A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

This father says it all

October 26, 2004 -- THE cliché goes: 'Just business, nothing personal.'
The hell it is.

John Kerry makes me weak in the ankles — and now it's personal, not business.

In the next few days, there will be a person reporting for duty in Iraq. His name is Army Capt. Peter J. Dunleavy.

Capt. Peter J. Dunleavy is not one ounce more special than the guys and gals he will go to Iraq with — no more special than the thousands of the brave boys and girls who have gone before him, and those who will certainly go after him.

He is, of course, special to his wife, Debbie, his mother, Gloria, his brother, Sean, Sean's girlfriend, Laura — and his friends in the sports bars who cheer for the Giants.

He is special to me, as are all the thousands of boys and girls who serve this country, because he looks at fear as a headache and duty as the ultimate.

And yet, John Kerry makes it look like those guys and gals are just victims — wrong war, wrong time, wrong place.

How dare he say that to our brave boys and girls? How dare he whisper it — let alone shout it to the whole world?

Now I am somewhere in Oklahoma to see off Capt. Pete, 37, my eldest boy. I ask him what he makes of Kerry's talk.



'Dad, we don't listen to politicians. We listen to our commanding officers,' he says, growing bored already with the conversation.

I ask him where he is going in Iraq, what he will be doing, as all the worried parents of so many thousands of brave boys and girls surely do.

'Don't know. I'll just go where I am needed,' he says matter-of-factly.

Sunday he left for another base, where he will be re-equipped, before taking off to Iraq in a few days.

On Saturday night, Pete and wife Debbie, a reservist in the Navy, had their last night out for a long time — at the Navy Ball.

It was there that Pete was given the official honor of re-enlisting his wife for another two years.

Capt. Pete is not worried about Kerry's outrageous statement — wrong war, wrong time, wrong place — because he's stronger and braver than that.

But I sure am worried.

In my book, Kerry is giving comfort and succor to the enemy. And don't forget that Tokyo Rose got jail time for it after World War II, and Jane Fonda, Kerry's soul mate, should have during Vietnam.

'Look, don't worry. I have been in the Reserves for more than 10 years — we are all well-trained, well-equipped,' said Capt. Pete.

'To be honest, apart from having to leave Debbie back here, I'm psyched,' he told me. 'It's a privilege to serve and be given a new chapter of experience.

'I'll just knock this tour over and get on with it. No biggie.'

I was in Baghdad last year, and it was very easy for me. Death was everywhere, but no one was shooting at me.

But that won't be the case for Pete and the men and women with him.

'Dude, don't worry about it,' Capt. Pete says again.

And that's the attitude of the thousands below him and above him, the brave men and women doing the fighting.

But this father does worry — and worries even more about John Kerry.

When John Kerry says wrong war, wrong time, wrong place he undermines not my boy, but our boys. He embarrasses the United States abroad and he saps morale.

And that demands the severest reprimand. It is duplicity and cowardice and political opportunism of the worst kind. It's enough to make you cry.

I don't care what's on your watch, Sen. Kerry, this one's on my watch.

And then we come to the final 'see ya later' at the airport. We hugged — and I couldn't talk.

Then I felt something strange — for the first time, after a lifetime of feeling like an adolescent, I felt old. Sending a kid off to war does that, I guess.

So Capt. Peter J. Dunleavy — and all the guys and gals that are going with you, and all that are there, and all that will come after you — go for the sake of our freedom. For the sake of your wife Debbie's freedom, your mother Gloria's freedom, your brother Sean's freedom, his girlfriend Laura's freedom — and the freedom of the boys in the sports bars cheering for the Giants.

Heck, for the sake of your dog's freedom. His name is Salty Dog. He loves you so much.

To you and all your comrades: Go with God.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

Excellent letter, nice to see someone else feels the same way.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

beautiful letter

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

Thats a great letter, thanks for posting.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

GREAT letter!!!

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

I can't imagine what it's like to send your child off to war. Must be so awful.

as for the anti-Kerry portion of the letter - Mike Dunleavy is entitled to write whatever he wants. I disagree - and think among other things, the Bush administration's ignoring warnings from 2003 that the stockpiles of explosives at Al Qagaa were vulnerable to looting - which resulted in nearly 400 tons being looted - puts troops at risk more than Kerry saying that this is the wrong war at the wrong time.

