August 24, 2004

TOO BAD YOU CAN'T GET A PURPLE HEART FOR WOUNDING YOUR PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRATIONS:

Kerry backs off on medal claim: After WND story on journal discrepancy spokesman says no enemy fire 'possible' (Art Moore, August 24, 2004, WorldNetDaily.com)

After WorldNetDaily's report last week of a discrepancy in John Kerry's personal account of his first Purple Heart, his presidential campaign has backed off on claims that he was wounded from enemy fire.

WND reported that nine days after Kerry claims he was hit by hostile fire in 1968, he wrote in his journal as he set out on a subsequent mission, "A cocky feeling of invincibility accompanied us up the Long Tau shipping channel because we hadn't been shot at yet, and Americans at war who haven't been shot at are allowed to be cocky."

The Kerry campaign has not responded to repeated requests from WND for a response, including a call this morning. But yesterday, Fox News host Major Garrett confronted John Hurley, national coordinator of Veterans for John Kerry, asking him on camera if it is possible the first Purple Heart did not result from an incident involving enemy fire.

Hurley replied, "Anything is possible ... ."

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 24, 2004 10:37 PM
Comments

Ron Fournier (AP) has a story up tonight that has Kerry touting his anti-war activities as an indication of what he would do as President.

Posted by: ghostcat at August 24, 2004 10:58 PM

got a link?

Posted by: oj at August 24, 2004 11:01 PM

Can't do lynx yet. (Sorry, I'm a smart-ass old cat.)

But go to Yahoo News, AP Headlines.

Posted by: ghostcat at August 24, 2004 11:04 PM

OJ, I think this is the story in question, though it's by Nedra Pickler. The quote is seven paragraphs down in the story

Posted by: John at August 24, 2004 11:10 PM

How curious: it most assuredly had Fournier's byline when first it appeared.

Posted by: ghostcat at August 24, 2004 11:12 PM

With respect to the WND story, let me puzzle you with this from Fox - I have been trying to run down the Hurley quote, and found this:

Asked earlier this month about whether the wound may have been unintentionally self-inflicted, Kerry defender and National Director of Veterans for Kerry (search) John Hurley said: "Anything is possible, but what you have to remember is that John Kerry that night was on a small boat, a 14 to 15 foot Boston whaler, with two other men, going into an inlet where intelligence had told them the VC was using as a crossing, trafficking in contraband. They went in there; they saw VC; they popped a flare; they took them under fire. At some point John Kerry felt a stinging burning sensation in his arm, and was injured."

He added that the only men who would know for sure what happened were the three men on that operation — Kerry, Pat Runyan and Bill Zeladonous.

"Earlier this month?" The WND said yesterday. Although otherwise, it is fine.

Posted by: Tom Maguire at August 25, 2004 12:58 AM
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