Common Sense:
Listen to the people who have first hand experience with something, before making costly (in terms of LIVES, money, etc) decisions.
Not Applied:
The people who avoided war for themselves are rather quick to engage others in it.
Here is a list of people and their military service:
Democrats
Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971; army journalist 20th Engineer Brigade
Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received 311
Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor; Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V
Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam
Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea
Chuck Robb: Vietnam
Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-’47; Medal of Honor, WWII
David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72
Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star, 7 campaign ribbons
George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII
Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star
Howell Heflin: Silver Star
Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91
Jimmy Carter: Seven years, U.S. Navy
John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs, Air Medal with 18 Clusters
John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts
Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, Soldier’s Medal
Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam
Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart
Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star, Legion of Merit
Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71
Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-1953
Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72
Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg
Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
Republicans
Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base
Bill Frist: did not serve
Bob Dole: an honorable veteran
Colin Powell: Long career in military management
Dennis Hastert: did not serve
Dick Cheney: did not serve; Several deferments, the last by marriage
Donald Rumsfeld: U.S. Navy, 1954-57, as aviator and flight instructor
Douglas Feith: did not serve
Eliot Abrams: did not serve
George H.W. Bush: Pilot in WWII. Shot down by the Japanese
George Pataki: did not serve
George W. Bush: failed to complete six-year National Guard obligation; failed to show up for required medical exam so grounded from flying
Gerald Ford: Navy, WWII
Heather Wilson: Air Force 1978-1989
Jack Kemp: did not serve: “Bad knee,” but continued in NFL for 8 years
JC Watts: did not serve
Jeb Bush: did not serve
John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business
John Engler: did not serve
John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross
Karl Rove: did not serve
Newt Gingrich: did not serve
Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve
Richard Perle: did not serve
Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies
Rudy Giuliani: did not serve
Saxby Chambliss: did not serve: “Bad knee.” (attacked Cleland’s patriotism)
Tom Delay: did not serve
Tom Ridge: Bronze Star for Valor in Vietnam
Trent Lott: did not serve
Pundits & Others
Antonin Scalia: did not serve
Bill Bennett: did not serve
Bill Kristol: did not serve
Bill O’Reilly: did not serve
Clarence Thomas: did not serve
George Will: did not serve
Kenneth Starr: did not serve
Michael Savage: did not serve
Pat Buchanan: did not serve
Paul Gigot: did not serve
Ralph Reed: did not serve
Rush Limbaugh: did not serve 4-F with a pilonidal cyst
Ted Nugent: did not serve
I don’t know if the description for Mr. Limbaugh is accurate or a joke, but it sure is an interesting coincidence! Snopes says it is true.
