Max Cleland did serve honorably in Vietnam. He didn't lose his limbs in combat but instead in a terrible accident. That in no way minimizes his service to our country. Accidents happen, especially in wartime. About a third of the American deaths in Iraq have been caused by accidents.

She was wrong when she said that he didn't lose his limbs for his country. Peacetime or wartime, military service can be hazardous to your health. Each year, hundreds of military personnel are killed in accidents and many more suffer serious injuries. That's just a sad fact of military life where young people and high powered weapons can be a unhealthy mixture.

As she stated in her follow up article:

"Cleland was no war hero, but his sacrifice was great. ... Democratic Senate candidate Max Cleland is a victim of war, not a casualty of combat. He lost three limbs on a long-forgotten hill near Khe Sanh because of some American's mistake ..." (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sept. 29, 1996)

The story started to change only last year when the Democrats began citing Cleland's lost Senate seat as proof that Republicans hate war heroes. Indeed, until the myth of Republicans attacking Cleland for his lack of "patriotism" became central to the Democrats' narrative against George Bush, Cleland spoke only honorably and humbly about his accident. "How did I become a war hero?" he said to The Boston Globe reporter in 1997. "Simple. The grenade went off."

Cleland even admitted that, but for his accident, he would have "probably been some frustrated history teacher, teaching American government at some junior college." (OK, I got that wrong: I said he'd probably be a pharmacist.)

Cleland's true heroism came after the war, when he went on to build a productive life for himself. That is a story of inspiration and courage. He shouldn't let the Democrats tarnish an admirable life by "sexing up" his record in order to better attack George Bush.