Maybe the letter to George Bush will appear in tomorrow's paper.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

sorry - STEVE Dunleavy, not Mike. my mistake.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

I completely disagree with that letter. I don't disagree with honoring the sacrifices and the bravery of our troops. but I do believe they are victims. I believe they were sent into harms way without a clear, legitimate reason, without it being the last resort, and without an exit strategy. john kerry knows what it's like to be that kind of victim because he was sent unneccesarily to a similar bloody, uneccessary debacle-Vietnam. I feel so much for those men and women overseas. I just want them home safely. But I believe they were sent over there based on lies into a far more dangerous situation than it was presented as, and now who knows when it will end. I wasn't alive bakc then, but this feels a lot like 1968 to me. It really does.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

thanks marymoon, that's exactly what i wanted to say but i couldn't phrase it properly. i'm also sick of people calling other people unpatriotic, treasonous etc. for voicing their opinion just b/c it we are in a war. being at war doesn't suspend anyone's first amendment right to criticize the war if they want to.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

Criticizing the war (including the 'reasons' for entering into it in the first place) and criticizing the total lack of careful planning and exit strategy does not mean criticizing the troops. Period.

It's more insulting to soldiers to continue to send them there without any fully articulated reason for doing so.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

I'm SO tired of ebing called unpatriotic. And of people telling me 'You don't like it, move to iraq.' or something along those lines. Actually.I love America. And I'm loving America by exercising my freedom of dissent. I'm being patriotic, not by loving every single thing the US does, but by loving our country, even though I acknowledge it is flawed, and wanting it to do the right thing, and to always be on the correct side of right/wrong. I am not doing our troops any disservice by saying I want them home, and that I never wanted them to go into harm's way and DIE in the first place. I really don't see how I'm hurting someon by telling them 'I dont want your son./daughter/husband/wife' to die. I don't get it.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

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Posted by sweetadeline

Criticizing the war (including the 'reasons' for entering into it in the first place) and criticizing the total lack of careful planning and exit strategy does not mean criticizing the troops. Period.

It's more insulting to soldiers to continue to send them there without any fully articulated reason for doing so.

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I agree. While admirable that the son going to war seems brave, saying it is no biggie is just stupid. Regardless of your training, soldiers are being killed daily, and for what? What has changed in the past year? Are soldiers coming home? They are, but in bodybags. Just last week over a dozen soldiers were sent to jail for refusing to go through a dangerous area without appropriate guns in a tank seriously in danger of breaking down. All agreed they would have to have a death wish to do as they were assigned.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

That is a great letter.

All politics aside, it's one man's true feelings. It can not be taken apart as anti Kerry or Pro Bush.

It's a father's heart being poured out into paper. If it was my son/daughter going to war and doing so so prouding as this one is, I'd support him 100% and to hear a presidental candidate say it's a mistake would indeed tick me off.

We can't just vote Kerry and think he'll pull out ALL our troops the next day. That's just stupid. He knows we have to finish what we started, good or bad it doesnt matter. The point is we're there. He just says that stuff to make people feel good, but forgets the thousands of men/women who are his so-called victims can't just leave.

Being a military child with a military family (all but the three girls) I find this letter touching and true.

You can't blame a father for being honest and open about his personal feelings. There's no politics to this, just truth.

Even if Kerry meant what he said, can you see what it means to a father like this? You can't take that away from him. Period.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

I think that letter was beautifully written.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

How cna you say that letter is apolitical? First of all it's in the POST, second of all, it's 'to John Kerry', he's throwing in that whole Jane Fonda thing, which has been PROVEN to be a lie. It's completely politically motivated.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

I think maybe the Post forgot to publish a letter to George W. Bush.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

Hmm..maybe we cna remind them. I have a few choice words for Mr. Bush. But no one in my family is going off to war (although many of them had thier lives DESTROYED by Vietnam), so they can't exploit me that way, so they won't want my letter. Someone with a really topical story will have to write it.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

i think the point of the letter was to emphasize that regardless of politics, most soldiers are serving their country and are happy to do it - even if it means taking the chance of getting killed. we may not like this or agree with this but they signed up for the service and are ready and willing to go where assigned. this is just my view of reading the letter.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

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Posted by MrsTC

i think the point of the letter was to emphasize that regardless of politics, most soldiers are serving their country and are happy to do it - even if it means taking the chance of getting killed. we may not like this or agree with this but they signed up for the service and are ready and willing to go where assigned. this is just my view of reading the letter.

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To me this would have been a more moving letter had he taken the politics out of it. Lines like, 'And yet, John Kerry makes it look like those guys and gals are just victims — wrong war, wrong time, wrong place. How dare he say that to our brave boys and girls? How dare he whisper it — let alone shout it to the whole world?', make it political. I inferred that the point of the letter was making an anti-Kerry case. If it was meant to emphasize our brave troops, he should have skipped the political agenda.

Re: A letter to John Kerry -- in today's NY Post

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Posted by MrsTC

i think the point of the letter was to emphasize that regardless of politics, most soldiers are serving their country and are happy to do it - even if it means taking the chance of getting killed. we may not like this or agree with this but they signed up for the service and are ready and willing to go where assigned. this is just my view of reading the letter.

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That's how I saw it too. I too am sick and tired of people calling those in the armed services 'victims.' That completely undermines their intelligence and free will. You know better than they what they want they want for themselves?? I don't think so.