What 18 men who served with Kerry have to say about him ....

[MORTARDUDE]

"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

[Gimpy]

THE ABOVE STATEMENTS ARE HORSE MANURE!!!!

From: Patrick G. Grasso
> To: lawrence zimmerman
> Sent: Saturday, April 24, 2004 10:39 PM
> Subject: A letter from Illinois...>
>
> ...that could never be written about George Bush or Dick Cheney: >

> Setting Kerry's Record Straight
>

> Saturday, April 24, 2004; Page A19
>
> I have been hearing and seeing negative stories and attacks on my friend and former PCF-44 Swift Boat commander, John Kerry, and I believe it's time to put them to rest.
>
> I served with Kerry on his first Swift Boat, PCF-44, as his second in command, senior enlisted man and radarman 2nd class. I was on the boat with Kerry, on patrol and in firefights. Steve Hayes [op-ed, April 17] may not have known Kerry well, but I know him very well.
>
> From the first day I met him, I knew that I had someone special whom I could trust in any situation, but especially under attack or in a firefight. Kerry always took care of his men. We needed each other to survive. We were truly brothers then, and we maintain that closeness to this day. I saw combat with Kerry, and there was not a time that he did not display courage, compassion, caring, and the best command decisions.

> This is why we nine crewmates support him to this day.
>
> I trusted John Kerry with my life 35 years ago, and I wouldn't hesitate to do the same today.
>
> -- James R. Wasser
>
> St. Anne, Ill.

###END###

####START####

Smear Boat Veterans for Bush

The "swift boat" veterans attacking John Kerry's war record are led by veteran right-wing operatives using the same vicious techniques they used against John McCain four years ago.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Joe Conason

July, 2004 | The latest conservative outfit to fire an angry broadside against John Kerry's heroic war record is Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which has launched a campaign to brand the Democrat "unfit to serve as commander in chief." Billing itself as representing the "other 97 percent of veterans" from Kerry's Navy unit who don't support his presidential candidacy, the group insists that all presidential candidates must be "totally honest and forthcoming" about their military service.

These "swift boat vets" claim still to be furious about Kerry's 1971 Senate testimony against the war in which he spoke about atrocities in Indochina's "free fire zones." More than three decades later, facing the complicated truth about Vietnam remains difficult. But this group's political connections make clear that its agenda is to target the election of 2004.

Although not as well known as Karen Hughes, Spaeth is among the most experienced and best connected Republican communications executives. During the Reagan administration she served as director of the White House Office of Media Liaison, where she specialized in promoting "news" items that boosted President Reagan to TV stations around the country. While living in Washington she met and married Lezar, a Reagan Justice Department lawyer who ran for lieutenant governor of Texas in 1994 with George W. Bush, then the party's candidate for governor. (Lezar lost; Bush won.)

Through Lezar, who died of a heart attack last January, she met O'Neill, his law partner in Clements, O'Neill, Pierce, Wilson & Fulkerson, a Dallas firm. (It also includes Margaret Wilson, the former counsel to Gov. Bush who followed him to Washington, where she served for a time as a deputy counsel in the Department of Commerce.)

Spaeth's partisanship runs still deeper, as does her history of handling difficult P.R. cases for Republicans. In 1998, for example, she coached Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel, to prepare him for his testimony urging the impeachment of President Clinton before the House Judiciary Committee. She even reviewed videotapes of his previous television appearances to give him pointers about his delivery and demeanor. The man responsible for arranging her advice to Starr was another old friend of her late husband's, Theodore Olson, who was counsel to the right-wing American Spectator when it acted as a front for the dirty-tricks campaign against Clinton known as the Arkansas Project; he is now the solicitor general in the Bush Justice Department. (Olson also happens to be the godfather of Spaeth's daughter.)

