A
book report by
G. Edwin Lint, MA
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4,830 Objectives and
2,719 Activities
Swift Boat Veterans speak out against John Kerry
©2004
John E. O’Neill and Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D.
ISBN
0-89526-017-4
Regnery Publishing, Inc
One Mass. Ave. NW
Washington,
DC 20001
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Introduction
When
I first head about the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth on C-Span during their May
4 press conference, I thought surely John Kerry was dead in the water as a presidential
candidate. No normal thinking person would ever show his face in public again
in the face of such widespread denunciation on the part of his Vietnam peers and
superiors.
I guess I had forgotten how unbelievably stupid many Americans were during the 1992 and 1996 Clinton elections. Here we are in early September with many polls indicating that once again, these same Americans are taking direct aim at their own foot and the gun is fully cocked and loaded.
By the time I got home from our annual Myrtle Beach vacation, the Swifties were running ads for Unfit For Command and the Kerry thugs were screaming foul! As the book climbed higher on the best seller lists, the Kerry hired guns screamed all the louder.
Let me tell you about one such late-August screaming episode on a news cable talk show. Author John E. O’Neill was being interviewed and one of the questioners was Lanny Davis, the spin-doctor from the old Clinton White House. Each time O’Neill tried to answer a question or make a point, Davis screamed, “Lies, lies, all lies, nothing but lies!” His face was contorted and his speech was barely coherent. And I have seen this same scene repeated over and over again, with someone like James Carville, Bob Beckel, or Jerry Brown doing the screaming. By the way, Lanny Davis should know a lie when he sees it, after working with a world-class liar all those years in the Clinton White House.
When I first bought Unfit for Command, I was planning to do a careful book review similar to what I did with the Faith of George W. Bush book. However, I have never faced enemy fire. I salute anyone who takes up the sword in defense of country, but I felt I could not contribute anything to the military melee that was boiling around the current Swift Boat controversy.I may not have a military background but I have a Master’s degree in educational supervision and administration and I have fourteen years full-time experience in this field. Therefore, I was very much captivated by what Kerry’s superiors had to say about his service in Vietnam.
So, here is what I will do, and this little outline will also serve as a hypertext Table of Contents for this page:
Share some quotes by Kerry’s peers and superiors from the Vietnam days.
Share some photos, many of them borrowed from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth website.
Here are some quotes of interest:
Rear Admiral Roy F. Hoffmann, USN (retired),
"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."
Captain Charles Plumly, USN (retired)
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.'"[Speaking as a former administrator, 'requires constant supervision' would be the kiss of death for anyone being considered for promotion. gel]
Commander
Grant Hibbard, USN (retired)
"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."
Lt.
Col. James Zumwalt, USMC (retired)
"Lt. Kerry returned home from the war to make some outrageous statements and allegations... 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 violated 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."
Captain
George Elliott, USN (retired)
"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."
Steven Gardner, Gunner on Kerry’s Swift Boat
"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?"
Here's
a question often asked of the Swift Vets:
Are you working or involved
in any way with the Bush/Cheney campaign or any other Republican organization?
Answer: Absolutely not. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is a non-partisan organization. As part of our mission, we believe it is incumbent on ALL presidential candidates to be totally honest and forthcoming regarding personal background and policy information that would help the voting public make an informed decision when choosing the next president of the United States.
The organization was created, organized and funded by swift boat veterans who joined together to defend a common cause. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth accepts donations from individuals and groups as a 527 organization.
Preface
Introduction
Part I John Kerry in Vietnam
One: Debating Kerry
Two: The Reluctant Warrior
Three: Purple Heart Hunter
In a June 30, 1971 national TV interview, John Kerry made the following statement about his activities during his brief four-month “tour of duty” in Vietnam:
I did take part in uh free fire zones, I did take part in harassment interdiction fire, I did take part in search and destroy missions in which the houses of uh of uh non combatants were burned to the ground. And all of these, uh I find out later on, uh these acts are contrary to the Hague and Geneva Conventions and to the laws of warfare.
Please note that this statement was not made by a sailor swabbing the deck, or a grunt from down in the trenches. This is a US Naval officer speaking who was commander of one of the now-famous Swift Boats we’re hearing so much about. What’s worse, this is the man who aspires to be the Commander-in-Chief and who drew attention to his war record at the recent Democratic Convention in Boston.
