Topic category:  Other/General

by Jim Kouri, CPP

The American Legion, the largest military veterans group in the US, has called on Sen. John Kerry to apologize for suggesting that American troops in Iraq are uneducated.

According to WCBS News in New York, the AL's National Commander, Paul A. Morin, said in a statement "as a constituent of Senator Kerry’s I am disappointed. As leader of The American Legion, I am outraged.”

Senator Kerry told students at Pasadena City College, "you know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

“The senator’s false and outrageous attack was over-the-top and he should apologize now,” Morin said. “A generation ago, Sen. Kerry slandered his comrades in Vietnam by saying that they were rapists and murderers. It wasn’t true then and his warped view of today’s heroes isn’t true now.”

Commander Morin also said while the Legion and Senator Kerry both agree on the importance of education, "the troops in Iraq represent the most sophisticated, technologically superior military that the world has ever seen.”

“I think there is a thing or two that they could teach most college professors and campus elitists about the way the world works," he said.

The American Legion has 2.7-million members.

"I believe Kerry expresses the true feelings of his comrades in the Democrat Party. They look down on soldiers, sailors, Marines, police officers and others who risk their lives for Americans. To the Democrats, these men and women are uneducated chumps," accuses GOP political analyst Mike Baker.

Sid Francis, a former New York City Police detective and US Marine believes Kerry is out of touch with men and women who truly wish to serve their country.

"This man, who married into wealth twice, looks down on patriots and men and women who serve as soldiers and cops. It's obvious he believes they're chumps," Francis said.

The National Association of Chiefs of Police is planning to send out a press release condemning Sen. Kerry's comments.

"Kerry thinks that because he served 4 months in Vietnam, that gives him the right to undermine our troops while they are in the battlefield. He did it during the Vietnam War and he's doing it during this war," said a spokesperson for the 14,000-member police organization.

Jim Kouri
Chief of Police Magazine (Contributing Editor)

Biography - Jim Kouri

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for a number of organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and crime magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law Enforcement Journal, and others. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores. Kouri holds a bachelor of science in criminal justice and master of arts in public administration and he's a board certified protection professional.