Swift Boater named to state post
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
One of the stars of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group that sought to malign 2004 Democratic Party presidential candidate John Kerry’s military service will serve as the commissioner for the Virginia Department of Veterans Services.
Paul Galanti was appointed to the post by Gov. Bob McDonnell. The appointment was announced by the governor’s office on Thursday.
Galanti was a prisoner of war for nearly seven years during the Vietnam War.
Link to this post!
Related posts:
- Staunton: Former POW, Swift Boater, to speak on Saturday Story by Chris Graham freepress2@ntelos.net How do we describe Paul Galanti? Former POW-turned-Swift Boat critic of John Kerry? That would be one way. Another would...
- Webb Post-9/11 G.I. Bill passes House Item by Chris Graham freepress2@ntelos.net Jim Webb’s Post-9/11 G.I. Bill passed the House of Representatives on Thursday, moving the nation a giant step closer to...
- DCCU’s Snyder named to state committee DuPont Community Credit Union financial education manager David Snyder was recently elected co-chair of the Virginia Credit Union League’s Financial Literacy Committee. Snyder, a Staunton...
- Six EMU athletes named to state all-academic team The Virginia Sports Information Directors has named six Eastern Mennonite University student-athletes for their performances both in the classroom and in competition to the organization’s...
- Local business owner named to state board Staff Report Business news tips: freepress2@ntelos.net Kathryn McMillan, owner of Clutter Conversions LLC, a Staunton-based business, has been appointed to the Board of Directors...
We have lots of rivers and bays in Virginia. We need someone who knows about swift boats.
I suppose lying about your fellow veterans pays off sometimes.
Chris: If you had bothered to read our book “Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry”, 2004, you would know that there was no need to “malign” JK. He maligned a who generation of American soldiers, sailors (USCG too), and fliers by accusing them of war crimes he never saw.
Interestingly, Kerry killed several civilians by accident but by a reckless action, and then covered it up.
Later he met with the enemy in Paris at least twice by his admission, and a third time by implication in FBI FOIA docs.
Re Paul Galanti. Why not ask him to write a column for you about the Kerry issue as well as the tortures he went thru in the Four Star luxurious torture center known as the Hanoi Hilton?
Perhaps he has a different perspective on why he dislikes Kerry. Hundreds of Swift Boat veterans including some members of his crew also disliked Kerry, and two who once supported him have turned out to be liars about serving with him.
Yes, Kerry once served honorably during his short-tour in Vietnam but his actions also included things that Nam vets consider to be dishonorable and disreputable, and have said so.
His actions later during the war, like those of a one-time American hero Benedict Arnold, showed his/their two sides, and betraying your country trumps whatever good they did before.
For your readers information, I was a researcher on the book “Unfit for Command” and had known John O’Neill back in the 70′s when he was with Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace.
The followup book on the Swift Boat/Kerry issue was written by Scott Swett and Tim Ziegler, entitled “To Set The Record Straight”, and contained additional research/findings on Kerry that we did for two years after “Unfit” came out (July, 2004).
It has information in it that has never been reported in the media.
Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry”, and everything you say are bold faced lies. The Navy backs up Senator Kerry war record. The Swift Boater were asked numerous times to produce evidence and they never could.
Oh, and just because a soldier comes back from war and speaks out against that war to protect the lives of fellow soldiers does not make him an enemy of verterans-it makes him a hero. “How do you as a man to be the last man to die for a mistake”?
Oh, and for the record, John O’Neil was a hired hand for President Nixon, and Nixon wanted to discredit Senator Kerry because of his anti-war platform. Mr. O’Neil thinks we would of won the Vietnam War if we kept on plugging on-and did not worry about all the loss of our soldiers lives. Senator Kerry-then, Lt. Kerry at the time, saw there was no winning this war and was angry about the loss of life. That is what prompted him to speak out in opposition to the war. Senator Kerry is a patriot and a hero in my book. Mr. O’Neil is just trying to continue making a living by lying about other people. And, the same goes for all the other Swift Boat Veterans.
I’m certainly glad that no one in my family is seeking veteran’s services through the state of Virginia, at this time.
Chris, thank you for reporting on this state item. Was this appointment reported in the mainstream media? AFP keeps me informed better than most of the local outlets.
