Fighting was tough and bloody in Korea in January 1951 and this transport of 1900 enlisted and 70 officers was headed right for it. Like our President, Pat Robertson's father was a Senator and made sure Pat stayed far from combat. The story is written by the former Republican from California, Paul McClsokey, himself a veteran Marine of fighting in Korea and a Republican politician from California (who came out and endorsed John Kerry in 2004) and who remembers Robertson claiming he was a "combat Marine" when running for President and doing surprisingly well in the Republican primaries before he was outed as a liar.
This link is to Chapter 12 of McCloskey's book and is a brilliantly written look at how a Senator's son got preferential treatment in a time of war, and I'm sure, if the truth were fully known, Pres. Bush's journey was very similar during Vietnam.
Although while Robertson was in the rear as a "liquor officer", he at least had to show up for some kind of duty, unlike President Bush.
QUOTE
In 1986, a new force emerged in US politics that would, in the 1994 elections, result in a major change in the alignment of the US Congress -- the "Christian right" -- an assortment and loose coalition of "Christian" organizations working, in their view, to bring about a "Christian" America. In fact, they are working to bring about an America that fits their narrow definition of America. These people are neither "Christian" nor "right." Instead, they are dictatorial, mean-spirited, and intolerant. Their principal leader is one Pat Robertson.
No doubt you have seen Robertson on his television show, the "700 Club" where, among other outrageous claims, Robertson claims to occasionally receive messages from God. It works -- Robertson raises huge amounts of money from the misled faithful.
In his 1986 presidential campaign, Robertson claimed that he was a "combat Marine" who had served in combat during the Korean War. This claim was a lie, typical of others told by Robertson. However, this was one lie that he could not get away with -- there were Marines who knew Robertson and who knew the truth.
The following is a chapter from the book The Taking of Hill 610 And Other Essays on Friendship, by Paul N. McCloskey, Jr. (1992; Eaglet Books, 580 Mountain Home Road, Woodside, CA 94062). In this chapter, the author lays out the facts of Robertson's Marine Corps service. Pat Robertson's father was a US senator who intervened with the Marine Corps to have his son assigned to duty in the rear, away from combat. Robertson served in Korea as the "liquor officer" -- responsible for keeping the officers' clubs supplied with liquor. There he also was known to drink himself and to frequent prostitutes -- he even feared that he had contracted gonorrhea.
No doubt you have seen Robertson on his television show, the "700 Club" where, among other outrageous claims, Robertson claims to occasionally receive messages from God. It works -- Robertson raises huge amounts of money from the misled faithful.
In his 1986 presidential campaign, Robertson claimed that he was a "combat Marine" who had served in combat during the Korean War. This claim was a lie, typical of others told by Robertson. However, this was one lie that he could not get away with -- there were Marines who knew Robertson and who knew the truth.
The following is a chapter from the book The Taking of Hill 610 And Other Essays on Friendship, by Paul N. McCloskey, Jr. (1992; Eaglet Books, 580 Mountain Home Road, Woodside, CA 94062). In this chapter, the author lays out the facts of Robertson's Marine Corps service. Pat Robertson's father was a US senator who intervened with the Marine Corps to have his son assigned to duty in the rear, away from combat. Robertson served in Korea as the "liquor officer" -- responsible for keeping the officers' clubs supplied with liquor. There he also was known to drink himself and to frequent prostitutes -- he even feared that he had contracted gonorrhea.
http://www.schlatter.org/liquor_officer.htm
