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Nov. 4, 2004 am reading a book entitled, "Riverine: A Brown Water Sailor In The Delta, 1967", by Don Sheppard. After serving 30 years, Commander Sheppard retired from the Navy in 1977. He was an Electronics Technician Chief Petty Officer when he went to Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Ensign. During the period the book covers he was a Lieutenant Commander in Vietnam, serving as Commander River Division 51. He was in charge of PBR's (Patrol River Boats) on the Bassac River in the Mekong Delta, south of Saigon. The book was published by Presidio Press, with a copyright date of 1992. Some of the articles I have had published received feedback to the effect that the accusations against John Kerry's Naval service were partisan politics. It is difficult to explain an ethical code that we, as Naval Officers, lived under, to somebody who has no such code in their life's experiences. Loyalty up- and-down the chain-of-command and integrity seemed meaningless phrases to people who saw only a political candidate apparently being smeared. They seemed not to comprehend that what seemed insignificant and irrelevant to them was a very real issue to us. Here is an excerpt from Don Sheppard's book, which was written 12 years prior to my statements regarding "sickbay commandoes" and the way most service people looked down upon such people. The excerpt is from chapter 12, entitled, "The People". "Another indication of the quality of the men showed in the reporting of wounds. An enlisted man wounded twice rotated home. An officer could receive three wounds before transferring out. Because of this the men asked that wounds not be recorded after the first one. If the man went into the hospital, there was no choice. Many wounded who should have gone to the hospital received treatment by our corpsman, which was left unrecorded. This was the mettle of the Bassac Interdictors". The attitude Sheppard writes of is indicative of the attitude I saw consistently throughout my time in the service. Although there were a few sickbay commandoes, they were generally perceived as wimps. The Brown Water Navy consisted of PBRs and PCFs (Patrol Craft Fast), nicknamed Swift Boats. Attitudes among the Swift Boat crews would have been the same as those amongst the PBRs. Putting in for a Purple Heart for a scratch would have been received with ridicule amongst sailors. Anybody receiving three Purple Hearts for self- induced wounds from grenades would have been a laughing stock and the butt of jokes, not perceived as a hero. The election is over, the partisan politics regarding the candidate on the losing team are meaningless now. What remains are basic guiding principles of life. And for Naval Officers, those include loyalty up-and-down the chain-of-command and integrity. Part of loyalty involves supporting those who truly merit decorations, and debunking the myths of those that are fraudulent. Partisan politics were not behind the accusations against John Kerry's Naval Service and subsequent treasonous behavior as an anti-war dissident meeting with enemy officials, and promoting an enemy agenda. Had he been elected president, John Kerry would have been commander-in-chief of our armed forces, a role he does not deserve. Each of us swore an oath to protect our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Kerry's actions broke that oath, and placed him in the second category. Speaking out against him becoming commander-in-chief is not partisan politics, but a fulfillment of our oath. ------------ About the author Joseph Boudreau: I spent just under 24 years in the Navy, 9 on active duty, the rest in the Naval Reserves. From paygrade E-1 I advanced to paygrade O-4, and retired as a Lieutenant Commander. Email: bunnyboggins@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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