I served with Kerry in Vietnam and participated in SwiftVets,start to finish. Kerry was more interested in his personal success than in contributing to a successful combat team. In SwiftVets, no one told us what to do or say; we were successful because we stuck to the truth. All the “issues” were the result of media mania…saying anything to get attention. We told our story because we need a president who puts our country above his personal ambitions, and we told the truth.
If Kerry were NOT interested in the success of the combat team why did the NAVY give him the two prestigious medals they gave him and the excellent performance ratings that were in ALL his fitness records that were on his website for years.
In addition, all the men on his boat for any of the medals supported him 100%. In addition, the only living lieutenant other than Kerry involved on the mission where his silver star was earned wrote on oped in the Chicago Tribune, based on his and his former crews memory which completely backed Kerry – and he is as conservative as the Chicago Tribune where he was an editor.
As to telling the truth, the things said by you liars contradicted themselves and contradicted the records of many of the people who contradicted. There were “first hand observations” by people whose records show they were not even in Vietnam at the same time or in a different place!
How do you explain that the paranoid President Nixon DID investigate Kerry, when his service was only a few years old – and he found that Kerry was a clean cut war hero. This by the way, was an internal conversation that is known because of the Nixon tapes were made public.
I have no way of knowing whether you actually served with John Kerry or not – and your observation that he was more interested in “personal success” is simply that – your observation. What is clear from the fitness reports is that over the 3 years he was either on the frigate or the swiftboats, there were comments that the men who reported to him were fiercely loyal to him. Could you have simply been jealous? (There was much to be jealous of)
The fact is that Kerry DID put his country above his “personal success”. He roomed at Yale with a nephew of a JFK/LBJ cabinet member and dated Jackie Kennedy’s step sister. With those connections, he could easily have avoided Vietnam – as Bush, Cheney and Clinton did. The latter two had far weaker connections.
All you need to know about John Kerry is this – he picked John Edwards to be his Vice Presidential candidate.
Kerry never produced all, or allowed the release of his naval records. He could have sued the SwiftVets, but chose not to;he would be deposed and discovery would prove the SwiftVets correct. He could have absolved himself by apologizing to all the VN vets he defamed before congress. He chose not too.
His rcord has always been to appease the hard left and the enemies of this country.
Wow, checking out various blogs I can see the two latest posters do not even have an original thought. I know I read both comments recently from other right blogs.
First, Senator Kerry HAS released all of his military records- all of them. The Boston Globe and the Herald both confirm this, but like everything else with Conservatives, they do not care about facts-just making a point-good or bad. And, in this case the point is not only bad, but it is a lie.
And, as for the running mate, in hindsight, Edwards was not the best choice. But, in 2004 he was very well respected and was well liked within the party. Now, you want to talk about bad choices, how about VP Nixon, and VP Spiro Agnew? Oh, and if you want to write about regretable personal choices, how about the Republican Congressman with the “wide stance” or former Congressman Hayworth who took funds from a crook,or Senator Veter who like his prostutes. And, then there is Senator John Ensign who has a few “family” issues hanging over his head.
So, if the only lapse in judgement you can associate with Senator Kerry is Edwards, than I think it is rediculous to even bring this up.
Not the only lapse, but the biggest. Trying to put a man with no character, only good hair, a heartbeat from the presidency.
http://augustafreepress.com/2010/03/25/swift-boater-named-to-state-post/comment-page-1/#comment-120305
I was stationed at Richards Gebaur Air Force Base in Kansas City, Missouri, at the time Navy Lt. John F. Kerry presented a speech before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 22, 1971. That speech (written for him by Robert Kennedy’s speech writer Adam Walinsky) is one of the best-known moments of his life, and it was given while he was involved with Vietnam Veterans Against the War. [In November of that year, just across town from me, the VVAW voted down a plan to assassinate seven U.S. Senators who supported the Vietnam war. One of those senators was my senator, John Tower. John Kerry was at that meeting. Oddly, no one reported the plot to the authorities.] In his speech before the Senate, Lt. John Kerry asked: “How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?” History has shown that our involvement in the war was not a mistake and that the Communists were on the verge of collapse before the anti-war movement reinvigorated them to hold out. By early to mid 1972, the Viet Cong units we faced had been all but destroyed, and their ranks had to be filled with North Vietnamese Regulars and forced conscripts. They were working on terms of surrender. We could have won. I know, I was flying missions gathering intelligence on their troop strength and composition, intercepting their radio transmissions, and watching American and South Vietnamese forces pushing toward victory until John Kerry and his ilk convinced Congress to pull all support, including food, weapons, ammunition, and fuel from the South Vietnamese. None call it treason, but it was certainly comforting to the Communists to watch us hand them a victory politically they could never win on the battlefield. The North Vietnamese military supreme command even said so after the war in his memoirs.