In 2000, Spaeth participated in the most subterranean episode of the Republican primary contest when a shadowy group billed as "Republicans for Clean Air" produced television ads falsely attacking the environmental record of Sen. John McCain in California, New York and Ohio. While the identity of those funding the supposedly "independent" ads was carefully hidden, reporters soon learned that Republicans for Clean Air was simply Sam Wyly -- a big Bush contributor and beneficiary of Bush administration decisions in Texas -- and his brother, Charles, another Bush "Pioneer" contributor. (One of the Wyly family's private capital funds, Maverick Capital of Dallas, had been awarded a state contract to invest $90 million for the University of Texas endowment.)

Until now, Hoffmann has been best known as the commanding officer whose obsession with body counts and "scorekeeping" may have provoked the February 1969 killing of Vietnamese civilians at Thanh Phong by a unit led by Bob Kerrey -- the Medal of Honor winner who lost a leg in Nam, became a U.S. senator from Nebraska and now sits on the 9/11 commission.
After journalist Gregory Vistica exposed the Thanh Phong killings and the surrounding circumstances in the New York Times magazine three years ago, conservative columnist Christopher Caldwell took particular note of the cameo role played by Kerrey's C.O., who had warned his men not to return from missions without enough kills. "One of the myths due to die as a result of Vistica's article is that which holds the war could have been won sensibly and cleanly if the 'suits' back in Washington had merely left the military men to their own devices," Caldwell wrote. "In this light, one of the great merits of Vistica's article is its portrait of the Kurtz-like psychopath who commanded Kerrey's Navy task force, Capt. Roy Hoffmann."

Arguments about the war in Vietnam seem destined to continue forever. For now, however, the lingering bitterness and ambiguity of those days provide smear material against an antiwar war hero with five medals on behalf of a privileged Guardsman with a dubious duty record. The president's Texas allies -- whose animus against his Democratic challenger dates back to the Nixon era -- are now deploying the same techniques and personnel they used to attack McCain's integrity four years ago. Bush's "independent" supporters would apparently rather talk about the Vietnam quagmire than about his deadly incompetence in Iraq.

###END###

##########START###########
Who is John O'Neill?

CNN's Blitzer failed to probe partisan ties of Kerry critic

The May 4 Wall Street Journal editorial page featured an op-ed by John O'Neill about Senator John Kerry under the headline "Unfit to Serve." O'Neill is identified by the paper as having "served in Coastal Division 11 in 1969-1970, winning two Bronze Stars and additional decorations for his service in Vietnam." As Joe Conason wrote in Salon.com on May 4, O'Neill has long-standing ties to the GOP establishment, and O'Neill's own p.r. adviser has described O'Neill as sounding like "a crazed extremist."

O'Neill is one of several Vietnam veterans who have criticized Kerry and called into question the decorations he received for his service combat. O'Neill is associated with the newly formed group "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," which held a press conference on May 4 that was promoted by the Media Research Center's Cybercast News Service and highlighted by The Drudge Report on May 3. According to Cybercast News, "Hundreds of former commanders and military colleagues of presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry are set to declare in a signed letter that he is 'unfit to be commander-in-chief.'"

The Heritage Foundation's website Townhall.com became a vehicle for bringing O'Neill back to the current media spotlight. On April 2, Townhall.com published a syndicated column by Mona Charen -- and on April 8, David Horowitz's FrontPage Magazine published a timeline by Winter Solider.com -- both making brief mention of a 1971 debate between Kerry and O'Neill on The Dick Cavett Show in which O'Neill accused Kerry of lying about the activities and conduct of American military forces in Vietnam.

On April 20, O'Neill made his cable debut on CNN's Wolf Blitzer Reports. During the interview, O'Neill said that John Kerry told "damaging lies" about war crimes in Vietnam. He said, "We know the truth and we know that [John Kerry] is unfit to be the commander in chief." O'Neill continued, "I think you'll find people are very, very angry at John Kerry. They remember his career in Vietnam as a short, controversial one. And they believe only Hollywood could turn this guy into a war hero. I saw some war heroes, Wolf. John Kerry is not a war hero. He couldn't tie the shoes of some of the people in Coastal Division 11."

