Swift Boat Veterans for Truth did not serve alongside Kerry

FOX News Channel's Hannity & Colmes and MSNBC's Scarborough Country both gave free airtime on August 4 to a new, misleading ad sponsored by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a recently formed group dedicated to attacking Senator John Kerry's record during and after his service in Vietnam. Both programs devoted segments to the ad, airing it the day before its scheduled release, but left out key facts that discredit Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

In an August 5 interview with the Associated Press, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), "a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, called the ad criticizing John Kerry's military service 'dishonest and dishonorable' and urged the White House on Thursday to condemn it as well."

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth did not serve alongside Kerry

In the new ad, members of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth claim that they "served with John Kerry." Hannity & Colmes co-host Sean Hannity echoed the false claim, saying that the veterans in the ad are "the people that know him best," and referred to them as "some of his fellow crewmates." Even Pat Halpin, who was filling in for co-host Alan Colmes, called them "some of John Kerry's crewmates." Scarborough echoed Swift Boat Veterans' misleading claim that they "served with John Kerry in Vietnam."

While the veterans attacking Kerry in the ad are veterans of the Vietnam War and may have served at the same time as Kerry, as The New York Times reported on August 5, the Kerry campaign noted that "none of the men had actually served on the Swift boats that Mr. Kerry commanded." Adm. Roy F. Hoffman, one of the veterans in the ad, has even "acknowledged he had no first-hand knowledge to discredit Kerry's claims to valor," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on May 7, "and said that although Kerry was under his command, he really didn't know Kerry much personally."

In contrast, many of the veterans who have appeared on the campaign trail with Kerry did serve alongside him. The Wall Street Journal's Albert R. Hunt noted in his August 5 "Campaign Journal" column, titled "Sham Charges Against a War Hero" (subscription required): "Indeed, 10 of the 11 men who served on his two swift boats all have sworn by John Kerry; nine living members were in Boston [for the Democratic National Convention]."

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's Republican ties

As Media Matters for America previously noted, on May 4, Salon.com's Joe Conason detailed Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's ties to the Republican Party. In addition to pointing out that the group's founder, John O'Neill, has long-standing ties to the GOP that can be traced back to the Nixon administration, Conason also reported that among the people behind Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is "veteran corporate media consultant and Texas Republican activist Merrie Spaeth, who is listed as the group's media contact."

As MMFA has documented, both Hannity & Colmes co-host Alan Colmes (on May 2 and FOX chief political correspondent Carl Cameron (on May 4) reported the group's Republican ties on FOX News Channel; on May 4, Scarborough mentioned criticism of O'Neill's "dirty tricks" for the Nixon administration. While Scarborough did mention on August 4 that the group was part of the "Republican counteroffensive" "prepar[ing] to release blistering attacks in John Kerry's Vietnam record," Hannity completely ignored the group's ties to the GOP.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth doctor did not sign Kerry's medical record

Neither Hannity nor Scarborough bothered to note that Dr. Louis Letson, who is featured in the ad claiming to have treated Kerry for the wound that earned him his first Purple Heart and claiming that it was undeserved, was not the medical official who signed Kerry's medical records for the wound. The Kerry campaign noted this fact in a report in The New York Times and a report in the Los Angeles Times that surfaced when Letson first unleashed this attack in May.

In criticizing the ad, McCain told the Associated Press, "'It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me'... referring to his [McCain's] bitter Republican primary fight with President Bush," according to the AP. As Conason reported on May 4, "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." Conason explained that Spaeth (the group's media contact) participated during the 2000 Republican primary contest in TV ads that "falsely attack[ed]" McCain's environmental record in California, New York, and Ohio.

