Hey Sinclair, Broadcast This!

October 20, 2004

David D. Smith
President and Chief Executive Officer
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
10706 Beaver Dam Road
Hunt Valley, Maryland 21030


Dear Mr. Smith & Esteemed Sinclair Executives:

I'm Captain Griswold and I'm reporting for duty! (snappy salute executed)

This regards your plan to force your 62 local television stations in 39 US markets to air the anti-John Kerry documentary, "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" prior to the presidential election. Terrific!

As for John Kerry, that intellectualizing, nuancing, ketchup-fancying, Teresa-loving, diplomacy-oriented, French-looking liberal, STICK IT to him, Sinclair! You go, girls!

You're going to score humungous ratings and rake in mega advertising bucks for "Stolen Honor." How about at least DOUBLING ratings and revenue? It's simple. Produce and broadcast a second documentary to immediately follow "Stolen Honor."

This second documentary? George W. Bush's military record, of course.

To expedite this project, suggested documentary segments follow. Yes, time is tight, but I'm super confident if anyone can BRING IT ON by producing a riveting documentary of President Bush's superlative military record, it's Sinclair Broadcasting Group.


Suggested Segments:

1. On camera assembly of a few hundred Vietnam era National Guard pilots who had no ROTC or completion of Officer Candidate School, had near failure scores on pilot aptitude tests, had arrest records, were catapulted to top spots on Guard waiting lists, and received automatic commissions as 2nd Lieutenants. There are legions of these guys -- just start asking around.

2. The retired Guardsman who won all that award money for stepping forward and irrefutably proving Lt. Bush DID show up in Alabama and fulfilled his Guard obligations. Can't recall this big prizewinner's name at the moment, but he was recently a HUGE news story. Might be difficult locating him, however -- word is he's embarked on an all-frills luxury vacation to Baghdad.

3. Dramatically depict, perhaps by reenactment, the several Purple Hearts awarded to Lt. Bush for wounds received from falling off barstools during recon missions in Texas and Alabama drinking establishments. Include his Bronze and Silver Stars awarded for courageous single-handed rescues of fellow inebriated Guardsmen from enemy combat bouncers. With 20/20 hindsight, one realizes these medals should have been prominently pinned onto the president's flyboy outfit for "Mission Accomplished" -- priceless.

4. Researchers: Paul Lukasiak of the AWOL PROJECT (http://www.glcq.com); Lawrence J. Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs during the Reagan administration who concludes Bush ''gamed the system"; and, Lt. Colonel Gerald A. Lechliter whose fastidious 32-page analysis has been posted on the New York Times website since September 9th: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/opinion/lechliter.pdf

5. Retired National Guard Generals Major General Paul A. Weaver, Jr., formerly the Pentagon's Director of the Air National Guard, and Brigadier General David L. McGinnis, former top aide to the assistant secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. They told the Boston Globe it's unconscionable for any military pilot to ignore their flight physical and Lt. Bush's grounding should have prompted an investigation by Air Force officials.

6. Harvard Business School Professor Yoshi Tsurumi, who recalls MBA student Bush in his Texas Guard bomber jacket shamelessly boasting he was entitled to special deals to avoid the draft, yet fanatically supporting the Vietnam War. When Tsurmi pointed out the hypocrisy, "He [Bush] realized he was caught, showed his famous smirk and huffed out."

7. Former Texas Air National Guard pilot Dean Roome, Lt. Bush's Houston roommate. In a 2002 interview with USA TODAY, Roome reminisced, "Where George failed was to fulfill his obligation as a pilot. It was an irrational time in his life."

8. Military law attorneys - and military veterans - Grant Lattin and David Sheldon to address the Bush "received an honorable discharge" mantra. They'll explain honorable discharges don't necessarily reflect honorable service as in the examples Don Imus and DC sniper John Allen Mohammed.

9. At least several Americans from the more than 58,000 American families bereaved by Vietnam. Start with me. My family buried a beloved, honest and honorable young man, a combat helicopter pilot killed in action. We'll comment on our wounds that never heal and share our perspectives on the character and integrity of this Commander in Chief who has the hypocritical gall to speak of duty, honor, and sacrifice as he deploys our military into harm's way. This segment also can include combat-disabled Vietnam Vets elaborating on the obligation to show up for duty.

Presto! See how fast this documentary can be produced? Let's Roll!

It will be my heartfelt privilege and honor to travel to Sinclair's corporate headquarters - at my expense - to volunteer whatever assistance I can. Let's quickly produce this documentary showcasing President Bush's exemplary wartime service and air it immediately after "Stolen Honor."

Advise me ASAP at ArmyRNvet [at] aol.com as to when I should arrive at Sinclair. I look forward to meeting all of you and collaborating on this timely, deserving, and undoubtedly newsworthy project.

Sincerely,


Captain Maureen A. Griswold, RN (ret)
US Army Nurse Corps (1977-1980)