Though Blitzer acknowledged that questions were likely to be raised about whether O'Neill was speaking out against Kerry for political reasons, Blitzer conceded that he had not looked into O'Neill's partisan affiliations. "Maybe you're a Republican -- I have no idea -- or the Bush people are encouraging you," Blitzer said.
Houston lawyer John O'Neill is a Republican -- as the Houston Chronicle noted the day after O'Neill's interview with Blitzer.

According to the paper, O'Neill voted in the 1998 Republican state primary. But O'Neill's ties to the Republican Party extend far beyond party affiliation. During the CNN interview, Blitzer reported that former President Richard Nixon had urged O'Neill to publicly counter Kerry on The Dick Cavett Show, but there is more to the story. O'Neill was a creation of the Nixon administration, as Joe Klein detailed in the January 5 issue of The New Yorker.

Former Nixon special counsel Chuck Colson told Klein that Kerry was an "articulate" and "credible leader" of those veterans calling for an end to the Vietnam War and therefore "an immediate target of the Nixon Administration." As such, the Nixon administration found it necessary to "create a counterfoil" to Kerry. Colson recounted, "We found a vet named John O'Neill and formed a group called Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace. We had O'Neill meet the President, and we did everything we could do to boost his group." Articles from the April 21 Houston Chronicle and the June 17, 2003, Boston Globe confirm close ties between O'Neill and the Nixon administration.

Beyond his role in the Nixon administration's strategy to undermine Kerry in the 1970s, O'Neill is also connected to Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist (a Nixon appointee) and to former President George H.W. Bush, according to Houston Chronicle articles from March 31 and April 21. In the late 1970s, O'Neill clerked for Rehnquist; in 1990, according to an October 7, 1991, report by Texas Lawyer, the former President Bush considered O'Neill for a federal judgeship vacancy.
Media Matters for America will be monitoring media coverage of today's "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" activities and will issue an updated report.

###END###

###START###

Here's what the REAL veterans have to say about John Kerry! ####START####

WE the undersigned Veterans of the United States Armed Forces recognize that Presidential nominee John Kerry not only has the strong National Security qualifications and character to be our next Commander-In-Chief. WE are insulted by continuous efforts of attempts by the Bush/Cheney campaign to smear the reputation of combat Veteran John Kerry during Vietnam using surrogates.

This same shameful smear campaign was condoned by President Bush during 2000 against fellow Vietnam Veterans John McCain who performed with distinction as a POW in Vietnam and in 2002 against Max Cleland who suffered lost of limbs while serving in-country Vietnam. These attempts to Steal Valor from combat Veterans are and continue to be politically motivated. BECAUSE all these gentlemen smeared were and are in competition for public office with George W. Bush or someone in the Republican party who failed to serve in combat and desired the combat service of their political opponent lessened."

WE STRONGLY believe John Kerry will make a better Commander-In-Chief than George W. Bush, BECAUSE of his sensitivity to combat, his knowledge of defense AND foreign policy, and his STRONG defense record.

John Kerry is a Strong Supporter of America's Military; Has Supported More Than $4.4 Trillion in Defense Spending & Voted for "Largest Increase in Defense Spending since the Early 1980's.

He has support 16 of the 19 defense authorization bills since elected to the Senate. John Kerry is a strong supporter of the U.S. Armed Services and has consistently worked to ensure the military has the best equipment and training possible. In 2002, John Kerry voted for a large increase in the defense budget.

This increase provided more than $355 billion for the Defense Department for 2003, an increase of $21 billion over 2002.

This measure includes $71.5 billion for procurement programs such as $4 billion for the Air Force's F-22 fighter jets,

$3.5 billion for the Joint Strike Fighter and $279.3 million for an E-8C Joint Stars (JSTARS) aircraft.

