members are veterans: 19 Republicans and 16 Democrats.

70 of 228 versus 48 of 210 (but I'll use 211 to account for the Independent) for the House and 19 of 51 versus 16 of 48 (I'll use 49, same reason) for the Senate. That comes to 30.7% versus 22.7% for the House and 37.2 versus 33.3 for the Senate. Not what I'd call a very significant difference and not, I'm afraid, a 'pretty good margin'.

Other than the surprising number of people in the Bush administration who hadn't served, which surprised even me, this seems like a pretty silly issue. When it gets to the point where we're comparing total medals by weight, somebody send me a PM.

 

[Busdrvr]

Bussie... some of the ones that matter are:

Karl Rove - got beat up as a kid and didn't serve. Now "advising" president.

Dick Cheney - Didn't serve, but doesn't mind paying soldiers to protect Haliburton employees

John Ashcroft - didn't serve, but makes those who do jobs a little easier by reducing the number of freedoms they need to defend.

Those are the guys who are sending our troops to put their lives on the line...why wasn't it the noble thing to do when THEY had the opportunity to serve their country.l Rove especially scares me....unelected, out of the limelight, and has the presidents ear. This whole administration needs to be fired on November 2.

[post="193932"][/post]​

So KC, what's YOUR service record?.......

 

[TheLazarusman]

* John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with
Combat V, Purple Hearts.

[post="193750"][/post]​

Awarded under questionable circumstances at best; for which neither YOU nor I have the facts. So, let's don't get in a pissing match over that issue.

As for the remainder of the men you listed, both democrat and republican, all honorable men. And regardless of their political affiliations, all have done great things for their country. So my question is, aside from military records, what is your point?

 

[KCFlyer]

So KC, what's YOUR service record?.......

[post="193952"][/post]​

Well Bussie...I didn't serve. But...and this is important...I'm not in a position to send others off to fight a battle for our energy policy as are Bush, Rove, Cheney and many others in the Bush administration. I find it very interesting that those who are so gung ho that this war is right and true and just have not served a day in their lives either. That goes for the decision makers and the pundits who are going on about the "rightness" of the war and the "questions" on Kerry's military service have never served a day in their lives.

And the thing I cannot understand about you...one who discounts every opinion written by one who hasn't served...is that you BUY the stance of those who have never seen battle, and in many cases, never seen basic training camp, when they are making the decisions about war.

 

[USAir757]

What a lame thread of junk this is, especially coming from what I believe is a group of educated people. It's all propaganda. It's something people push ONLY when it helps the party's case. Certainly wasn't a big deal to the democrats when Clinton was running against Dole... though the republicans were screaming about it. Now it's the complete opposite.

That would all be really important if this were the 1972 election. That goes for Kerry AND Bush.

Guess you changed your mind, KC?

 

[KCFlyer]

What a lame thread of junk this is, especially coming from what I believe is a group of educated people. It's all propaganda. It's something people push ONLY when it helps the party's case. Certainly wasn't a big deal to the democrats when Clinton was running against Dole... though the republicans were screaming about it. Now it's the complete opposite.
Guess you changed your mind, KC?

[post="194010"][/post]​

NOt at all. I still think documentaries and books that bring up what happened 35 years ago are nothing more than propaganda. But there is some merit in this thread...There are very few in the Bush administration who have ever served in the armed forces. Almost all of them are of an age where they were "of age" when a war was being fought, yet they did not serve. And there they are, making decisions to send young people off to a war that remains dubious. And I think that decisions made concerning war that are made by people whose combined military experiance is minimal (Colin Powell is the lone exception - and his opinions are often times ignored) carries some level of importance. It's not about whether or not Kerry's medals were justified. It's not about whether Bush went AWOL. It's about decisions about war today, made by people who haven't a clue about the personal costs of war.

 

[USAir757]

It's not about whether or not Kerry's medals were justified. It's not about whether Bush went AWOL. It's about decisions about war today, made by people who haven't a clue about the personal costs of war.

Well using that criteria, every president should have served in the military. Honest question - did you vote for Clinton?