Comments for The Senate has one less military veteran

The Senate has one less military veteran

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:57:35 -0600

Senator Ted Kennedy has succumbed to his illness. We wish the family the best of it in what is always a trying time, even when you knew it was coming.As my opinion of Senator Kennedy's politics is well known, I'll focus on his military service, as laid out in Wikipedia.Kennedy enlisted in the United States Army in June 1951. Following basic training at Fort Dix, he requested assignment to Fort Holabird for Army Intelligence training, but was dropped after a few weeks without explanation. He went to Camp Gordon for training in the Military Police Corps. In June 1952, he...

Comment from akinoluna - a female Marine on 2009-08-27

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:53:11 -0600

I also didn't know he'd been in the military until after he died.

Comment from Kevin on 2009-08-27

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:33:23 -0600

Ah, my bad. I slipped into Marine mode when it came to PFC. I mean I was a PFC coming out of Marine boot camp.

Still, he only made E-3 even with daddys influence and the losses from the Korean intervention?

Oh well, being an E-3 Lance Corporal sounds (and is) so much cooler than E-3 PFC....

Comment from Casey on 2009-08-27

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:24:32 -0600

Bill, you are an absolute mine of information with respect to the grunts-eye view of war.

Me, I never knew until he died that Teddy even served. Good on him.

To the extent that he participated in the chickenhawk slander against Dubya, he had no right. To the extent that he refrained, I salute him for his restraint. To be honest, I don't recall him saying much about that issue when Kerry ran.

The man has passed on, and let us not speak ill of the dead.

Requiscat in Pace, as I hope Mary Jo does.

Comment from BillT on 2009-08-27

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:51:42 -0600

En route to RVN in 1970, we were asked if we were related to anybody rich, famous, or political. No doubt, anybody with any connections wound up anywhere _but_ where there was any shooting going on.

Not all, not all. Guy Smith, Dean Rusk's son-in-law (yup, *that* Dean Rusk) was in the 162d. You should've seen the flap when he took a bullet in the shoulder and some fragments in his face during one CA and wound up in the hospital.

I visited him right after he'd spoken via MARS with his wife -- he said she went ballistic when he described his wounds, and mentioned that the doc had shaved his mustache off to stitch up his lip. "Whaaaaaaat?!? You grew a *mustache*? When did you do it and, more important, what the hell did you do *that* for?"

Comment from Lamigra on 2009-08-26

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:49:50 -0600

"Two years of service and he only made E-2?!"

Private First Class is/was E-3...ran into at least one Sergeant First Class (E-6) circa 1968. PFC would have been good for 1952, methinks.....

Comment from Kevin on 2009-08-26

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:22:23 -0600

"He was discharged in March 1953 as a Private First Class."

Ummm, even considering the times and possibly slower promotion (Korea notwithstanding) rates...

Two years of service and he only made E-2?! Even with his daddys political influence...?!

Wowzers.... that's a distinguished military record.....

What'd he do? Drive the Generals car into a lake or something?

Comment from RetRsvMIke on 2009-08-26

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:46:31 -0600

having operated the entire day under the old "if ya can't say something nice...." rule, i'm relieved to finally have one single thing.

PFC Kennedy: thanks for your service, rest in peace. Fiddler's Green is kind of far down the road, and watch out for that narrow bridge crossing over River Lethe.

Comment from LaMigra on 2009-08-26

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:38:29 -0600

"His father's political connections ensured he was not deployed to the ongoing Korean War."

This has always been standard practic, methinks. En route to RVN in 1970, we were asked if we were related to anybody rich, famous, or political. No doubt, anybody with any connections wound up anywhere _but_ where there was any shooting going on. IMHO.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-08-26

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:09:06 -0600

Galensmark - his service in the Senate, whatever we collectively think of it, qualifies him for Arlington, regardless of his military service.

Heh. You guys have little appreciation today, on this topic, for the subtlety of snark.

Comment from Cortillaen on 2009-08-26

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:34:43 -0600

Teddy's vacation of his Senate seat was just a few hours early but still a good birthday present. Next year I want to see the Dems trailing by large margins Reps who've come back to conservatism. I always find odd the almost instinctive attempt by most civilized people to cast the deceased in a good light. It's probably clear that I feel nothing of that compunction: Dying does not make someone any more or less deserving of praise or scorn. He was a poor soldier and a worse politician, and the few times he was on the right of things purely because of emotional views do not even come close to outweighing the wretched rest of his actions. The biggest part of the whole deal, for me, is that Teddy won't be doing any more harm. I wish his family the best in dealing with his passing, but that's the extent of my sympathies in the matter.

Comment from Galensmark on 2009-08-26

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:33:37 -0600

Steve, did you hear they are burying him at Arlington?

The scumbags all use military service for political promotion; Kerry and Gore come to mind. When I was trying to not get shot any more times than absolutely necessary in Vietnam, Gore was serving there with a BODYGUARD! F'n Arlington...I can't believe it!

Comment from USMC Steve on 2009-08-26

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:26:15 -0600

Nothing noteworthy or deserving of respect here. He did it purely to further his political ambitions, didn't do it particularly well, and his communist loving, nazi collaborating, gun running daddy greased his every move so he didn't get shit canned out of the army. By my understanding, he was as lousy a soldier as Jimi Hendrix was.

Honorable service rates respect, but that does not apply here.

Comment from Spiff on 2009-08-26

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:33:22 -0600

You forgot to mention that Teddy signed up for 3 years in the Arrmy, relized his error and had daddy Joe resend his commentment for 2 years. Not the brightest twig on the family tree...