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War hero's family calls book a 'dishonor'

Charge author with using Ripley to push political agenda

By EARL KELLY, Staff Writer

Published 11/10/09

On this, the 234th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps, a new book about Annapolis - and national - hero Col. John Ripley is coming under fire from the late Marine's family.

Earl Kelly — The Capital Norman J. Fulkerson is the author of a controversial new book about Annapolis resident and Vietnam War hero Marine Col. John Ripley.

Ripley's children say the author is using their father's image to push a narrow anti-gay, anti-women social agenda.

Norman J. Fulkerson, author of the newly published "An American Knight: The Life of Colonel John W. Ripley, USMC," volunteered in an interview last week that he wrote about Ripley because the Vietnam War hero shared the writer's views that homosexuals should not be allowed to serve in the military and women should be...

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Col. Ripley and the detractors - 2010-02-02 16:01:01

Bitter people will always be bitter until they let the Truth set them free.

Yet Truth itself makes people bitter if it is against their personal beliefs. So a change in personal beliefs is needed, to align more closely to God's Will instead of your will. This is where society has broke down, abandoning God's Will for your will.

The only way to settle the issue is to fully read and understand Col. Ripley's life story, including his testimony IN Congress. The natural inclination would be to tone down his words. Instead he emphatically spoke about homosexuals and their perversions.

Col. Ripley's beliefs were widely known and it is now "politically correct" to dilute his beliefs in an attempt to settle their own minds in this anti-God world we live in.

If you were someone who was lukewarm about these beliefs and wanted to stay lukewarm, you don't provide this type of testimony, and thereby bring significant scrutiny to your own life.

IF the children don't hold his views, it would be natural to speak out and against, the public record which their father has put forth. They may be embarrassed that their father had such views BECAUSE of the pressures of this "politically correct" environment in which we live.

It is uncomfortable to reconcile people's deviate behavior to the behavior God asks of us, so therefore we have to turn to bitterness, deceit, and an obtuse logic to justify homosexual behavior. I for one am sick of people pushing their agendas, instead of living the way of the Lord. When a disagreement leads to defending immorality with lies and deceit, only the master of deceit wins the argument, but the Glory of God will last forever.

Col. Ripley was a true Catholic, a honorable soldier, and yes An American Knight.

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Tom Lloyd - Ballwin, MO - Karma: Neutral

To Beth - 2009-11-19 11:54:14

Mary Ripley is very aware of her father's statements to Congress all those many years ago. She is also aware of his intent and the context.

You don't know her, but I do and I assure you that NO ONE could pressure Mary Ripley to speak anything other than her true and honest opinion.

You do not need to worry about your third option, Col. Ripley's children know and honor their father.

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Maggie Miller - Kingston, MA - Karma: Neutral

Col. Ripley's Quote - 2009-11-13 17:16:40

Is there a link available that provides Col. Ripley's Congressional testimony? I would like to read his full testimony to get the full context of what he said.

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Rick Wilmes - Beaverton, Or - Karma: Neutral

Let's hear it directly from Col. Ri - 2009-11-13 16:22:12

This article leaves me with more questions than answers. Either Col. Ripley's daughter knows nothing about her father's Congressional testimonies or she received enormous political pressure to make that statement.

As a military wife I've followed this debate for almost 20 years, and back in the day followed Ripley's actions. He could not have been more stalwart in trying to preserve the integrity of this hollowed institution.

It's probably better not to think about the third option: Could some of Ripley's family actually dislike his non PC positions?
I would've liked to see the (or an) article actually quote Ripley's testimonies and then logically counter his arguments. I will be getting Fulkerson's book. Thank you!

Beth

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Beth Sanders - Hanover, pa - Karma: Neutral

Better Coice - 2009-11-12 11:45:09

If you want to read a good book about Col. John Ripley get a hold of
The Bridge at Dong Ha by John Grider Miller
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/803524/used/The%20Bridge%20at%20Dong%20Ha

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Maggie Miller - Kingston, MA - Karma: Neutral

Gee, what's in Spring Grove? - 2009-11-11 15:46:33

I'm not surprised that you can pull 26 year old quotes out of thin air.

Col. Ripley was a great man, leave him out of your homophobic rants.

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Maggie Miller - Kingston, MA - Karma: Neutral

Director quote from Col. Ripley's t - 2009-11-11 11:19:35

This quote is for Maggie Miller. Since Col. Ripley's full statement would be too long to include in this short comment, here is a sample taken from government records, which demonstrates that my reading comprehension is not that bad after all.

Here it is:

"Americans are decent, God-fearing people. They do not consider homosexuality to be decent, normal or acceptable, and they will not permit their children to be around those who have a propensity or even exposure to this type of conduct; therefore, your military will become one of deviants, deviant from the American norm. It may be called an alternative life style; we call it a perversion of normality. It is a perversion of nature, it is a perversion of God's law, it is a perversion of statutory law."

Excerpt from:
Statement by Col. John W. Ripley USMC for the House Armed Services Committee; The Preservation of the Ban of Homosexuals in the Armed Forces; 4 May 1993.

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Christine Fernandez - Spring Grove, pa - Karma: Neutral

Col. Ripley Quote - 2009-11-11 11:08:34

The following is a quote from a statement by Col. Ripley for the House Armed Services Committee:

The Preservation of the Ban of Homosexuals in the Armed Forces

"I can tell you as a Marine you will virtually destroy the Marine Corps by imposing on us this deviation of values [allowing homosexuals in the military]which we hold dear, which we have fought for and which we know to be proper. You are attacking our personal integrity, you are attacking our honor and no military organization can exist without honor and personal integrity. You are asking us to look the other way ignoring a practice we feel deviant, destructive and in conflict with American and God-fearing values. We cannot do this."

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Cesar Franco - Spring Grove, PA - Karma: Neutral

Christine - 2009-11-10 19:12:45

Please keep working on that reading comprehension, you have a way to go!

You may have read Mr. Fulkerson's book, and you may agree with Mr. Fulkerson's views. However, you do not know that Col. Ripley felt that homosexuality was a vice. All that is in the public record is that Col. Ripley felt homosexuals should not openly serve in the military. There is not any place, except in Mr. Fulkerson's imagination, where you can find Col. Ripley giving any reason for that stance other than the expected impact such policies would have on combat effectiveness.

Whatever Col. Ripley's private thoughts on homosexuality...they were just that....private.

Mr. Fulkerson has turned one casual meeting with Col. Ripley into some sort of fantasy.

I think Col. Ripley's family is a more trustworthy source when it comes to his views, don't you?

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Maggie Miller - Kingston, MA - Karma: Neutral

Family values - 2009-11-10 16:58:51

Since I read the book, I'd like to make a comment regarding this article, which appears to be somewhat biased.

First off, it's no revelation that most Americans agree with Col. Ripley and Fulkerson: homosexual vice is not good for the family, society or our military. There are volumes of serious academic studies, as well as ample sociological research to support this. The family unit (mother, father united in marriage, open to new life) is the building block of western Christian civilization. For Mr. Kelly to characterize that reality, which is rooted in both natural and divine law, as a shifting "political agenda" or some sort of hate-mongering is just not honest.

As for woman in combat, why can't men just be men and woman just be woman?

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Christine Fernandez - Spring Grove, pa - Karma: Neutral