This is from a guy who was there,like my father was-->>"Let me identify myself and give you a brief introduction about who I am and why I am doing this. My name is Donald Martin and I live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I am a Vietnam Vet and served three tours of duty there. I can tell you quite frankly that I have never talked about this publicly for the past 30-some years and the reason I am doing so now will be self-explanatory as you read on.

You are probably saying to yourself, “Why did this guy serve three tours of duty, was he nuts?” No, I served three tours because I had two younger brothers, Robert and John, and I served in Vietnam so they wouldn’t have to. The rule was no brothers could serve in a combat zone at the same time so I served in their stead. I was in the 82nd Airborne Division, in a 14-man reconnaissance unit. I can tell you that during the time I was in Vietnam, I saw a lot of action on the ground, was in numerous fire fights and I saw a lot of my buddies killed and wounded in action.

I was very lucky for the first two and a half years. However, six months into my third tour of duty, a Viet Cong threw a hand grenade at my position and it went off near my head--blowing off half of my face. Both my hearing and my eyesight were greatly impaired. However, I was lucky to be alive. I got my purple heart and that’s how I left Vietnam. I am still suffering the effects of those wounds to this very day. I had many reconstructive plastic surgery procedures and was in a lot of pain, but you know what, my brothers are still with me and for that I am very thankful.

What bothered me the most about my Vietnam experience was listening to John Kerry say that all Vietnam Vets committed war crimes on a daily basis! That is just a flat out lie! I can tell you that in the 30 months I served in Vietnam I did not commit any war crimes and never saw anyone else commit them either. I was not raised that way! In fact, my unit went out of its way to protect civilians. There were many times we kept them out of harms way by not calling in air strikes or taking them out of a combat zone. We didn’t shoot men, women and children in cold blood like John Kerry said he did. So for John Kerry to brand me a war criminal, because he committed war crimes, deeply troubled me then and it deeply troubles me today. That is the reason for this website, so I can do my small part to set the record straight. I think I owe it to the guys that I served with and especially to the real heroes, the ones that didn’t make it back.

John Kerry has publicly admitted to committing war crimes and atrocities in Vietnam and I just feel very strongly that anyone that has committed war crimes is not fit to be the President of the United States or, for that matter, even a United States Senator. Have we gone so far down this degenerate path in our society that we think it’s just fine to elect an admitted war criminal for President? On the contrary, I think that when John Kerry made those self admissions in 1971, he should have been arrested and charged with war crimes at that time.

I have been a Democrat all my life and this will be the first time I will be voting for a Republican. I cannot vote for a person that has brought so much dishonor to so many that served their country so well. I know what I have to say will make a lot of people unhappy, but I fought for 30 months in Vietnam preserving free speech for others, so I think I’ve earned that right for myself as well. What you see on this site is just an expression of free speach.

I am not an Evangelical Christian and, in fact, I don’t even go to church. I am not with any group, nor am I affiliated with any 527’s. I am doing this on my own because I just feel that the national media has given John Kerry a free pass in ignoring his record and I feel compelled to try to set the record straight"


|UPDATED|10/23/2004 10:18:51 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

All i can say is THANKS for men like you.

vettebeige81 said: All i can say is THANKS for men like you.

Sorry,I just added some info to the top of that statement,becuaes I was not in SE Asia,but I lost my father there,after many trips "in country" he was killed on his last mission before retirement after almost 30 years protecting us here in the USA.

Mr. Martin:

As a fellow retired vet....but not a Vietnam Vet, I stand with and salute you! What a courageous act. God does have a place for you.

Mr. Martin I am a young man of 37 but I was raised in military boarding highschool. The men (Colonels and captains) who ran the school were ret. Vets who served in that war. Very squared away honorable men who taught me alot mostly about life. They also taught me about what Jane Fonda and John Kerry and others did against them and our country. One man, Colonel Harrington, in particular would not premit us to speak her name in his classroom, and a very mild mannered man by nature acted very differently when this was brought up. He was sort of mad and deeply pained, unlike I had ever seen him. I guess I did not understand then but I do now. it is twenty yeras later that I found out who John Kerry (that he spoke of ) is.
I am sad that you guys have to deal with him again I applaud all you are doing I can only assure you I will cast my vote against him, and pray.
By the way when I left those men I went on to serve in The United States Navy and served twice inthe Persian Gulf(operation Vigilant sentinal, Op. Southern watch Destoyer escort. It was an honor to do it.
You sir were as honorable then as you are today Thank you.God Bess,

Mark Molyneaux

Sorry,guys,I guess I wasnt very clear before.The statement that I started this thread with was not written by me,my name is Jon.However,I found it factual and it relates to me in the fact that I lost my father over there.I was an only son when I joined the USMC in '75,to the protests of my mother & sister.A surviving son is not required to enlist.But it turns out over the 4 active USMC years + my 5 USNR years no major conflicts arised.I then was DOD Naval Base Police where my father started it all,in NB Pearl Harbor,Hawaii. This is a tribute I contributed to for my dad..-->> http://www.virtualwall.org/dm/MartinHC01a.htm