McCain might have been referring as well to attacks on his military record by Ted Sampley and Thomas Burch, both Vietnam veterans, during the 2000 primary season. As Media Matters for America previously reported, Sampley hounded McCain as a "Manchurian Candidate" -- suggesting that the decorated veteran and former prisoner of war was a brainwashed communist agent -- and was convicted for misdemeanor assault related to an attack on one of McCain's legislative aides. Sampley is the leader of a group called Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry. During the 2000 Republican primary in South Carolina, Burch, according to a February 22 report in the Chicago Tribune, "stood with George W. Bush at his side and accused Sen. John McCain of Arizona of opposing health care for Persian Gulf war veterans and blocking efforts to locate POW-MIAs, saying the former prisoner of war "came home from Vietnam and forgot us."

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth did not serve alongside Kerry

FOX News Channel's Hannity & Colmes and MSNBC's Scarborough Country both gave free airtime on August 4 to a new, misleading ad sponsored by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a recently formed group dedicated to attacking Senator John Kerry's record during and after his service in Vietnam. Both programs devoted segments to the ad, airing it the day before its scheduled release, but left out key facts that discredit Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

In an August 5 interview with the Associated Press, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), "a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, called the ad criticizing John Kerry's military service 'dishonest and dishonorable' and urged the White House on Thursday to condemn it as well."

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth did not serve alongside Kerry

In the new ad, members of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth claim that they "served with John Kerry." Hannity & Colmes co-host Sean Hannity echoed the false claim, saying that the veterans in the ad are "the people that know him best," and referred to them as "some of his fellow crewmates." Even Pat Halpin, who was filling in for co-host Alan Colmes, called them "some of John Kerry's crewmates." Scarborough echoed Swift Boat Veterans' misleading claim that they "served with John Kerry in Vietnam."

While the veterans attacking Kerry in the ad are veterans of the Vietnam War and may have served at the same time as Kerry, as The New York Times reported on August 5, the Kerry campaign noted that "none of the men had actually served on the Swift boats that Mr. Kerry commanded." Adm. Roy F. Hoffman, one of the veterans in the ad, has even "acknowledged he had no first-hand knowledge to discredit Kerry's claims to valor," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on May 7, "and said that although Kerry was under his command, he really didn't know Kerry much personally."

In contrast, many of the veterans who have appeared on the campaign trail with Kerry did serve alongside him. The Wall Street Journal's Albert R. Hunt noted in his August 5 "Campaign Journal" column, titled "Sham Charges Against a War Hero" (subscription required): "Indeed, 10 of the 11 men who served on his two swift boats all have sworn by John Kerry; nine living members were in Boston [for the Democratic National Convention]."

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's Republican ties

As Media Matters for America previously noted, on May 4, Salon.com's Joe Conason detailed Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's ties to the Republican Party. In addition to pointing out that the group's founder, John O'Neill, has long-standing ties to the GOP that can be traced back to the Nixon administration, Conason also reported that among the people behind Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is "veteran corporate media consultant and Texas Republican activist Merrie Spaeth, who is listed as the group's media contact."

As MMFA has documented, both Hannity & Colmes co-host Alan Colmes (on May 2 and FOX chief political correspondent Carl Cameron (on May 4) reported the group's Republican ties on FOX News Channel; on May 4, Scarborough mentioned criticism of O'Neill's "dirty tricks" for the Nixon administration. While Scarborough did mention on August 4 that the group was part of the "Republican counteroffensive" "prepar[ing] to release blistering attacks in John Kerry's Vietnam record," Hannity completely ignored the group's ties to the GOP.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth doctor did not sign Kerry's medical record

Neither Hannity nor Scarborough bothered to note that Dr. Louis Letson, who is featured in the ad claiming to have treated Kerry for the wound that earned him his first Purple Heart and claiming that it was undeserved, was not the medical official who signed Kerry's medical records for the wound. The Kerry campaign noted this fact in a report in The New York Times and a report in the Los Angeles Times that surfaced when Letson first unleashed this attack in May.

In criticizing the ad, McCain told the Associated Press, "'It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me'... referring to his [McCain's] bitter Republican primary fight with President Bush," according to the AP. As Conason reported on May 4, "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." Conason explained that Spaeth (the group's media contact) participated during the 2000 Republican primary contest in TV ads that "falsely attack[ed]" McCain's environmental record in California, New York, and Ohio.

