Kankakee veteran says Kerry's the one

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http://www.starnewspapers.com/index/s-col-za.html

The Newsroom Iconoclast

Kankakee vet swears Kerry's the one

Sunday, June 20, 2004





By Michael J. Bowers, Star columnist
Two weeks ago, I told the story of Don Matras of Lemont, a Swift boat veteran who thinks John Kerry is the wrong man for president.

Today, I bring you the story of Jim Wasser of Kankakee, who served on the same deck as Kerry and thinks he'd be a great president.

Wasser is an electrician in Kankakee and a member of the District 111 school board. During the war, he was fluent in all three Vietnamese dialects. He's also outrageously likable.

I met Wasser on Memorial Day at the Veterans Home in Manteno, where he delivered a few moving comments.

Then, we drove to his house in St. Anne. I had a list of questions, but immediately forgot all about them. We just yakked for two hours.

Let me tell you: If John Kerry had a personality like Jim Wasser, the Massachusetts senator would win all 50 states this fall.



My first question: Did you really eat cockroaches?

Wasser knew the question was coming. He laughed and said yes, it's true.

It worked like this, according to a new book by Douglas Brinkley called "Tour of Duty":

In training at Coronado Island, San Diego, in summer 1968, Wasser was broke and usually up for a dare.

Therefore, he earned beer money through a form of "performance art."

First, he found someone willing to pay him $1. Then, he pounded the wall of the enlisted men's club, sending a cockroach running into the open.

Wasser would cripple his prey, douse it with salt and swallow it whole. I'm no expert, but I'd say a man who can eat a squirming cockroach is probably qualified to serve in Vietnam.

But war is not all bonhomie. Eventually, our conversation turned to Kerry.

"I respect him, because he listened to us," Wasser told me. "He was never an egomaniac. He relied on us to break him in. It didn't take long to form a bond.

"I don't judge him by his awards. I found him easy to talk to. This is from my head and my heart. He was not aloof and standoffish. He is an ironman. He possessed and displayed the qualities to be president."

In "Tour of Duty," Wasser adds: "Some people were suspicious of him because he would talk to himself into a tape recorder. … But I'm talking straight: He always put his men's welfare first, and was tough, tough, tough. He was a great leader."

What about the critics? I asked. What about John O'Neill and his 220-member group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth?

Wasser says the naysayers just don't know. He also thinks O'Neill is sullied because he was "hand-picked by Richard Nixon" to discredit Kerry after the "Genghis Khan" speech in 1971.

At the time, Wasser says, he resented Kerry's speech as well. But his opinion started to change in 1975. Wasser decided Kerry was saying things that needed to be said:

We were fighting to bring democracy to people who didn't really know what democracy was, and didn't care either. They just wanted to grow rice, catch fish and live their lives.



Now here's another view.

The same week I was talking with Wasser, I heard by e-mail from Steve Gardner of Clover, S.C.

Of the 10 living crew members who served directly with Kerry, only Gardner opposes Kerry. He was the front gunner on PCF 44, Kerry's first boat. He says Kerry was an indecisive leader who twice put him in danger by turning the boat the wrong way under fire.

I thought this to be a pretty serious charge, so I asked the Kerry campaign for a response. Shortly, I got a phone call from Del Sandusky, a former crew member who is prominently mentioned in "Tour of Duty."

Sandusky provided an enlivened counter-argument to Gardner's charges. And he added, "We knew the real John Kerry, the man who saved our lives and made us proud, in a profound way."

This, he says, is something the Kerry detractors just cannot grasp.

But I'm running out of room here. I will leave the boat maneuver discussion for the future. In the meantime, I'm not sure what to think any more. You may have to make your own assessment.

I recommend you start by reading the transcript of the debate between Kerry and John O'Neill 33 years ago on "The Dick Cavett Show." Dial up www.wintersoldier.com and search for "1971 debate."

The debate was fascinating, extremely informative and occasionally campy in an unintentional way.

For example, returning from a commercial break amid this deadly serious discussion, Cavett must pause to speak these words:

"Lawry's Seasoned Salt is great on all kinds of meat, on salads and on chicken too."

Once you've read the transcript, if you want to read about why veterans like Steve Gardner and Don Matras oppose Kerry for president, remain on the Web site and explore.

On the other hand, if you want to read about why veterans like Del Sandusky and Jim Wasser support Kerry, then pick up "Tour of Duty." It's $25.95 at the big bookstores.

You also can read their testimonials on the official campaign Web site, www.johnkerry.com.

For now, I will just let our Kankakee neighbor Jim Wasser have the last word:

"John Kerry is the veteran's veteran," Wasser says. "He had a presence. I trusted him then, and I trusted him now. He made good, sound command decisions. We lost no one.

"I want someone for president who is tested, and this man is tested.

"John Kerry is a proven commander."

Michael Bowers is a copy editor and page designer for The Star. His column appears every other Sunday. He can be reached by e-mail at [e-mail].