XPost: calgary.general, can.general, can.politics 
 XPost: edm.general 
 From: nospam@sprynet.com 
  
 On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 01:30:27 GMT, while chained to a desk in the 
 scriptorium, Jon Flamming  wrote: 
 > $In  John Fleming  wrote: 
 > $> On 16 Jan 2005 13:40:28 -0800, while chained to a desk in the 
 > $> scriptorium, bcpg@canada.com wrote: 
 > $> 
 > $>> $"Press your nose and make a buzzer sound" Glen 
 > $>> $ 
 > $>> $The question was: "How many Presidents have fought in combat in the 
 > $>> $last 200 years?" 
 > $>> $. 
 > $>> $The answer is still "zero". No Presidents have *ever* been in combat. 
 > $> 
 > $> Maybe not while sitting *in* the oval office as President of the US. 
 > $> However, as Glen does point out, many have served their country in a 
 > $> military capacity at some point during their careers.  This can 
 > $> include time in a theatre of combat operations. 
 > $ 
 > $However, many a President and member of Congress has invented military 
 > $careers for themselves. There is the famous case of President Kennedy, 
 > $who many believe was a war hero while commanding a PT boat in the 
 > $Pacific during WWII. Recently, there has been doubts cast on that tale. 
 > $Kennedy did command the PT boat as it was supposed to be a low potential 
 > $for combat opperation. However, when Kennedy's boat was lost, the tale 
 > $emerged about how he saved two crew members. It was revealled years 
 > $later that it was two other crew members who did the rescue work, while 
 > $Kennedy was incapacitated. It was Kennedy's father who helped created 
 > $the story about his son's heroics as a means to build a political career 
 > $for him. And, it is believed, he bought the silence of all who survived 
 > $PT 109, so as to make sure that there would be no complications for his 
 > $son later on. 
  
 So the story was allegedly embellished a bit.  As long as the core 
 details are correct, that Kennedy captained a PT Boat in the Pacific 
 during WW2, it supports my contention that many presidents served in 
 some branch of the US military at some point during their lives. 
  
 QED. 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)