I have corresponded over the years with several of my comrades as well as members of the families of some of my comrades shot down over Laos February 5, 1973 on one of our EC-47s, callsign “Baron 52″. The three pilots were killed, but the fate of the other five crewmembers is still not known with certainty to this day. They were simply “written off” by the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA affairs, co-chaired by Senator John F. Kerry, with no concessions from the Communists in return. The shootdown was controversial enough to earn a spot on the TV program “Unsolved Mysteries”. If any of the crew managed to bail out and were captured, the hearings sealed their fate never to be returned. With that said, and having written to the mother of one of those men, my question to John Kerry would have been, “Senator Kerry, what do you say to a mother whose son you just abandoned in Vietnam?”
During my 12 month tour in Vietnam (actually 366 days), more than half the pilots with whom I flew my 100+ missions were Reservists, like me, and Air Guardsmen. John Kerry equated Guardsmen with draft dodgers. The majority of members of the Guard and Reserves are former Active Duty military. Many are the very airline pilots who fly the majority of commercial passenger flights every day. I often wondered how many names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall are of National Guardsmen and Reservists. One hundred and forty Medal of Honor recipients were in the National Guard. Six thousand seventy-seven members of the National Guard or Reserves died in Vietnam.
Sadly, that is history now. Perhaps someday the truth will come out.
To Paul Galanti and the Swiftboat Veterans and POWs For Truth, including the Swifties who have posted here, a hand salute and my gratitude for your service and for exposing John Fraud Kerry for the elitist, opportunist, America-hating scoundrel he was and is…this from a fellow Vietnam war veteran whose mission was to pass intelligence reports to Swifties, Army units and Higher HQ as well as to other Air Force units. It appears those opposed to the appointment of the honorable Paul Galanti as the commissioner for the Virginia Department of Veterans Services would have had no objections to electing a liar and fraud and a person of questionable allegiance to America to the office of President of the United States and having him serve as Commander in Chief of our armed forces.
For those of you still suffering from “John Kerry Hero Worship” Syndrome, please visit the following website. You will learn all you can stomach about John (did you know he served in Vietnam?) Kerry. Benedict Arnold was once a decorated “hero”, too.
WinterSoldier.com, dedicated to the American veterans of the Vietnam War, who served with courage and honor…
http://www.wintersoldier.com/
Reader Marc is not only a leftist consumer of copious amounts of Kool-Aid but is no doubt an Obama supporter who never served one day in the military. Paul Galanti is a friend of mine and Marc is no Paul Galanti. Nuff said.
The rabid views of Marc which so easily spill into his writing and the silly challenges and assertions of kpc lead me to wonder what their “sources” were that makes their knowledge so superior to that of the 800 plus members of SwiftVets. The entire squadron over about 7 years of service consisted of no more that 3500 officers and men.
Something tells me that neither writer is old enough to have served in the military of those days, if ever, and they sound programmed to argue against the intelligence of American voters who apparently saw truth in the faces of those men in the ads.
I will concede that Mr. Kerry would not have been as bad a President as this other guy we need to endure because of his strong self interest. He would want a second term. I personally spoke with one of his friends who said, “John would have been a Republican if he thought it would help his future.” It is Mr. Kerry’s lack of core principles that would have made him less dangerous to the nation than the Chicago mob today occupying the White House.
If either of you sat down with Mrs. Galanti, she would set you straight on the adverse impact Mr. Kerry’s behavior had on her, her husband and other P.O.W.s and their families. I doubt you could look her in the eye and say the things that you write about so easily from the comfort of your computer.
