A study in contrasts.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

Despite having a bad back, Kennedy was able to join the U.S. Navy through the help of Captain Alan Kirk, the Director, Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) who had been the Naval Attache in London when Joseph Kennedy was the Ambassador.
...
PT 109 commanded by Kennedy with executive officer, Ensign Leonard Jay Thom, and ten enlisted men was one of the fifteen boats sent out on patrol on the night of 1-2 August 1943 to intercept Japanese warships in the straits. A friend of Kennedy, Ensign George H. R. Ross, whose ship was damaged, joined Kennedy's crew that night. The PT boat was creeping along to keep the wake and noise to a minimum in order to avoid detection. Around 0200 with Kennedy at the helm, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri traveling at 40 knots cut PT 109 in two in ten seconds. Although the Japanese destroyer had not realized that their ship had struck an enemy vessel, the damage to PT 109 was severe. At the impact, Kennedy was thrown into the cockpit where he landed on his bad back. As Amagiri steamed away, its wake doused the flames on the floating section of PT 109 to which five Americans clung: Kennedy, Thom, and three enlisted men, S1/c Raymond Albert, RM2/c John E. Maguire and QM3/c Edman Edgar Mauer. Kennedy yelled out for others in the water and heard the replies of Ross and five members of the crew, two of which were injured. GM3/c Charles A. Harris had a hurt leg and MoMM1/c Patrick Henry McMahon, the engineer was badly burned. Kennedy swam to these men as Ross and Thom helped the others, MoMM2/c William Johnston, TM2/c Ray L. Starkey, and MoMM1/c Gerald E. Zinser to the remnant of PT 109. Although they were only one hundred yards from the floating piece, in the dark it took Kennedy three hours to tow McMahon and help Harris back to the PT hulk. Unfortunately, TM2/c Andrew Jackson Kirksey and MoMM2/c Harold W. Marney were killed in the collision with Amagiri.

Because the remnant was listing badly and starting to swamp, Kennedy decided to swim for a small island barely visible (actually three miles) to the southeast. Five hours later, all eleven survivors had made it to the island after having spent a total of fifteen hours in the water. Kennedy had given McMahon a life-jacket and had towed him all three miles with the strap of the device in his teeth. After finding no food or water on the island, Kennedy concluded that he should swim the route the PT boats took through Ferguson Passage in hopes of sighting another ship. After Kennedy had no luck, Ross also made an attempt, but saw no one and returned to the island. Ross and Kennedy had spotted another slightly larger island with coconuts to eat and all the men swam there with Kennedy again towing McMahon. Now at their fourth day, Kennedy and Ross made it to Nauru Island and found several natives. Kennedy cut a message on a coconut that read "11 alive native knows posit & reef Nauru Island Kennedy." He purportedly handed the coconut to one of the natives and said, "Rendova, Rendova!," indicating that the coconut should be taken to the PT base on Rendova.

Kennedy and Ross again attempted to look for boats that night with no luck. The next morning the natives returned with food and supplies, as well as a letter from the coastwatcher commander of the New Zealand camp, Lieutenant Arthur Reginald Evans. The message indicated that the natives should return with the American commander, and Kennedy complied immediately. He was greeted warmly and then taken to meet PT 157 which returned to the island and finally rescued the survivors on 8 August.

Kennedy was later awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his heroics in the rescue of the crew of PT 109, as well as the Purple Heart Medal for injuries sustained in the accident on the night of 1 August 1943. An official account of the entire incident was written by intelligence officers in August 1943 and subsequently declassified in 1959. As President, Kennedy met once again with his rescuers and was toasted by members of the Japanese destroyer crew.
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq60-2.htm







Dean was classified 1Y, according to military records, meaning he was exempt from service for the duration of the war and free to head to Colorado after his Yale graduation, where he skied at Aspen and poured concrete. Spondylolisthesis is a condition caused by an unfused vertebra. When diagnosed nearly four years earlier, he was cleared to participate in all sports except long-distance running.