This statement is the equivalent of a college-educated bank robber saying, “I did spray the bank lobby with machine-gun fire, I did run up and down the halls looking for occupied offices, shooting as I went, I did force a teller to open the vault at gunpoint, I did stuff all the money into bags and drag them out with me, I did set fire to a nearby private dwelling during my escape in order to foil police pursuit.
"And later on, I find that all of these acts are contrary to the laws of this country. I don't know how you can call me a bank robber!”
There isn’t a jury in the land that would accept this bunch of garbage unless it was associated with a plea for insanity. Wake up, America! What more proof do we need and we have it in his own voice! Surely John Kerry is unfit for command of even a garbage scow [No offense to people who work on scows]!
And this guy wants to be the Commander-in-Chief of the greatest nation in the history of the world? Get serious! gel
Five: More Fraudulent Medals
Six: A Testimony of Lies
Seven: Meeting with the Enemy
Eight: Kerry’s Antiwar Secrets
Nine: Kerry’s Communist Honors
Ten: Unfit for Command
This photograph of John Kerry and 19 other Coastal Division 11 Swift boat officers was taken at Ton Son Nhut Air Base on January 22, 1969, immediately following a meeting with General Abrams and Admiral Zumwalt.
The Kerry campaign featured the photograph in an advertisement released in May titled Lifetime. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has contacted surviving members of this group to find out how many actually support John Kerry, and discovered that of 19 Swift boat skippers pictured other than Kerry, 12 consider him unfit, 2 are neutral, two have died, and 3 now support Kerry. Four other officers were not present for the photo session; all oppose Kerry.
August 23 update: The Kerry campaign has evidently persuaded formerly neutral Swift officers Rich McCann and Rich Baker to support John Kerry's candidacy. We have adjusted our graphic display and text to reflect this change.
On June 1, 2004, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth sent a cease and desist letter to John Kerry for President, Inc. on behalf of 11 officers shown in the photograph, pointing out that using their images in a campaign advertisement "wrongfully and incorrectly suggests their present endorsement of his candidacy."
Wake up, America! This isn't National Guard pilots and draft dodgers vs combat veterans. These are vets evaluating a fellow vet, in terms of fitness for future command!
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Photograph of John Kerry meeting with
Comrade Do Muoi, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in Vietnam,
What's a guy who wants to be president doing in a place like this? |
Jeff Epstein explains the importance of the photograph:
"This photograph's unquestionable significance lies in its placement in the American protesters' section of the War Crimes Museum in Saigon. The Vietnamese communists clearly recognize John Kerry's contributions to their victory. This find can be compared to the discovery of a painting of Neville Chamberlain hanging in a place of honor in Hitler's Eagle's Nest in 1945."
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This is the cover of The New Soldier by John Kerry and Vietnam Veterans Against The War. It shows hippies clad in a mismatch of military uniforms mocking the legendary image of Marines raising the upside-down American flag atop Mount Suribachi in the 1945 battle for Iwo Jima. Today, the Iwo Jima image is a memorial statue that sits above Arlington National Cemetery and honors all Marines killed in action since 1775. It is one of the most recognized and visited sites in our Capitol City. It figures that a cover like this would be on a book Kerry has written! gel The New Soldier is out of print and the Kerry campaign is suppressing all extant copies. Wonder why? |
You already know Kerry was considered as unfit for command by most of his fellow Swift Boat officers.
But did you know Kerry attended a 1971 meeting where murdering seven US Senators was on the agenda? This was a meeting of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) held in Kansas City November, 1971. There is no record that Kerry ever reported this meeting to the authorities.
Beau Dietl, a former lawman, said it makes no difference whether or not the plot was carried out ..."By just talking about it, it's the crime of conspiracy." Dietl, who now operates his own security firm, Beau Dietl & Associates, urged [Kerry] ... to come clean about the 1971 episode ...
I'm neither a lawyer nor the son of a lawyer, but I have watched enough Perry Mason and Matlock episodes to know that planning murder is a crime even if no one is ever killed.
America, here's another wake-up call. Make sure you register and vote for anyone but Kerry!
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