Take a breath, Marc. Shrill ranting never persuades, it is just noise.
Have a nice weekend.
John Kerry is a populist, and I’m sure he would have made whatever selection of party or issue if he thought it would sell better than another.
For anyone to think he was truthful, honorable, or candid about his Viet Nam service is experiencing wrongheaded thinking. His claim to have been wounded three times is laughable. His Christmas/Nixon story is preposterous. And, his “Ready to serve.” comment during the presidential campaign was enough to make one gag.
John Kerry has never released his military records. Never.
I’m old to enough to have served in Viet Nam. I did command a SWIFT boat. And, I did sign the letter denouncing him.
Marc:
You lack the same charcter traits as your idol. Don’t throw bombs, support your statements with facts. I know this is hard on a liberal that prefers to support their statements with opinions….. facts, facts, let’s hear them.
To Horne
My sources were explained in my post. Kerry’s service records (ALL of them – as confirmed by three newspapers who got them directly from the NAVY in 2005 when Kerry DID sign to release all his records.) were on his website. As with most things that are on the internet – they still exist here – http://news.findlaw.com/legalnews/lit/election2004/docs.html
As to the comment on what was in the Nixon tapes, that was reported years ago – and repeated in 2004. As to all the men, still alive who were on his boat when he got medals – their support for him was well documented.
Now as to the liars – many of them, including John O’Neil had NO OVERLAP in when they were in Vietnam and when Kerry was. Many of Kerry’s peers, who were there with him were interviewed a few years before Kerry ran by Doug Brinkley, a noted historian, who wrote Tour of Duty. Now, before you say he is a liberal apologist – explain why Mrs Reagan chose him to edit the Reagan diaries for publication.
At that point, there was only one person, who had any problems with Kerry. Kerry took over his crew and boat after he was injured and returned to the US. There were two comments by him. One speaking of his crew, he sarcasticly spoke of how he did not fraternize with them – knowing their mothers’ birthdays. The other on Kerry, who he described as aloof. Putting the two comments together though – and knowing the crew far preferred Kerry, it is obvious that Kerry was actually LESS aloof with subordinates than he was. That was the strongest criticism anyone offered – nothing like the comments – some from the same people in the SBVT book.
Now what is known is that O’Neil was chosen by Nixon in 1971 to counter Kerry – and every time they debated, Kerry easily was far more impressive. (Some still exist in NYC’s broadcast museum.) In addition, the SBFT was funded by Bush fundraisers and they shared a lawyer. As to the officers Kerry reported to – their motivation was very likely that the combined accounts of all the people Brinkley spoke to painted a picture of an operation that resulted in many injuries and deaths and accomplished little – and the strongest condemnations were not from Kerry. Here is an article that describes Hoffman’s reasons – http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2975-2004Oct2.html Note – that telling the truth about Kerry was NOT among them.
As to Paul Galani, he didn’t know Kerry. His complaint was Kerry’s testimony before the SFRC. Kerry was asked there to speak of what was said at the winter soldier hearing. What he did in a speech that he wrote (both Walinsky and Kerry deny Walinsky wrote it – and it does not sound like Walinsky. It sounds like the excerpts from Kerry’s diary and Kerry’s speeches and comments today.)was to quickly summarize the hearing, then make a plea that the government not desert the veterans returning with needs not taken care of and a plea to end the war.
The part you are referring to was the first part. In the Kerry spoke of soldiers saying they participated or saw a list of horrific things. The Senate was also given a copy of the full hearing – and all that Kerry said was said is in it – thus he spoke the truth. It contained the names and information on the soldiers speaking. The Senate had the ability, that a 27 year old vet didn’t, to verify whether the soldiers told the truth. The fact is that this was AFTER My Lai was known and the truth is these atrocities happened. Here is a link to a book written about atrocities in Vietnam using the military archives – http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/books/review/McKelvey-t.html
Rather than blame Kerry, Mrs Galanti should blame the leaders of the country who continued the war long after they knew it could not be won. MacNamara, who was the architect of the Vietnam War said in the 1990s that he knew the war could not be won as early as 1968 – that was a point when half the men whose names are on the wall were still alive. The peace terms offered to LBJ in 1968 were nearly identical to what happened in 1973. Her husband could have been released 5 years earlier. Instead to paraphrase Kerry, her husband was a prisoner those extra years because politicians were more concerned with saving face.
