Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was launched on May 4, 2004 at a press conference
at the National Press Club in Washington. Eighteen Navy combat veterans and
commanders went on the record opposing John Kerry's bid for the Presidency,
including the entire chain of command above Lt. Kerry in Vietnam, and men who
had fought at his side.

More than 250 Swift boat veterans have now signed an open letter to Senator
Kerry challenging his fitness to serve as commander-in-chief of America's armed
forces.


----------
*** Click thumbnail photos for individual video clips ***

----------



"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 Hoffmann, 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... 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."

-- 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."

-- Bernard 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'Mara


..


"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


..





Copyright © 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective
owners. Powered By GeekLog
Created this page in 0.10 seconds