Saw and Spoke to John Kerry at "Jobs" Rally in Charlotte, NC

[Spiffarino]

He was outstanding. If you haven't seen him speak yet, get out there and do it. He's good on TV, but much better in person.

I was totally blown away when I finally got to shake his hand and speak to him in person. Let me tell you what happened.

Like most of us, I am utterly disgusted by the Bush minions' latest smear campaign against John Kerry's service in Vietnam. My father won a Purple Heart and Silver Star on Iwo Jima in 1945, and I believe this slimy ad campaign demeans the awards of all who won them.

I decided to take the medals to the "Jobs" rally in Charlotte and see if I could show them to Kerry. I asked a Secret Service man if I could hold them up and he said, "I wouldn't if I were you," so I just laid them in the palm of my hand and waited in the "handshake line" near the exit.

Kerry was working through the line as fast as he could, and he really was getting kind of tired of the whole thing if the look on his face was any indication, and you could hardly blame him. Still he went on gamely.

I was next to last in line. When he got close I shouted, "Senator! Senator Kerry!" After a couple more shouts he looked right at me and I held up my hand with the medals. He stopped shaking hands and looked at them, then at me. I could tell he knew exactly what they were.

I said, "Senator Kerry, these were my father's medals from Iwo Jima. I want to thank you for bringing honor to these awards."

He got very quiet...hell, everyone did. Then he got the most beatific expression on his face and said, "Thanks. Thank you. It really means a lot to hear that."

I said, "Well you mean a lot to us. So take care of yourself and get out there and get busy!"

He said, "Thank you. I will. I appreciate that."

These words cannot convey his expression. His entire countenance changed when he saw those medals. What I saw in that brief moment was his character, and his deep, abiding humanity.

At that moment I became a die-hard, committed, fanatical supporter of John F. Kerry for President of the United States, not because he isn't Bush, but because is the best person for the job, period, end of discussion.

[JI7]

1. that's so great you did this, i'm sure with all that is going on

with attacks on him, it especially meant a lot that you did that with the medals.

and nice to see he is going on talking about issues that matter to the people.

[rumguy]

2. Awesome story!

Cheers!

[Papillon]

3. Thank you for that story.

It brought tears to my eyes. I wish I could have been there to see it.

[faithnotgreed]

7. exactly. thank you gtrump

[goclark]

8. I'm so happy for you and your family

What a precious memory.

[Pirate Smile]

10. Me too. I bet he needed the positive feedback too.

:yourock:

[Spiffarino]

12. I wish every DU'er could. He's such a great person.

I drove away from the rally and was stunned silent. I couldn't stop thinking about how he reacted. I still can't. The connection we made at that moment was palpable.

They were looking for folks to put on the stage behind the speakers and in front of the cameras. I got lucky (probably because the campaign workers saw the medals) and they put me down below. The rest of my group was up in the balcony and couldn't hear what was going on, but they saw everything. When we got back together they kept asking, "What did you say to him? Why did he just stop like that?"

So it was apparent to everyone, not just those of us who were right there, that something very special had happened.

On a side note, the last person in line was a woman who had survived two bouts of cancer and is now suffering from Parkinson's Disease. She told him her story and he hugged her and talked to her for a long time. Unfortunately it had become noisy again and I couldn't hear the exchange, but I could see that the woman was deeply moved by his kindness.

I'm telling you, this is one great guy we've got here. Don't let the spinmeisters fool you. He's a Mensch.

[PDX Bara]

52. Leaky eyes

Me too! If not for persons like Mr. Kerry and all the honorable people in the armed forces, we would not now have a country by the people and for the people. The Constitution does not say that this is a country by and for only those people with enough financial backing to buy it, although it looks like that is where some of the so-called elites would like it to be.

[iwantmycountryback]

4. Man that's awesome

I really didn't know much about Kerry before he was the clear candidate but ever since then I've learned more and more about him and I have become very impressed with the man and more and more convinced of his political ability and his actual person.

[Greyskye]

5. Fantastic, thank you!

Thanks for sharing that. :yourock:

[pacalo]

6. I appreciate hearing about your encounter...

I think Kerry is an outstanding person.

[enigmatic]

9. That's a great story, and I wish I was there to see that n/m

[quaoar]

11. Fabulous story!

[Toucano]

13. "At that moment I became a die-hard...

committed, fanatical supporter of John F. Kerry for President of the United States, not because he isn't Bush, but because is the best person for the job, period, end of discussion."

That is exactly what I experienced when I had the honor of meeting him. I shook his hand and said, "Thank you for looking out for us." He looked me squarely in the eyes, and thanked ME in return. In his eyes, he held an expression of sincerity and humility that told me he is the one who can fix this mess and SAVE THE WORLD!

I griped and complained about Iowa and New Hampshire like many others here did, but now I understand why those primary voters chose John. Small town people got to meet him. They made the right choice.

I'm glad I'm not the only "Kerry Freak" to be born from a brief interaction. ;)

Thanks for sharing your story and reminding me of mine.

[Nite Owl]

22. Thank you fro sharing

your story, a moment you will never ever forget.

[troublemaker]

14. Good post. (Nicely written too)

[redstateblues]

15. Inspiring Post- Thanks

[in_cog_ni_to]

16. Wonderful story.

It was so kind of you to take your father's medals with you and say what you did to him. I'm sure he needed to hear it and obviously was touched by your actions and words. Thank you for telling your story!

[Lerkfish]

17. that was VERY cool....

thanks for sharing that!

[Frances]

18. Great story!

Would you mind sending it to the editor of your local paper?

I think a lot of your neighbors would like to read about what happened.

Of course, I was already for Kerry, but that story makes me real proud!