To Masterson,
I too am old enough to remember the Vietnam War. I did not serve because I am a woman. I respect that you did, but I think you are wrong on every point you made.
Kerry DID sign to release his records directly to three newspapers in 2005. Just as he said in 2004 – they were identical to what he had on his website in 2004. (http://news.findlaw.com/legalnews/lit/election2004/docs.html ) The medical records, which were not on the website, were the same as the records open to media in 2004.
As to Kerry being wounded three times – he was and the NAVY gave him 3 purple hearts. In addition, Kerry rarely spoke of any heroics or claimed anything about his service. He simply spoke of having served. In Tour of Duty, the descriptions of the events that earned his medals were mostly from other people and the citations. Kerry journals dealt more with his concerns and feelings – which is what journals typically do. There were no Kerry descriptions of those missions.
As to Christmas/Nixon, it was ridiculous. First of all, Kerry did not mention Nixon, he said “the President”. Now, the context. Kerry was speaking in the Senate in the late 1980s – about 20 years after his service. The topic was covert actions in Central America. In addition to the arguments that Kerry made against what was being illegally supported (it was against the Boland amendment), he spoke of his own experience. The comment he made spoke of going into Cambodia at a time when the President denied we were there. Now, on Christmas Eve, he was at minimum near the border – in January or February, he was definitely (per Brinkley) in Cambodia.Now, the context was not bragging, but of having done something he was completely against.
Now, John O’Neil was praised by Nixon for doing exactly that – (it is hard to find this article – but here is a site that has the AP article – http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:vtmLSqBs76UJ:www.familyfriendsfirearms.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-24348.html+One+of+the+men+who+helped+put+Democrat+John+Kerry+(news+-+web+sites)+on+the+defensive+over+his+military+record+during+the+Vietnam+war+is+answering+questions+about+his+own+service+during+that+conflict.&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a
Now, at worse, 20 years later, Kerry conflated two events – going near the border on Christmas Even and crossing it 2 months later. The fact is that the date change did not change what he was saying in anyway.
The combat accomplishments of John Kerry and Benedict Arnold are well documented. And, their later actions are also well documented. The veterans of Virginia are indeed fortunate to have Paul Paglanti. I have never known a finer American.
Joe Daniel
Combat Veteran
Marc: Show me John Kerry’s DD214. Because two leftist newspapers say they saw them doesn’t make it so. A doctor supposedly saw Obama’s Birth Certificate or Certificate of Live Birth, or whatever.
Until it is published on the front page of every major newspaper in the country, all you’ve got is the say-so of someone you’ve never met.
The US is full of “Stolen Valor” military hero wannabees.
Re Kerry’s medals. If he lied about his service and helped to write his own recommendations, and people relied on his honesty, then what the govt did in awarding them was to be duped.
People trusted Bernie Madoff, didn’t they?
Rood’s article in the Chicago Tribune shed light on one Swift Boat operation with Kerry but if you read Kerry’s version of the operation, only he was there to fight the enemy, not two other Swift Boats (Rood’s included) to give him covering fire.
Hey, Kerry supporters. If you weren’t in Nam, shut up. You have no idea what the rivers looked like, how the enemy operated, and how easy it was for records to get fudged, lost, etc.
There is a lot about Kerry’s machinations you don’t know, including about his meetings with communists in Paris during the war, a possible MCCJ violation, and his trip to meet with Marxist Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua (along with fake Vietnam veteran Sen. Tom Harkin).
ALso, why did two of his “crewmen” lie about serving with him when both were wounded and out of the operations area before Kerry took command of PC 94?
Wright is a legit Swifty. He has written on this before in Virginia papers and online. Look it up.
I hate Kerry Kool-Aid fools. Give me a good hardcore communist anyday.
Last warning on rhetoric about “communists.”
The flat of my blade to Chris Graham for resurrecting the “Swift Boating” slur, which (1) emanated from the 2004 Presidential campaign, (2) was used in the 2008 campaign (by Democrats) to slander opponents, and (3) appears again in Graham’s short article to libel Paul Galanti, Navy POW during our unlamented Southeast Asia War.