"I didn't try to get out of the draft," Dean has said. "I had a physical."

...

"The United States government said this is your classification," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I'm not responsible for that. I didn't have anything to do with the decision. That was their choice."

The basis for his classification is difficult to document. The Selective Service System, following standard procedure, destroyed all records in Dean's file save his classification listings. Dean said he did not keep copies of the X-rays or Wilson's letter. Nor did he keep a copy, he said, of the letter he believes he wrote requesting a deferral from military service. His physician, Wilson, is dead.

Dean drew a relatively low lottery number -- 143 out of 300 -- meaning he could have been called up after college, according to Lewis Brodsky, a Selective Service spokesman.

At Yale, Dean did not support the war but was not vocal. He took part in one protest, by his count. He said he was not overly worried about being drafted and said the reason he wrote a letter seeking a military medical exam was to clarify his standing.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/dean/articles/2003/09/21/a_back_condition_wins_dean_a_vietnam_era_draft_deferment/

Democrats recognized leadership in 1960 when they saw it. How about 2004?

[CTLawGuy]

1. I hope Democrats do...

leadership is signing a bill protecting the rights of an oppressed group of people right before the election, when approval of said bill was around 30%...

Leadership is fighting to win reelection against a RW hate campaign from inside and outside your state while having to wear a bullet-proof vest because of signing said bill.


Leadership is not shying away from having signed the bill despite the price that may be paid in the politically powerful South and among needed "swing voters".

Leadership is also opposing a war becuase it is wrong, even though 70% of people support it.

Leadership is not being afraid to criticize your leaders when they fail to stand up for what is right.

Leadership is apologizing when you do or say something wrong.

Leadership is knowing the difference between compromise and caving.

Leadership is NOT talking against a war while voting to enable it.

Leadership is NOT basing your entire campaign on solely attacking another cnadidate.

Leadership is NOT caving to the right wing on an almost constant basis.

Leadership is NOT sacrificing righteousness for the sake of "national unity"

Leadership is NOT the abdication of your responsibility as part of an indepenedent branch of government by succumbing to fear right after a crisis, and voting for a slick-sounding bill while failing to READ it or to ask questions.



Most of all:
Leadership is the orchestration of a movement to restore political power to the people and to remake the Democratic Party into something that people can trust to represent their views and advocate for them, even when the "polls", the media and the RW say they should do otherwise - in other words, a party of LEADERS.

[w4rma]

2. WW2 was an honorable war. Vietnam wasn't. (n/t)

[MercutioATC]

3. We're back to THIS???

I don't even have to cite references....they're all in your post.

Dean was classified 1-Y by the Selective Service System because of a documented medical condition. Period. End of story.

1-Y is not an exemption, but a deferment. Has the need arisen, Dean still could have been drafted. He had a condition and provided the draft board with the appropriate documentation. How is this something to be criticized for?

It was the Selective Service System, not Dean, who made the rules. Flat feet were a disqualifying condition. How many people with flat feel are able to lead relatively normal lives? If the SSS made the rules as to what was not acceptable and Dean provided accurate documentation about his health, how can he be held responsible for the SSS's decision?

Think Dean should have lied just sohe could have served in Vietnam? Imagine for a moment if Dean (or anybody) had lied about their health in an active attempt to go to Vietnam and their condition had caused problems. How much would the government had to spend to treat the condition? What if lives had been lost because of an inability to perform a task?

The ONLY facts are:

1) The SSS determined what medical conditions were not acceptable.

2) Dean possessed one of these conditions.

3) The condition had been previously documented.

4) Dean was honest and provided the documentation to the draft board.

5) Dean's induction was deferred.

Anything else is pure spin.

[Padraig18]

4. Nice apples-and-oranges, smear! I'm impressed.

I actually thought you might post something positive about Kerry, for a change; glad I wasn't disappointed.

On edit: I've made a decision to contribute $2 every time an anti-Dean smear is posted in thus forum, so go to it, guys--- Howard will use the money to win next November.