Kerry's vote also funded a 4.1% pay increase for military personnel,

$160 million for the B-1 Bomber Defense System Upgrade,

$1.5 billion for a new attack submarine,

more than $630 million for Army and Navy variants of the Blackhawk helicopter,

$3.2 billion for additional C-17 transports,

$900 million for R&D of the Comanche helicopter and more than $800 million for Trident Submarine conversion.

The current chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John Warner (R-VA) stated: "The defense spending increase for FY03 is the largest increase in defense spending since the early 1980's-reflecting the importance of defending the homeland and winning the global war against terrorism" [2002, Senate Roll Call Vote # 239; Websites of U.S. Senators Warner,Daschle, Dodd accessed 7/25/03]

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PROGRAMS JOHN KERRY IS BEING ATTACKED ON

APACHE HELICOPTER : Kerry has supported $13 billion in defense authorizations for the Apache

AEGIS SHIPS : Kerry has supported at least $53 billion defense authorizations for the Aegis program

BRADLEY FIGHTING VEHICLES : Kerry has supported at least $8.5 billion in defense authorizations for the Bradley program

BLACKHAWK HELICOPTERS : Kerry has supported at least $13 billion in defense authorizations on versions of the Blackhawk.

B-2 BOMBER : Kerry has supported over $16.7 billion in defense authorizations for the B-2 program

C-17 CARGO JETS : Kerry supported at least $34.5 billion in defense authorizations for the C-17

F/A-18 FIGHTER JETS : Kerry supported at least $60 billion in defense authorizations for the F/A-18 and F-18

F-16 FIGHTER JETS : Kerry supported at least $25 billion in defense authorizations for the F-16.

TOMAHAWK MISSILES : Kerry supported at least $6 billion in defense authorizations for the Tomahawk missile program.

C-130 CARGO JETS : Kerry supported at least $12 billion in defense authorizations for the C-130

PATRIOT MISSILE SYSTEM : Kerry supported at least $10 billion in defense authorizations for the Patriot program.

SOURCES ON KERRY SPENDING: Congressional Quarterly Almanacs, 1986-2002; House Armed Service Committee Authorization Conference Report Summaries; Conference Reports for Defense Authorizations, FY1986 ? present

JOHN KERRY HAS THE PROVEN RECORD THAT SHOWS HE WILL FIGHT TO DEFEND HIS COUNTRY AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, AND HIS COURAGE TO STAND UP AGAINST A WAR HE FELT WAS GOING WRONG SHOWS US HE HAS THE SENSITIVITY NOT TO COMMIT AMERICA'S YOUNG TO WAR EXCEPT AS A LAST RESORT AND UNLESS HE HIMSELF WOULD GO AND GUTS TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT COMMITMENT.

WE STRONGLY believe John Kerry is fit to be the next Commander-In-Chief.

Name Rank Service War/Era

Christopher Ream LT Navy (3 years) Vietnam one year as Swift Boat commander out of An Thoi (year ahead of Kerry), Bronze Star

Joe Muharsky PO2 Navy Vietnam Swift Boat Crewman

Marty Becktell SN Navy 66-68 Swiftboats An Thoi RVN

James Starowicz GMG3 Navy '67-'71 In-Contry Vietnam '70-'71

Jerrold M. Weinstein MSGT Air Force Cold War/Vietnam

Michael Swinford Navy Reserve Vietnam

Gary Crane SGT Army VIETNAM/CYPRUS

Nicholas J. Alaga Jr. CMDR Navy Reserve Gulf War I, II

R. Todd Grant CTR2/E5 Navy Cold War/Gulf War I

Brian J. Wiltberger Army Vietnam 68 & 69

Thomas M. Kroeger LT Navy 89-94 - Gulf War 1

Thomas J. Keating Sgt/E4 Air Force 83-90

Donald E. Bryant CPT-Retired Army 1975-1999

Frederic W. Seamon III Lt.Col-Retired Army Vietnam 1967-68,72-73

Alvin Grossman Major-Retired Air Force (Navigator/Bombardier) WWII

Timothy Brannan SGT Army Vietnam 67-68 Bronze Star

Stanley M. Davis Officer Navy 1971-1973.

