Chicago Tribune Editor breaks silence, recalls Kerry heroism

[Inland]

check out sunday's Trib for documentation and personal recollections that blow Scum Boat Vets for Bush out of the water.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-040821kerry,1,7582568.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Rood's account also sharply contradicts the version currently put forth by the anti-Kerry veterans. Rood, 61, wrote that Kerry had personally contacted him and other crew members in recent days asking that they go public with their accounts of what happened on that day.

Rood said that, ever since the war, he had "wanted to put it all behind us—the rivers, the ambushes, the killing. … I have refused all requests for interviews about Kerry's service—even those from reporters at the Chicago Tribune."

"I can't pretend those calls had no effect on me, but that is not why I am writing this," Rood said. "What matters most to me is that this is hurting crewmen who are not public figures and who deserved to be honored for what they did. My intent is to tell the story here and to never again talk publicly about it."

[quaoar]

1. Why does the Trib

Make accessing its site such a pain in the ass?

[librechik]

11. don't use the link above--go directly to www.chicagotribune.

com. There's no registration nonsense there--the story is top upper left!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. Remarkably...

powerful stuff. Now, is it a knock-out punch? Prolly not. It is very hard to render lower life forms, with unsophisticated nervous systems, unconcious. Very hard indeed.

[KC21304]

3. Oh I think this will help immensely.

Another nail in the coffin.

[salib]

7. But we are not after the lying cabal of SBVFT's

But after * and his admin. That is where the lawsuit is headed and that should be our target. Of course, they qualify as lower life forms, as well.

[Inland]

9. Exactly, and Kerry and the media--and Bush's refusal to denounce--tie them

[murielm99]

4. I have noticed that about many Nam vets...

They don't really want to talk about it.

It must have been a horrific nightmare.

Thye have tried to put it behind them, and that is that.

[otohara]

5. Very Powerful

Thanks for breaking your silence Mr. Rood O8)

[seabeyond]

6. not having experienced war or vietnam, i know nuthin, but

i saw months ago, the ability to do some healing with 40 years ago in our history. no, vets dont want to talk it, yet, it is still a part of many of their lives. i saw this as a time, a need to talk it. i was surprised the direction that talking went, a dishonoring, like the times so many years ago. how they are so willingly dishonoring kerry, yet still, i think now is time for vets to all stand. and voice. and those that say can never forgive for kerry coming back and betraying us. own, without shame, own what happened over there. we all know there was autrocities, there is in this war, there are in all wars, it isnt something to deny, it happened, and get beyond.

[librechik]

8. Chi Trib is a highly conservative paper

this is big--very big

And a newspaper editor by definition has a lot of credibility, compared to the average Joe.

Despite the "put it all behind us" rigmarole, I can only think this Rood guy is a Republican who felt some partisan constraint about revealing this important info. (that's why it took him 35 years!!!???!!) But right is right. Not every Republican is a vicious amoral monster like Bush and his Dad.

But whatever--Thank you for coming forward, Mr. Rood.

[Inland]

10. Tribune is a republican paper--it always has been

Born as an organ of the republican party, it remains so. Good paper, but you have to know its biases.