McCain might have been referring as well to attacks on his military record by Ted Sampley and Thomas Burch, both Vietnam veterans, during the 2000 primary season. As Media Matters for America previously reported, Sampley hounded McCain as a "Manchurian Candidate" -- suggesting that the decorated veteran and former prisoner of war was a brainwashed communist agent -- and was convicted for misdemeanor assault related to an attack on one of McCain's legislative aides. Sampley is the leader of a group called Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry. During the 2000 Republican primary in South Carolina, Burch, according to a February 22 report in the Chicago Tribune, "stood with George W. Bush at his side and accused Sen. John McCain of Arizona of opposing health care for Persian Gulf war veterans and blocking efforts to locate POW-MIAs, saying the former prisoner of war "came home from Vietnam and forgot us."

The men in this attack ad haven't claimed to have been on John Kerry's swift boat but were part of other swift boat crews that served along side John Kerry's and his crew. They were part of engagements with the enemy. They fought with John Kerry and knew John Kerry. Let's hear what they have to say.

The issue of McCain's comments or the source of the money to pay for this exercise in free speech or the precision of Hannity comments are not the issue.

These guy's are either telling the truth or they are not.

Sorry for posting the last message twice.
In honor of the truth, they have not even claimed they knew Kerry back then, except for the one who said he aided Kerry when wounded, and he does not appear in the medical records.
The issue about Hannity is that he is helping them give the disgusting spin that the ad intended, which is to confuse voters. Yes, allow them to speak, but in full sentences in life programs, so the truth will come out….. as it is happening.

It just isn't true they are "not even claiming they knew John Kerry". They are claiming they served with him in the same unit at the same time. Their story will be detailed in the forthcoming book, Unfit for Command : Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry.

Military records will indicate if they served in the same unit. Military records will indicate the nature of the missions.

When I last checked, this book was number #1 on Amazon and I'm sure it will be written in complete sentences. I hope the press fact checks this book with vigor and spends many column inches on the charges leveled by these men.

Is John Kerry planning to deny he served in the same uint with these men or is the DNC just planing to threaten lawsuits?

I appreciate John Kerry's service in the military. Unfortunately, when his service in Viet Man 30 plus years ago forms the basis for a presidential campaign, he opens himself up to an examination of that record

This just in, the DNC, not content with targeting Swift Boat veterans, now goes after the Club for Growth.

http://www.clubforgrowth.org/blog/images/DNC_1.pdf

I'm confused by the strategy. Is it just 527's for me, not thee or are they trying to emulate Al Gore and sue their way to the Presidency?

Gary said "These guy's are either telling the truth or they are not."

They're not.

I said in the ad they do not even claim they meet Kerry.

I have watched those guys in the talk shows in cable today. At the end of the day it is a: “you said that, I said this” kind of issue. One guy said: “He safe my life”, there other said “it was not heroic”. I support Kerry and I love that the Bush’s corner is moving the discussion to “who served the country better in the ’60”. (I said Bush’s corner, not the White House)

Gary B, what are you trying to do? Bring me (us) back to that old discussion of disenfranchise people, The Bias Supreme Court (bias for both sides), the votes were counted and re-counted, butterfly ballots, etc. Dude, get a grip and move on (I said move on, not moveon.com).

This time Bush’s policies are in record, and my vote is base solely on that. I do not even mind his speech impediment, I find it amusing.

The dispute with the Swift Boat Veterans is not an arguement over who said what but who did what. It will be interesting to see what the book says about what "happened". I just hope the MSM is in fact checking mode.

Sono, you obviously need a lesson in comprehension. These people served with Kerry, not under him. They're his fellow Swift Boat officers, who were able to observe his behaviour first hand. Then there are his commanders, every one of whom is against him, to the extent that they remember him at all. And the doctor who treated the wound that he got a Purple Heart for (not the person who wrote up the paperwork, the person who actually treated him).