Joseph F. DeBoise MSgt Air Force Vietnam 68 & 71-72 100% Service Connected. AO Exposed I Love My Country, But I Don't Trust George Bush

Sidney S. Wolfeld, LTC-Retired Army WWII & Korea, 60% SC Disability

Shaun Dale SP4 Army 69-72 Vietnam (MACV, 1st Sig Bgd)

Frances C Harriman Navy (W) 52-54 Korea Era

Joseph M. Glynn, Jr., Navy 1952-1956

David L. Shaufelberger PO1 Navy Cold War 78-86

Don E. Johnson, E4 Army Cold War/Germany

Dan Towers SP5 Army Vietnam'68-Infantry-2 Purple Hearts

John M. Tracey Navy Vietnam 1970-1971

Dennis Raymond Ferguson FC2(SW) Navy 89 - 95 Gulf War I

Francis J. Connell III SP5 Army Vietnam,'69-'70

Larry F.Coonrod - Sgt Army 1984-1991 Gulf War 1

Arrie R. O'Brien Navy Gulf War 1

Peter Kyriakoulis Lt Army 2003-2204 Iraq operation

Darrel La Mar Wakley SFC-Retired Army 58-93 Korea,Vietnam, Gulf

Ronald K. Christensen Navy(SeaBees) 1960-1977 Vietnam

Jimmie L. Price Army Reserves 1960-1965

Robert A. "Bob" Gammage SP4/Captain Army/USNR Korea/Cold War

Rodney A. Metzler Air Force Vietnam 69-70

Matty Loughran US Merchant Marine WWII

Norman D. Thompson AWC-Retired Navy

Robert L. Hanafin SP5/Major-Retired Army/Air Force Vietnam/Gulf War 1

John L. Rueth SP4 Army 1st Cav Division (AMBL) 1968 - 1969 VIETNAM

Joseph V. Bangert E-5/SGT USMC Indochina War

Steven A. Sherlock 1st Lt Army Vietnam

Sandy Cleary PFC Army VietNam era

Claude F. Goldsmith, Jr. CPT Army Vietnam Era ('70-'72)

Ronald C. Smith LCDR-Retired Navy Active duty Aviator 1956-1962 Reserves 1962 - 1977 Lebanon, Cuba, East Berlin

David Honish Sp5/SGT Army/TXARNGUS Viet Nam Era Veteran

Kenneth I. Henry, Ph.D. Corporal USMC Viet Nam, lost my right arm in the TET Offensive.

Edward Kemp Air Force 70-74

Charles C. Smith Army Vietnam 68/69

Gerald R. White SP-4 Army 68 - 79 - Vietnam disabled vet

David A. Collins E-4 USMC Viet Nam 1968 ? 1970

R.A. Hassett SSG Army RVN mid 1970-early 1972

Patrick A. Shumaker Spec4 Army Vietnam 69-70

A. A. Verrengia B/Gen-Retired Air Force

Cameron R Beech SSG Army GW1 Somalia,Operation Just Cause

Gerald R. Simons E7/SFC-Retired Army /100% Disabled 1964-1985

Richard M. Flake E-7/CPO-Retired Navy 1959?1983

Michael J. Fitzgerald PO3 Navy Vietnam

James G. Tracy MSgt-Retired Air Force 1970-1990

Edwin Rogers PFC Army 64 Vietnam

Gordon A. Scott E7-Retired Air Force WWII, Korea & NAM in the USN Air to finish 25+ in '65