[Spiffarino]

19. Yes, I'll do a LTTE.

Thanks for thinking it's deserving.

I'll have to make it a bit more brief and concise so they'll publish it. I sort of let the emotion take me away which is cool for blogging, but the kiss of death for publishing.

[KoKo]

20. Thanks for sharing that. It's very comforting to hear this..from someone

who saw Kerry in an "unguarded moment." :-)'s We all needed to hear this...it's been a rough day here.

[indie_voter]

21. Thank you

I confess, I wasn't a Kerry supporter. I wasn't moved until the convention. I say this as somebody who grew up in MA, cast my first vote for him in the early '80s.

Your post cements my feeling, he is the right man for the right time. Thank you for sharing your story and your dad's medals with Kerry and all of us.

You rock.

[Triana]

23. Wow. I bet that really meant a lot to him...

...and he probably really needed to hear it. VERY cool!

[sonias]

24. beautiful story gtrump

Thanks for showing Kerry some needed support personally. And thank you for your father's service as well.

Sonia

[dad]

25. How did you get a ticket to the rally?

Freaking Kerry comes to CLT and holds his rally at the Grady Cole Center ... 700 people? WTF? Hundreds more of us wanted to go but did not have the opportunity.

[Spiffarino]

28. I'm not sure how the slots were assigned

I got a call from the person who runs "Kerry Asheville" (our local JFK for Prez group) who told me she had up to ten slots available. I don't know where or how she got them. I'll find out and PM you in the next couple of days.

The gym wasn't set up to handle a capacity crowd. After seeing how the security was handled, I understood why they wanted to keep it small. It was way too confined and it would have taken hours to get everyone through. As it stood, it was two hours between check-in and the first speech.

While he was going through the line, the crowd was screaming for him to come back to NC. JK smiled real big and said "I'm looking forward to coming back here a lot in the near future."

If he does, he should book Carter-Finley Stadium; he'd probably fill it.

[RamboLiberal]

26. Great story GTrump - and I think you did something great for

Senator Kerry as well! Wonderful moment. And I think we have a couple of great candidates in Kerry and Edwards (and their families).

[redandstinky]

27. Could never have a story like this about Bush

He wouldn't have grasped the significance of it. And no one would be dumb enough to claim Bush brought honor to anything.

Great story!

[Spiffarino]

30. Thanks...great nickname!

LOL, and welcome to DU!
:toast:

[Richard D]

29. Question

May I post this story at another location? It's wonderful.
Thank you.

[Spiffarino]

31. Absolutely, be my guest.

Even though it lacks literary merit, you can do whatever you want with it as long as you don't alter it. It was straight from the gut and I didn't pay attention to style.

Still, you are welcome to quote from it or use it in its entirety if you think it will help get John Kerry elected. Hell, I'd eat a worm if I thought it would do the job.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[THUNDER HANDS]

34. zzzzz

sorry, your post bored me

[blm]

35. Nice of you to treat this poster's story like crap. Typical of your intent

now well noted to do whatever it takes to undermine and attack our nominee, John Kerry.

Have you no shame?

[molly]

39. He's not a screamer if that's what you like

I met him a few years ago at a Biden Seminar and he is vibrant and alive with an infectious sense of humor. Watching and listening to him, I got the mesmerized by his energy. He also has a lot of stature and class.

[AmerDem]

33. Great story!

Thanks for sharing! It actually made me feel good to read that!:toast:

[Joe Fields]

36. You're very fortunate to have been able to speak to the next

commander-in-chief. I know that if it were me, it would be a moment I would cherish for the rest of my life.

[yellerpup]

37. Thanks for your wonderful story!

Wish I could have been there, too. I do hope he comes back many times in the future. You rock and Kerry rocks!

[TwentyFive]

38. Kudos...very inspiring!

I'm glad there are more Kerry fanatics out there!

When voters watch John Kerry up close in the debates, they will see how genuine he is...a refreshing change from all the hubris coming from the current WH occupant.

[A_Possum]

41. Welcome to DU!

This can be a free-fire zone sometimes, but just turn and charge the beach and you'll be fine. ;)

[faithnotgreed]

45. hi twentyfive - welcome here!

[TWiley]

40. Fantastic post. I feel the same way.

I have been a die hard Kerry fan ever since the October Surprise Senate hearings that looked into the treasonous acts of both bush sr and ray-gun.

He demonstrated incredible courage throughout the proceedings. The best part was when that ass hole jessie helms burst into the room and started screaming and threatening everyone. John Kerry handled it in stride.

He is absolutely the best choice for President.

[UrbScotty]

42. Excellent story.

Thank you for sharing, gtrump.

And, thanks to your dad for your service.

[Killarney]

43. awesome story. thanks for posting that.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

44. Made my day to read this!

Thanks to you, JK, and your dad.

[Spiffarino]

46. Home page? Wow, thanks all!

And to those of you who have expressed gratitude for my father's service, I wish I could thank him, too. However, he died in 1964 when I was five. I was old enough to know about the War, and I asked him once if he ever killed anybody. His answer was, "I sure hope not."

I know from other accounts that he fired his gun often on Iwo Jima, as most everyone there had to, but he never knew if he hit anyone.

The fog of war, indeed.

[ronnykmarshall]

47. That is a wonderful story.

Thanks for sharing that moment.

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Spiffarino]

50. Wow. That's heavy praise...

Welcome to DU, I Claudius! :toast:

How do you come by this feeling? I'd be interested to know, as I'm sure everyone else here would be.

[KittyWampus]

49. Thanks, This Helped Lift My Spirits Somehow.

:)

[flpoljunkie]

51. Thank you for a wonderfully moving story. Brought tears to my eyes.