In 1971, I awakened after three days of unconsciousness aboard a hospital
        ship off the coast of Vietnam. I could not see, my jaws were wired shut,
        and my left cheekbone was missing, a gaping hole in its place.

        Later, while still in that condition at St Albans Naval Hospital, one of
        my earliest recollections was hearing of John Kerrys testimony before
        Congress.  I remember lying there, in disbelief, as I learned how Kerry told the
        world that I served in an Army reminiscent of Genghis Khans; that officers like
        me routinely let their men plunder villages and rape villagers at will; that
        "war crimes" committed in Vietnam by my fellow soldiers "were not isolated
        incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full
        awareness of officers at all levels of command."

        Then Kerry went to Paris, meeting with the North Vietnamese enemy
        officials, all while our soldiers still fought in the field. The pain and disbelief I
        felt listening to his words went deeper than the pain I felt from the
        enemy fire which seriously wounded my face.

        Eighteen months later I was discharged from the hospital, the wounds
        inflicted by the enemy fully healed. But more than 30 years later, the
        wounds inflicted by John Kerry continue to bring pain to scores of Vietnam
        veterans. Those wounds--the bearing of false witness against me and a
        generation of courageous young Americans who fought and died in
        Vietnam--are much more serious than any wound warranting a Purple Heart.
        Those wounds go to the heart and soul. Those wounds never go away.

        Today, my son is a Marine Corps weapons officer, flying the F/A 18 Hornet.
        He belongs to the same Marine Corps Kerry ridiculed with his 1971 book
        cover showing protestors simulating the Iwo Jima Memorial, raising an
        upside-down American flag. He flies the same F/A 18 fighter jet that Kerry voted
        against in the U. S. Senate. And today, Kerrys picture hangs in an honored place
        in Saigon's war museum, as a hero to the Vietnamese Communists.

        Yet, John Kerry shamelessly drapes himself in the imagery of Vietnam,
        military service and the support of veterans devoid of any media scrutiny.
        Meanwhile, the criticism and disapproval of Kerry by scores of veterans
        continues to fall on deaf ears. Worse yet, any legitimate criticism of
        Kerrys post-war record is discredited as a "personal" attack or an attack
        against his service.

        John Kerry is quick to surround himself with a handful of veterans and
        claims overwhelming support from the veteran community. He ignores,
        however, the wounds he inflicted on millions of veterans, and he refuses to sign a
        waiver to release his military personal records and medical records. This
        is the portrait of a man who has failed to comes to terms with his
        treacherous past.

        I, Dexter Lehtinen, paid for this ad personally, without any connection to
        other individuals or groups, because I want the public to know what John
        Kerry did to our Vietnam veterans.

        Dexter Lehtinen
        7700 S. W. 88th St., Ste. 303, Miami, FL 33156

        (PLEASE PASS THIS ON)