Paul E. Kruger MSG-Retired Army Vietnam/Gulf War I 1972-1992

Michael F. Chenoweth LTC-Retired Army Vietnam-Bosnia 1966-1998

Donald J. Woods SP4 Army S.E. Asia 1957-1966

Bill G. Winter E-5 USMC (1982-86) USN (1990-97)
I'm a vet of the Marines and the Navy and I'll do whatever I can to help John Kerry

James Raab Army 1967 Vietnam 69-70

Dewey W. Hulsey Navy Korean War

Rick Martin Duiker BtnSgt/Mjr Army '52-'54 Korea

Robert G. Smith, Jr. CSM Army Vietnam/Gulf War 1

Eddie D. Smith SFC/E-7-Retired Army VN 68-69, 70-71

Wendell Liemohn LT(JG) (USNR retired as Navy Captain) (56-59 Ret- 1994)

Aaron L. Depew MSG/E8-Retired Army

Conrad G. Creitz SP5 Army Vietnam 67-69 & 70-71

Stephen A. Muehleisen SP4 Army 75 - 84

James Mabury SFC E-7-Retired Army Vietnam

Herbert A. Bourne Disabled Vietnam Era Veteran - Air Force - Sgt. Navy seaman

John McDonough Sgt Army Vietnam Era

Stacia McDonough Spec4 Army Vietnam Era

Anne McDonough Navy CPO Vietnam Era

Francis Moore SP5 Army First Infantry Division Vietnam service in 1968 and 1969

Michael McDonnell Air Force SE Asia 1968-1970

Joe Rzeczkowski PO2 Navy Southeast Asia with VA-145 on USS Ranger 1972-73

David H. Hewitt SP5 Army Security Agency Vietnam 1969-70

Ray Sharbutt Sp4 Army Security Agency 1970-73

Craig Kling Army Airborne 1963 - 1966 served at Lee Barracks Germany

Stacey Luebbert Navy AW3 1993-1999

Keith Brouse Air Force 351st SAC Minuteman Missile Wing MMT 1974-'78
Viet Nam era Army 2/32AR 3AD Tanker M60A3/ M1IP Abrams 1983-87
Cold war

Ron Dayton Sgt Air Force Security Service Misawa, Japan 71-75. I'm an Air Force Vet who loves his country and what it stands for and would like to sign the petition.

Beau Guthrie SGT Army National Guard 1989-1998

Thomas (Bammo) McCarthy of Vermont . I am a 100% service connected disabled Vietnam Veteran who served with the 101st Airborne Div, and the Americal (23rd Inf.) division, U.S. Army in the Republic of Vietnam.

Henry J. Schleiger EW2(SW) US Navy '1995-'2000 Operation Southern Watch

Dave Kisor, Navy - Active 1971 to 1977, 1979 to 1983, Reserves 1978 to 1979, 1983 to 1987 and 1989 to 1993. I didn't have any problem with my obligated service. Why did Bush

Joe Kenneth Eshleman, Lieutenant US Navy Retired, Vietnam Veteran

-SIGNED-

General, U.S.Air Force-Retired A. A. Verrengia, Brigadier

###END###

I don't who to believe about Kerrys' service in Vietnam. All I know is when I read his Winter Soldier Statement (all of it) it ticked me off. If Kerry is accusing me of being a rapist, baby killer, or whatever, that makes him one to. To me he betrayed his brothers. I don't knock his honorable service, just his statements in Winter Soldier. As in all wars there are good and bad things that happen, Vietnam had its bad moments we all know that, but the majoirty of men and women who served in Vietnam did so honorably. I know because I'm one of them. The worst thing I ever did in Vietnam was to shove a POW in the shoulder with the butt of my M-16 to move him along. If that makes me a war criminal so be it.

[darrels joy]

In May, 220 out of the 229 Swift Boat veterans contacted by the group "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" signed an open letter questioning Kerry's fitness to serve as commander in chief.

