"We resent very deeply the false war crimes charges he made coming
back from Vietnam in 1971 and repeated in the book 'Tour of Duty.' We think
those cast an aspersion on all those living and dead, from our unit and
other units in Vietnam. We think that he knew he was lying when he made
the charges, and we think that they're unsupportable. We intend to bring
the truth about that to the American people. We believe, based on our experience
with him, that he is totally unfit to be the Commander-in-Chief." --
John O'Neill, spokesman, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
"I do not believe John Kerry is fit to be Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the United States. This is not a political issue. It is a matter of his judgment, truthfulness, reliability, loyalty and trust -- all absolute tenets of command. His biography, 'Tour of Duty,' by Douglas Brinkley, is replete with gross exaggerations, distortions of fact, contradictions and slanderous lies. His contempt for the military and authority is evident by even a most casual review of this biography. He arrived in-country with a strong anti-Vietnam War bias and a self-serving determination to build a foundation for his political future. He was aggressive, but vain and prone to impulsive judgment, often with disregard for specific tactical assignments. He was a 'loose cannon.' In an abbreviated tour of four months and 12 days, and with his specious medals secure, Lt.(jg) Kerry bugged out and began his infamous betrayal of all United States forces in the Vietnam War. That included our soldiers, our marines, our sailors, our coast guardsmen, our airmen, and our POWs. His leadership within the so-called Vietnam Veterans Against the War and testimony before Congress in 1971 charging us with unspeakable atrocities remain an undocumented but nevertheless meticulous stain on the men and women who honorably stayed the course. Senator Kerry is not fit for command." -- Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman, USN (retired), chairman, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
"During Lt.(jg) Kerry's tour, he was under my command for two or three
specific operations, before his rapid exit. Trust, loyalty and judgment
are the key, operative words. His turncoat performance in 1971 in his grubby
shirt and his medal-tossing escapade, coupled with his slanderous lines
in the recent book portraying us that served, including all POWs and MIAs,
as murderous war criminals, I believe, will have a lasting effect on all
military veterans and their families. Kerry would be described as devious,
self-absorbing, manipulative, disdain for authority, disruptive, but the
most common phrase that you'd hear is 'requires constant supervision.'"
-- Captain Charles Plumly, USN (retired)
"Thirty-five years ago, many of us fell silent when we came back to
the stain of sewage that Mr.. Kerry had thrown on us, and all of our colleagues
who served over there. I don't intend to be silent today or ever again.
Our young men and women who are serving deserve no less." --
Andrew Horne
"In my specific, personal experience in both coastal and river patrols
over a 12-month period, I never once saw or heard anything remotely resembling
the atrocities described by Senator Kerry. If I had, it would have been
my obligation to report them in writing to a higher authority, and I would
certainly have done that. If Senator Kerry actually witnessed or participated
in these atrocities or, as he described them, 'war crimes,' he was obligated
to report them. That he did not until later when it suited his political
purposes strikes me as opportunism of the worst kind. That he would malign
my service and that of his fellow sailors with no regard for the truth makes
him totally unqualified to serve as Commander-in-Chief." -- Jeffrey
Wainscott
"I signed that letter because I, too felt a deep sense of betrayal
that someone who took the same oath of loyalty as I did as an officer in
the United States Navy would abandon his group here (points to group photo)
to join this group here (points to VVAW protest photo), and come home and
attempt to rally the American public against the effort that this group
was so valiantly pursuing. It is a fact that in the entire Vietnam War we
did not lose one major battle. We lost the war at home ... and at home,
John Kerry was the Field General." -- Robert Elder
"My daughters and my wife have read portions of the book 'Tour of Duty.' They wanted to know if I took part in the atrocities described. I do not believe the things that are described happened. Let me give you an example. In Brinkley's book, on pages 170 to 171, about something called the 'Bo De massacre' on November 24th of 1968... In Kerry's description of the engagement, first he claimed there were 17 servicemen that were wounded. Three of us were wounded. I was the first..." -- Joseph Ponder .
"While in Cam Rahn Bay, he trained on several 24-hour indoctrination
missions, and one special skimmer operation with my most senior and trusted
Lieutenant. The briefing from some members of that crew the morning after
revealed that they had not received any enemy fire, and yet Lt.(jg) Kerry
informed me of a wound -- he showed me a scratch on his arm and a piece
of shrapnel in his hand that appeared to be from one of our own M-79s. It
was later reported to me that Lt.(jg) Kerry had fired an M-79, and it had
exploded off the adjacent shoreline. I do not recall being advised of any
medical treatment, and probably said something like 'Forget it.' He later
received a Purple Heart for that scratch, and I have no information as to
how or whom. Lt.(jg) Kerry was allowed to return to the good old USA after
4 months and a few days in-country, and then he proceeded to betray his
former shipmates, calling them criminals who were committing atrocities.
