> > > AL GORE IN VIETNAM
> > >
> > > Having posted a little tickler in last week's Digest about Al Gore's
> > > 141 days in Vietnam," The Federalist Editorial Board was inundated
with
> > > inquiries from Vietnam vets. Most went something like this:
> > >
> > > "Gore claimed in his convention speech: 'I enlisted in the Army
because
> > > I knew if I didn't go, someone else in the small town of Carthage,
> > > Tennessee would have to go in my place.' Since he wasn't KIA or
> > wounded,
> > > how was it that his Army tour was far shorter than all the rest of
us?"
> > >
> > > Our astute veteran readers took the bait!
> > >
> > > Gore's campaign launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign this week
to
> > > tell his "life story." The ads will include references to his service"
> > > in Vietnam-however brief. Gore spent less than five months of a
> > typical
> > > twelve-month tour in Vietnam. He spent every minute of his "tour" as a
> > > "rear-echelon...." (call any combat veteran and they can complete that
> > > phrase for you). He was classified as a military journalist after
> > > telling recruiters he was a newspaper trainee" (read "copy boy") for
> > the
> > > New York Times while a student at Harvard. He was assigned as a
> > > noncombatant "information specialist" to the Army's 20th Engineers
> > > Brigade headquarters at Bien Hoa military base near Saigon. Gore's
> > > immediate supervisor in Vietnam has confirmed that his posting there
> > > came with explicit instructions to baby-sit him and make sure he was
> > > never in any danger. That fact notwithstanding, Gore has claimed to
the
> > > Washington Post that he was "shot at" and "spent most of my time in
the
> > > field."
> > >
> > > He later told the Baltimore Sun that "[I] pulled my turn on the
> > > perimeter at night and walked through the elephant grass and I was
> > fired
> > > upon." He has since backed off these exaggerated claims.
> > >
> > > On May 22, 1971, not five months into his "tour of duty," Gore was
> > > given special dispensation and a one-way ticket home to attend
divinity
> > > school in Nashville. He dropped out of Vanderbilt shortly thereafter.
> > >
> > > As for the seven months cut from Gore's tour of duty in Vietnam, we
> > > suppose "someone else in the small town of Carthage, Tennessee" had to
> > > finish his tour "in his place."
> > >
> > > If everyone sends the above to 7 people, I am positive that we can do
> > > some good for the COUNTRY. And please remember to vote................
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Nov 01 2000 - 21:37:47 PST