Among those registering their objections to Kerry was the entire chain of command he served under in Vietnam, including Lt. Cmdr. Grant Hibbard; Lt. Cmdr. George Elliott; Capt. Charles Plumly; Capt. Adrian Lonsdale, USCG; and Rear Adm. Roy Hoffman.

[darrels joy]

William Shumadine, a member of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth pictured in the photograph, explains in UNFIT: "John Kerry's use of a photograph with his nineteen comrades, with knowledge that eleven of them comdemn him and six who cannot or do not want to be involved, is a complete misreprentation to the public and a total fraud."

[Gimpy]

REAL TRUTH about John Kerry as spoken by my friend and brother Max Cleland!

July 29, 2004



Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to share with you my story of how I came to know and love John Kerry. In April of 1968, while I was being airlifted out of Vietnam on a stretcher, Ensign John Kerry was headed in a different direction. He was on a Navy ship in the Pacific requesting to be transferred into Vietnam ? into the line of fire. He had graduated from college. There were a lot of other things he could have done with his life. But he went to serve because he had been raised to believe that service to one's country is honorable, noble, and good.

While John Kerry was earning a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts, I was being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. I was 25 years old. My body was broken and my faith was shattered. One day, on leave from the hospital, a friend was pushing me around the city, in my new wheelchair. In front of the White House, it hit a curb. I fell forward out of the wheelchair. There were cigarette butts and trash all around me. I remember trying to lift myself up off the street. I was angry at the war. Saddened that veterans weren't getting good care. And frustrated that people in power weren't listening. Those were difficult days for me.

But, I ultimately realized that although I had lost a lot, I still had a lot left, and I resolved to make something of my life. I decided to run for the State Senate in Georgia. I won, but when I got there, in 1971, I was a lone voice.

Then I heard this young veteran on TV speaking about the war. It was John Kerry. He put everything I was feeling into words.
Tonight, I'd like to let you know, that even before I met John Kerry, he was my brother. Even before I knew John Kerry, he was my friend. Even before I spoke with John Kerry, he gave me hope.
The Bible tells me that no greater love has a man than to lay down his life for his friends. John Kerry's fellow crewmates ? the men I am honored to share the stage with ? are living testimony to his leadership, his courage under fire, and his willingness to risk his life for his fellow Americans. There is no greater act of patriotism than that.

As I look back over the last 36 years, I now realize John Kerry's service to his country didn't end in Vietnam. It began there. Since Vietnam, John Kerry's life has become an object lesson in what was once described as the true definition of patriotism ? "the long and steady dedication of a lifetime."

When we make John Kerry our next president, he will put America back on the long and steady road toward the vision of the country we fought for ? a vision of the country we can become once again. A country that doesn't alienate our allies, but works with them. A country that doesn't lose jobs, but creates them. A country that doesn't limit educational opportunity, but expands it. A country that doesn't make health care less available, but more affordable. A country that doesn't spoil our environment, but protects it. A country that is strong a country that is respected, a country that is worthy of generations of sacrifice, and our children's highest hopes.

That is the America John Kerry volunteered to fight for. That is the America John Kerry will lead.

When John Kerry declared he was a candidate for the presidency of the United States, on a hot, steamy day in Charleston, South Carolina, a little less than a year ago, I joined the band of brothers at his side. After the ceremony, I grabbed his arm and pressed a Bible into his hand. It was the Bible I once read from as a child. I knew that he would need its strength, its guidance and its comfort in the days ahead. At first, he said he was afraid he might lose it, he refused to take it. I insisted. I told him: "Hold on to this... You'll need it like your country needs you now." He took the Bible, and said softly, "I won't let you down."

My fellow Americans ? John Kerry has never let me down. He'll never let you down. He is an authentic American hero. He is the next captain of our ship of state. And he will be the next president of the United States.