Today we are here to tell you that just the opposite is true. Our rules
of engagement were quite strict, and the officers and men of Swift often
did not even return fire when they were under fire if there was a possibility
that innocent people -- fishermen, in a lot of cases -- might be hurt or
injured. The rules and the good intentions of the men increased the possibility
that we might take friendly casualties." -- Commander Grant Hibbard,
USN (retired)
. "Lt. Kerry returned home from the war to make some outrageous statements
and allegations... of numerous criminal acts in violation of the law of
war were cited by Kerry, disparaging those who had fought with honor in
that conflict. Had war crimes been committed by US forces in Vietnam? Yes,
but such acts were few and far between. Yet Lt. Kerry gave numerous speeches
and testimony before Congress inappropriately leading his audiences to believe
that what was only an anomaly in the conduct of America's fighting men was
an epidemic. Furthermore, he suggested that they were being encouraged to
violate the law of war by those within the chain of command. Very specific
orders, on file at the Vietnam archives at Texas Tech University, were issued
by my father [Admiral Elmo Zumwalt] and others in his chain of command instructing
subordinates to act responsibly in preserving the life and property of Vietnamese
civilians." -- Lt. Col. James Zumwalt, USMC ) , retired.
"We look at Vietnam... after all these years it is still languishing
in isolated poverty and helplessness and tyranny. This is John Kerry's legacy.
I deeply resent John Kerry's using his Swift boat experience, and his betrayal
of those who fought there as a stepping-stone to his political ambitions."
-- Barnard Wolff
"In a whole year that I spent patrolling, I didn't see anything like
a war crime, an atrocity, anything like that. Time and again I saw American
fighting men put themselves in graver danger trying to avoid... collateral
damage. When John Kerry returned to the country, he was sworn in front of
Congress. And then he told my family -- my parents, my sister, my brother,
my neighbors -- he told everyone I knew and everyone I'd ever know that
I and my comrades had committed unspeakable atrocities." -- David Wallace
"I served with these guys. I went on missions with them, and these
men served honorably. Up and down the chain of command there was no acquiescence
to atrocities. It was not condoned, it did not happen, and it was not reported
to me verbally or in writing by any of these men including Lt.(jg) Kerry.
In 1971, '72, for almost 18 months, he stood before the television audiences
and claimed that the 500,000 men and women in Vietnam, and in combat, were
all villains -- there were no heroes. In 2004, one hero from the Vietnam
War has appeared, running for President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief.
It just galls one to think about it." -- Captain George
Elliott, USN (retired)
"During the Vietnam War I was Task Force Commander at An Thoi, and
my tour of duty was 13 months, from the end of Tet to the beginning of the
Vietnamization of the Navy units. Now when I went there right after Tet,
I was restricted in my movements. I couldn't go much of anyplace because
the Vietcong controlled most of the area. When I left, I could go anywhere
I wanted, just about. Commerce was booming, the buses were running, trucks
were going, the waterways were filled with sampans with goods going to market,
but yet in Kerry's biography he says that our operations were a complete
failure. He also mentions a formal conference with me, to try to get more
air cover and so on. That conference never happened..." -- Captain
Adrian Lonsdale, USCG (retired)
"I was in An Thoi from June of '68 to June of '69, covering the whole
period that John Kerry was there. I operated in every river, in every canal,
and every off-shore patrol area in the 4th Corps area, from Cambodia all
the way around to the Bo De River. I never saw, even heard of all of these
so-called atrocities and things that we were supposed to have done. This
is not true. We're not standing for it. We want to set the record straight."
-- William Shumadine
"In 1971, when John Kerry spoke out to America, labeling all Vietnam
veterans as thugs and murderers, I was shocked and almost brought to my
knees, because even though I had served at the same time and same unit,
I had never witnessed or participated in any of the events that the Senator
had accused us of. I strongly believe that the statements made by the Senator
were not only false and inaccurate, but extremely harmful to the United
States' efforts in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. Tragically,
some veterans, scorned by the antiwar movement and their allies, retreated
to a life of despair and suicide. Two of my crewmates were among them. For
that there is no forgiveness. " -- Richard O'Meara
"My name is Steve Gardner. I served in 1966 and 1967 on my first tour
of duty in Vietnam on Swift boats, and I did my second tour in '68 and '69,
involved with John Kerry in the last 2 1/2 months of my tour. The John Kerry
that I know is not the John Kerry that everybody else is portraying. I served
alongside him and behind him, five feet away from him in a gun tub, and
watched as he made indecisive moves with our boat, put our boats in jeopardy,
put our crews in jeopardy... if a man like that can't handle that 6-man
crew boat, how can you expect him to be our Commander-in-Chief?" --
Steven Gardner
"I served in Vietnam as a boat officer from June of 1968 to July of
1969. My service was three months in Coastal Division 13 out of Cat Lo,
and nine months with Coastal Division 11 based in An Thoi. John Kerry was
in An Thoi the same time I was. I'm here today to express the anger I have
harbored for over 33 years, about being accused with my fellow shipmates
of war atrocities. All I can say is when I leave here today, I'm going down
to the Wall to tell my two crew members it's not true, and that they and
the other 49 Swiftees who are on the Wall were then and are still now the
best." -- Robert Brant
"I never saw, heard of, or participated in any Swift boat crews killing
cattle, poisoning crops, or raping and killing civilians as charged by John
Kerry, both in his book and in public statements. Since we both operated
at the same time, in the same general area, and on the same missions under
the same commanders, it is hard to believe his claims of atrocities and
poor planning of Sea Lord missions. I signed this letter because I feel
that he used Swift boat sailors to proclaim his antiwar statements after
the war, and now he uses the same Swift boat sailors to support his claims
of being a war hero. He cannot have it both ways, and we are here to ask
for full disclosure of the proof of his claims." -- James Steffes .
.Please, forward this to everybody on your lists. Voters in the United States
of America need to see this article to get a genuine understanding of Kerry.
Thanks ....