I join “Hippo” and Joe Daniel (like Galanti, fellow-SEA War veterans) in applauding Paul’s appointment. I do not know Max Friedman or “Opaobie,” but, as “Comments” have become a debate over Lieut. John Kerry’s military service and Senator Kerry’s veracity, let me note that I support everything they say. Here’s more, primarily for “Marc” and for reporter Graham:
Apparently, you have drunk the Kerry campaign’s post-2004 election Kool-aid — that the Swift Boat veterans’ “smear attacks” had cost him the election, a claim resurrected during the 2008 campaign to “fireproof” Democratic candidates against their opponents. The metaphor is catchy, and apparently now one of the Democratic Party’s mantras . . . but it is dead wrong: the “Swifties” were the heroes of that campaign.
In January 2008, Scott Swett and Tim Ziegler published “TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT: How Swift Boat Veterans, POWs and the New Media Defeated John Kerry,” to document what really happened during the 2004 campaign — as well as decades ago. Ultimately, after reading Senator Kerry’s “authorized biography” “Tour of Duty” and identifying its self-serving errors, some 250 Swift Boat veterans (later joined by “Hanoi Hilton” POWs, Galanti among them) determined that Kerry was not fit to be the nation’s commander-in-chief. How they compared memories, researched facts and events, organized as an independent group to oppose the Kerry candidacy, and overcame strong political and media opposition in the process . . . is the heart of the book.
If you wish to verify this claim, TSTRS is available from:
1. The authors (via , for $15.95, including shipping); and
2. Amazon (for various prices, via and select: “To Set the Record Straight by Scott Swett.” Then, click on the title for Customers’ Reviews: of 42 posted, 38 give it 5 stars (one of them mine).
In addition, the authors themselves have made two chapters available on-line, via their website above (see Book Excerpts/Free Chapter Downloads):
a. Chap 10: “An Incident on the Bay Hap River” (which details how the Swift Vets disproved the Kerry campaign’s heroic “No Man Left Behind” story”); and —
b. Chap 13: “Rather’s Ruin and the Rise of the Pajamahadeen” (which showed how media arrogance blinded them to a forgery discovered by bloggers).
I should note that I have no financial or other beneficial interest in this book. I recommend it to all for its clarification of so much of the myth, debate and falsehood that remain with us even today — to the extent that they still arise to challenge our heroes . . . while real villains walk free. (Review also Amendment XIV to our Constitution while you’re at it.)
JMyer (USAF, Ret.)
SEA War vet (O-1E Bird Dog FAC, 1966-67)
The flat of your blade? Sorry. Comments of that nature will not be tolerated. It’s sad to see what passes for discourse in today’s environment. “The flat of my blade” is equivalent to cutting a gas line.
News is news and slanted/spun opinion is slanted/spun opinion, Chris, they are 2 different things. If you ever learn this, you might even, possibly, become a journalist.
Marc and kpc – you two should hook up!! Alinsky, Cloward and Piven must be so very proud!! Your beliefs are your beliefs and you are entitled to them, but they unfortunately have nothing, zip, zero, nada to do with cold, hard, historical facts. Sadly, there are those who are completely unable to cope with the truth.
Sadly, you are horribly misinformed or possibly simply idiots!
The mere mental picture of an Officer in the United States Navy presenting himself to his Commanding Officer and petitioning for (no, make that DEMANDING) the award of a Purple Heart for a scratch on his arm should make any observer even barely familiar with the uniquely American concept of military honor and tradition gag…and wretch.
What’s your excuse Mr. Graham?
Six years after the fact, and this group still has the concept of Swift Boating down pat.
To Max Friedman,
Kerry’s account included the other two boats. I actually heard Judy Droz Keyes speak about the Silver Star action in 2006. She is the widow of the other skipper. The idea that Kerry did not mention him is ridiculous.
In addition, Republican Senator John Warner who was the Vietnam era Secretary of the Navy spoke on the Senate floor of how he reviewed that medal – and that Kerry deserved it.
In addition, your smears of the POW/MIA committee are ridiculous. Kerry alone made 14 trips to Vietnam to create what was likely the most thorough investigation done in the aftermath of any war. Through that, the remains of many servicemen were recovered – giving many families cloture. They could not find any evidence of people still being held – and they stated that in their conclusions, which even Senator Smith signed on to. (Note – they could not say that there was absolutely no one held, but it is clear that a very serious effort was made to find any that were.) It is also clear that a number of the “sightings” were not true and that some of the people collecting money for this cause were not reputable.
Chris, you need to thank the Swift Boat crew. If Kerry had won in 2004, then Barack Obama would not be president now (maybe he replaces John Edwards as vice president).
kpc: Never said that there were live POWS re the 1990′s Kerry/McCain committee. Only that a member of that task force said that documents concerning possible live sightings were destroyed.
Re Droz: Since he was KIA, he can’t tell us what happened, unfortunately.
Kerry’s action in beaching his boat was only from his perspective. Don’t recall ever seeing him say that there were two boats covering him.
Unless the full DD215 is posted on the internet, everything is useless. Same for his medical records.
Just because Warner said that the Navy’s award of Purple Hearts or othe medals were according to procedure doesn’t mean that they weren’t based on lies.
Kerry never was in Cambodia. Navy boats blocked anyone from crossing the border. A friend of mine who was stationed at An Toi confirmed this blockade. It was intended to prevent another inadvertent boat crossing into Cambodia waters, one that happened about 6 months earlier.
I’ve been to Cambodia during the war. Kerry wasn’t. But he did spent time talking to the enemy in Paris. Ask him to testify before Congress on who he had contact with, what he said to them, what they said/asked of him (and VVAW), etc.
O’Neill took over command of Kerry’s boat approximately one day after Kerry left it. Never claimed that he overlapped with Kerry.
Two of PC94′s crew who were wounded left the boat at least one day (or more) before Kerry took command (Alston, one day before). Therefore their claims to have served with Kerry were lies. See “To Set the Record Straight”. Lots of goodies in that book, esp. the fact that the FAC did not see any enemy tracer fire on the Bay Hap River during Kerry’s “5,000 meters of enemy small and heavy arms fire”. (That’s over 3 miles of “hostile fire” and not a bullet hole in his craft).
Kerry was asked to testify before the Senate by Sen.Fulbright, who refused to let O’Neill testify afterwards. Lots of politicing involved in that testimony.
Don’t think that Kerry came out a winner on the Dick Cavett Show. In fact, O’Neill bled him to death.
I will check the link you provided re Kerry’s records but no one I know has ever seen his whole 215 file.
to kpc: You wre right that Kerry did put his DD214 on the internet. My mistake concerned the failure to sign his SF180 to release all his records, including medical, military judicial proceedings (if any), etc.
People who have analyzed Kerry’s discharge dates have noticed that what should have happened in the 1970′s took over 20 years more to become final, and they ask why. They point to Carter’s amnesty/revision of the status of draft dodgers and possibly those who went into exile in Canada, etc., an action which might have affected any legal action by the Navy against Kerry.
His very strange enlistment timeline does need to be explained.
I served with John Kerry in country.
Let’s get one thing clear. The Swift Boat Vets for Truth were exactly that; they were men who set the record straight.
“Swiftboating” is NOT a verb meaning “to twist the truth”; instead we simply brought to light the fact that he was not at all like he portrayed himself.
We shined a light on his “tour of duty” (which was only four months;one third of a true tour) and he was unable to refute us.
Kerry did SIGN to release the everything in his file – everything. Everything went to 3 newspapers directly from the Navy in 2005.
There was nothing suspicious about his discharge. The easiest proof is that had the Navy/government gone after Kerry, it would have been news. Given the WH was concerned enough about him to recruit John O’Neil to refute him, they certainly would not have kept anything quiet.
The entire story was the made up out of whole cloth by the right wing – and the facts don’t fit. On the eve of the election, they argued that Kerry could not go to Harvard Law because they were concerned he could not be admitted to the bar – but Kerry was not only admitted to the bar, but was a prosecutor for the state of Massachusetts in June, 1976, the month after he graduated from the law school at Boston College. Note Jimmy Carter took office 6 months LATER.
Though you won’t like the source, here is a diary explaining Kerry’s discharge – http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/30/245/93574