By Jerry McConnell —— Bio and Archives May 20, 2010
Comments | Print This | Subscribe | Email Us
“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. (From NY Times – via savetheGOP.com 05-18-10)"When we returned from Vietnam, I remember the taunts, the verbal and even physical abuse we encountered," according to a 2008 Connecticut Post story. The Times story said Blumenthal has intimated that he suffered the mistreatment veterans received after returning from Vietnam. At a veterans event in Shelton, for example, he said, "When we returned from Vietnam, I remember the taunts, the verbal and even physical abuse we encountered," according to a 2008 Connecticut Post story. I and many thousands of other Marines and former Marines are owed an apology from Mr. Blumenthal. Errors in speeches do happen but the quoted lines as noted above are not errors; they are intentional lies. It doesn’t take a lawyer to determine that, and as a lawyer himself, Blumenthal should be ashamed of his reluctance in admitting to same. He only makes his case to the voting public much more tenuous and shaky by his attempts to redirect the main issue from telling lies to defending his overall service while in the Marines. Granted, admitting that he intentionally lied would just about totally doom his quest for election, but the public can see the cover-up clearly and his goal is severely damaged. “Fess up, Mr. Blumenthal, and admit that you were sort of “wishful thinking” when you intimated your physical presence in Vietnam. I do believe the public will be a bit softer on you; and you will relieve the pain and anguish of many men and women who call themselves Marines.
Gerald A. “Jerry” McConnell, 92, of Hampton, died Sunday, February 19, 2017, at the Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill, Mass., surrounded by his loved ones. He was born May 27, 1924 in Altoona, Pa., the fifth son of the late John E. and Grace (Fletcher) McConnell.
Jerry served ten years with the US Marine Corps and participated in the landing against Japanese Army on Guadalcanal and another ten years with the US Air Force. After moving to Hampton in 1957 he started his community activities serving in many capacities.
He shared 72 years of marriage with his wife Betty P. (Hamilton) McConnell. In addition to his wife, family members include nieces and nephews.
McConnell’s e-book about Guadalcanal, “Our Survival was Open to the Gravest Doubts”