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Kerry's Shipmates Speak Out	John Henry
	Jul 31, 2004 04:25 PDT

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JOHN KERRY'S SHIPMATES SPEAK OUT! 
Can you read this and tell any of these
18 men they are wrong about John Kerry. This man shouldn't even be
a Senator ~ he should be court-martialed. 
 
Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman, USN (retired), chairman,
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." 
 
Commander Grant Hibbard, USN (retired): 
"While in Cam Rahn Bay, he trained on several 24-hour indoctrination
missions, and one special skimmer operation with my most senior and
trusted Lieutenant. The briefing from some members of that crew the
morning after revealed that they had not received any enemy fire, and yet
Lt.(jg) Kerry informed me of a wound -- he showed me a scratch on his arm
and a piece of shrapnel in his hand that appeared to be from one of our
own M-79s. It was later reported to me that Lt.(jg) Kerry had fired an
M-79, and it had exploded off the adjacent shoreline. I do not recall
being advised of any medical treatment, and probably said something like
'Forget it.' He later received a Purple Heart for that scratch, and I
have no information as to how or whom. 
Lt.(jg) Kerry was allowed to return to the good old USA after 4 months
and a few days in-country, and then he proceeded to betray his former
shipmates, calling them criminals who were committing
atrocities. 
Today we are here to tell you that just the opposite is true. Our rules
of engagement were quite strict, and the officers and men of Swift often
did not even return fire when they were under fire if there was a
possibility that innocent people -- fishermen, in a lot of cases -- might
be hurt or injured. The rules and the good intentions of the men
increased the possibility that we might take friendly
casualties." 
 
Captain Adrian Lonsdale, USCG (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 Charles Plumly, USN (retired): 
"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.'" 
 
Andrew Horne: 
"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." 
 
Jeffrey Wainscott: 
"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." 
 
Robert Elder: 
"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." 
 
Joseph Ponder: 
"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..." 
 

 
Lt. Col. James Zumwalt, USMC (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 have
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." 
 
Barnard Wolff: 
"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 steppingstone
to his political ambitions." 
 
David Wallace: 
 
"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." 
 
Captain George Elliott, USN (retired): 
"I served with these guys. I went on missions with them, and
these men served honorably. Up and down the chain of command there was no
acquiescence to atrocities. It was not condoned, it did not happen, and
it was not reported to me verbally or in writing by any of these men
including Lt.(jg) Kerry. 
In 1971, '72, for almost 18 months, he stood before the television
audiences and claimed that the 500,000 men and women in Vietnam, and in
combat, were all villains -- there were no heroes. In 2004, one hero from
the Vietnam War has appeared, running for President of the United States
and Commander-in-Chief. It just galls one to think about
it." 
 

 
William Shumadine: 
 
"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 offshore 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." 

 
Richard O'Meara: 
"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. " 
 
Steven Gardner: 

 
"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?" 
 
Robert Brant 
 
"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." 
 
James Steffes 
 
"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." 
 
<a href="http://america.landmarkbiblebaptist.net/kerry.html" eudora="autourl">http://america.landmarkbiblebaptist.net/kerry.html 
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