Kerry Heckled at Memorial Day Event

Sen. John Kerry's record as an anti-war protester came back to haunt him on Memorial Day when he was confronted by a heckler as he tried to pay his respects to a soldier killed in the Vietnam War.

"How much money are you getting to betray our POWs?" an unidentified middle-aged woman shouted as Kerry visited the Vietnam Veterans memorial on the Washington Mall.

"Are you paying tribute to all the people you spat on, Senator Kerry?" she added. The top Democrat did not respond.

The incident came as Kerry attempted to honor William Bronson, a Massachusetts native who was killed in Vietnam.

Kerry led the fight to have Bronson's name added to those already inscribed on the black granite wall, according to Reuters. "I'm glad we could finally get the appropriate thing done," the top Democrat told Bronson's mother, Barbara, who was there for the ceremony.

The heckling episode served to underscore the resentment many veterans still feel toward Kerry from his days as a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, when he teamed up with anti-American actress Jane Fonda.

Ironically, though Kerry has made his service in Vietnam a centerpiece of his campaign and has continued to attack President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard, veterans are shunning him, according to a poll released last week.

Though the CBS survey showed Kerry opening up an 8-point lead over Bush overall, the poll's internal numbers show Kerry trailing badly among veterans, with only 41 percent supporting him while 54 percent back Bush.

Editor's note: