I cannot tell you how many emails I have gotten from Vietnam veterans who are disgusted with John Kerry. Some are disgusted because of the anti-war stance he took after his service in the Navy and others are disgusted by his shameless promotion of his exploits while "in-country” during his abbreviated tour of duty.

But what I am hearing from most of them was summed up quite succinctly by a Marine – I dare not say ex-Marine because as I have been told in no uncertain terms, once a Marine always a Marine – from Palm Bay, Florida by the name of Richard Montgomery. He served two full tours of duty in Vietnam in the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (RVN ’67, ’68, ’68). His disgust with John Kerry stems from his "highly decorated hero” status, the status that Kerry’s campaign and the media have bestowed upon him.

I would go on to explain but I feel Mr. Montgomery does it better. I would like to share with you his letter:

Sir,

From the very beginning of Kerry's campaign, the media has taken every opportunity to portray the Senator as a "highly decorated war hero." Hardly an article is published without the, seemingly, obligatory reference to Kerry's "chest full of medals." As for the man himself, he clearly relishes his "Hero" image and makes every effort to propagate the myth of his heroic duty at every opportunity.

However, long before the Senator started to campaign for the Presidency, there were questions regarding both the quantity and quality of the decorations Kerry supposedly earned during his extraordinarily short tour of duty in Vietnam. It seems that these questions persist and are now growing louder.

According to a recently published article, the Senator's first in-country Commanding Officer has stated that at least one of the Senator's Purple Hearts (his first) was wholly unjustified. It seems that after being rebuffed by this officer, Kerry committed the cardinal sin of going over his CO's head, an incredibly dishonorable course of action that eventually resulted in a completely undeserved award.

Other questions have been raised regarding the unprecedented speed with which the young Kerry picked up his much ballyhooed combat decorations. Anyone who served in Vietnam knows full well that, contrary to popular belief, medals where not simply handed out. They had to be earned. Every decoration has it's own criteria. Take for example, the Silver Star. The Silver Star is our nation's third highest decoration for valor. The established criterion necessitates extraordinary heroism under the most dangerous circumstances. When reviewing the circumstances surrounding the Senator's Silver Star, one cannot help but get the impression that the incident falls far short of the criteria requirements. In fact, one would be wholly justified in wondering why a decoration of any kind was awarded.

While Kerry's actions occurred more than thirty years ago, they speak directly of the Senator's credibility, his honesty and, most importantly, his character. The very fact that Mr. Kerry has the unmitigated gall to try and curry favor with the veterans of Vietnam illustrates how totally insensitive he is to the disgraceful statements he made during his stint as an anti-war activist.

I believe the Senator is a man without honor. I believe he is a make-believe hero. I think his wartime heroics are a myth he created, one supported by home movies, not by his actions.

I think it is interesting to note that the major news organizations, which constantly harp on the Senator's war record, have made no effort whatever, until just recently, to investigate the many questions surrounding the unprecedented number of awards Kerry received during his very abbreviated tour in-country.

These are the same news organizations that slandered President Bush while they printed unfounded accusations and demanded that the President release his service records. Why have they been so silent when it comes to the Senator's records? Obviously there is a double standard at work here.

Kerry has somehow prevented anyone from gaining [unfettered] access to his service records despite countless Freedom of Information requests by researchers and investigators. The Kerry camps most recent ploy was to suggest that it was somehow unseemly for "anyone who hadn't been there" to be reviewing the Senator's service record book. Now, it seems, we are supposed to be satisfied with the documentation his campaign staff decides to feed us.

In closing I would like to point out that I am not a Republican. I am not part of the Bush campaign. In fact, I couldn't care less who becomes President...so long as it isn't John Kerry.

Unlike Kerry, I actually served two tours in Vietnam, my first as a grunt with the 5th Marines.
I am not a baby-killer. I never raped anyone in Vietnam. I never dismembered a body. I didn't shoot civilians. I did not commit atrocities and I did not serve with anyone who did.

John Kerry for President? Not on your life!

Richard Montgomery
3rd Battalion, 5th Marines
1st MARDIV.
RVN ‘67, ‘68,'68

I think I would be out of line to add to Mr. Montgomery’s words but to say that I thank him for his service to our country and for his stewardship of freedom and liberty even though his struggle occurred halfway around the world. God Bless.

Frank Salvato is a political media consultant and the managing editor for The New Media Journal.us. He is a contributing writer for The Washington Dispatch, GOPUSA, OpinionEditorials, Men’s News Daily, Canada Free Press & AmericanDaily. His pieces are regularly featured in Townhall.com. He has appeared as a guest on The O’Reilly Factor, The Kevin Matthews Radio Show (Chicago) and The Brad Messer Radio Show (San Antonio). His pieces have been recognized by the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention and are occasionally featured in The Washington Times and The London Morning Paper as well as other national and international publications.