KERRY MISSES MASS. SOLDIER'S FUNERAL FOR FUNDRAISERS

Back to the JF Kerry Page

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN APRIL 20, 2003 18:53:04 ET XXXXX

So why wasn't U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry [D-MA] at last week's funeral of Matthew Boule, 22, the Dracut, Massachusetts native who was the state's first soldier to die in the Iraq war?

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, was in Arizona on Tuesday -- fundraising and campaigning -- the very hour Boule was being buried, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal.

Kerry's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Boule was a crew chief on a Black Hawk helicopter with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. He died while fighting in Iraq on April 2. Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a republican, attended his funeral.

Kerry missed the service honoring Boule to speak to the Arizona Democratic Caucus, where he proposed a "Veterans Prescription Drug Reform Act."

Life is for the living, as Kerry outlined a plan that could reduce the backlog of veterans waiting to see doctors.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Filed By Matt Drudge
Reports are moved when circumstances warrant
http://www.drudgereport.com for updates
(c)DRUDGE REPORT 2003