In every hour of challenge ? in every hour of danger ? American heroes have answered their country's call. Just blocks from where we are tonight, some 230 years ago, a group called the Sons of Liberty assembled to demand democracy, and a voice in their future. Mere steps from where we are, a former slave named Crispus Attucks gave his life for freedom. And around the corner from where we are, a beacon of light from the old North Church set Paul Revere on a mission to save this country's people from danger.

Those were fateful hours for our young nation. Tonight I am honored to introduce to you another son of liberty, a brother in arms, a man called by destiny at this fateful hour in our nation's history.

He is my brother. He is my friend. He is my hero. Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, John Kerry answers the call.

[Seascamp]

There are some true heroes and true men and I number Max and John McCain to be among the first names on the first list in the book of names of forthright and good men. On the other hand, Kerry isn?t in the book of names and isn?t in the same room where the book is kept. As we watch the ebb and flow of this vile DNC hate agenda going on, I?m sure there are thresholds and decision levels we all must reach. Max to his credit and to my knowledge hasn?t soiled himself with the DNC hate agenda but has accepted the overall program, perhaps out of loyalty to cause. I don?t know and won?t question his judgment or his comments. But that doesn?t mean I accept them, for my life?s journey tells me an entirely different story and a heart breaking one at that. Anyone, and I mean anyone that wants a journey to reality needs just go visit the Holocaust Museum in Phnom Phen, Cambodia, and just have a look, a long hard look.

That totally traumatized me and turned on the bright lights of reality forever and believe me, I?ve seen enough sorrow and killing in my life for any 100 people. Then ask the question ?how could this happen??, then back track and see exactly how one third of the Cambodian population was set up for slaughter at the hands of the Communists. Then have a look see as to who spoke out against this atrocity and then who spoke out for and was an unwitting dupe for a Communist victory in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. That is my threshold of reality and exactly why I could never support Kerry, ever. He never uttered a peep of protest about the horrendous chain of events that unfolded but most certainly was an unwitting dupe for a Communist victory and worked toward that end. That?s a matter of record and undisputable. Was he an over ambitious dupe that was used by the Communists? Probably. Did he back away from the horrid reality of it all when it became known what was really on the plate? Probably. Did he assert his outrage over the mass murder and do something about it? No, silence is acceptance. Had he had already completed his transaction, traded the reputation of good men of the book for his thirty pieces of silver and now is posturing as some kind of ?war hero?? That is the hard-cold reality of it all, sorry to say. Some people can look the other way for some supposed greater good they truly believe in I reckon, but I can?t and won?t, period.

Some say Col. Scout is hardheaded but I say he?s outspoken and a very learned man that is also in the book of names. I don?t claim to be in that book of names and probably don?t deserve to be there, but I?ll be dammed if Kerry can take away my memories and reduce those who speak out to some ?Right wing Zealot? status as part of the quite apparent daja vu hate a Vet agenda. That isn?t going to happen, memories are forever, and I?ll never betray the fallen heroes or the victims, ever.

Scamp

[reconeil]

Thanks for THE NUMBERS!!!

After all, if 220 of 229 Swift Boat Veterans (Commanders and Officers inclusive) serving with Kerry in Vietnam are adamently against "Him" and despise "Him",...such most certainly explains much and/or certainly the truth about Kerry.

Plus, it certainly explains to me why Kerry could only get 8 or 9 out of 229,...to SERVE as his: "Band of Brothers", which The Dems/Libs/Leftists so highly tout. That 220 no-way-in-hell would want to belong to Kerry's politically rigged-up: "Band of Brothers",...also does say much.

Maybe The 8 or 9 scrounged-up supporters were On Leave or in Sick Bay at the time of his turncoat lowrating and maliciously insulting ALL HE SERVED WITH for only 3 or 4 months, in a Fonda-lke fashion? Or, and maybe even given enough money,...such can buy fans and/or friends for life? Hey,...who knows?

Neil