Oh no, Gary B, life is not like that. You drop the bomb, you open the door to discuss all related the issues. You mention the word Vietnam, and my mind goes all over the place. And here I am not making the case for Kerry, I am not even addressing your point (He said, but he did differently), I am saying how it works. You (or they) are bringing Kerry to his safest harbor.

Zev Sero, please go comprehense yourself in the bathroom.

knock yourself out sono.

Every one of Kerry's commanders is against him? I don't think so. His commanding officer, George Elliott, recommended him for the Silver Star and has publicly apologized for and retracted his statement (his signature on an affidavit the Nixon-era anti-Kerry people sent around) saying that Kerry didn't deserve it. According to the Boston Globe: "Yesterday, reached at his home, Elliott said he regretted signing the affidavit and said he still thinks Kerry deserved the Silver Star" Elliott also supported Kerry in his 1996 Senate campaign.

"Captain George Elliott describes an article appearing in today’s edition of the Boston Globe by Mike Kranish as extremely inaccurate and highly misstating his actual views. He reaffirms his statement in the current advertisement paid for by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Captain Elliott reaffirms his affidavit in support of that advertisement, and he reaffirms his request that the ad be played.

http://humaneventsonline.com.edgesuite.net/unfit_aff.html

Speaking about Captain George Elliott, I thought republican did not like and support people that fip-flop.

This is what we actually know about the topic:

George W. Bush supported the war in Vietnam. (When confronted with the question, he told reporters: “I supported my government”). When George W was eligible to go, he did not choose to volunteer. (He did check that box in form). Let’s no talk about: “avoiding the draft”, because I do not know it as a fact, we can only assume it.

Call me old fashion, but it does not talk well about your character when you support a war and do not volunteer to go when eligible. That was 34 years ago, and I can give him the benefit of immaturity.

John F. Kerry volunteered to go and serve his country, although he had doubt about the war. He was awarded 4 medals.

There are just two witnesses (among all of people in the spot) testifying that in their opinion he did not deserve the medals. There 10 witnesses testifying that those guys are lying.

No there aren't.
There are 10 guys saying that Kerry was a swell guy, and heroic. This is not testimony that the other guys are lying when they say that Kerry lied.

I saw them in CNN, MSNBC, FOX news, calling the other liers in their faces.
I SAW IT!!!

You can read a thorough debunking of the anti-Kerry claims in The New York Times. Among the highlights:

On close examination, the accounts of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth' prove to be riddled with inconsistencies. In many cases, material offered as proof by these veterans is undercut by official Navy records and the men's own statements.

Several of those now declaring Mr. Kerry "unfit" had lavished praise on him, some as recently as last year.

In an unpublished interview in March 2003 with Mr. Kerry's authorized biographer, Douglas Brinkley, provided by Mr. Brinkley to The New York Times, Roy F. Hoffmann, a retired rear admiral and a leader of the group, allowed that he had disagreed with Mr. Kerry's antiwar positions but said, "I am not going to say anything negative about him." He added, "He's a good man."

In a profile of the candidate that ran in The Boston Globe in June 2003, Mr. Hoffmann approvingly recalled the actions that led to Mr. Kerry's Silver Star: "It took guts, and I admire that."

George Elliott, one of the Vietnam veterans in the group, flew from his home in Delaware to Boston in 1996 to stand up for Mr. Kerry during a tough re-election fight, declaring at a news conference that the action that won Mr. Kerry a Silver Star was "an act of courage." At that same event, Adrian L. Lonsdale, another Vietnam veteran now speaking out against Mr. Kerry, supported him with a statement about the "bravado and courage of the young officers that ran the Swift boats."

"Senator Kerry was no exception," Mr. Lonsdale told the reporters and cameras assembled at the Charlestown Navy Yard. "He was among the finest of those Swift boat drivers."

Those comments echoed the official record. In an evaluation of Mr. Kerry in 1969, Mr. Elliott, who was one of his commanders, ranked him as "not exceeded" in 11 categories, including moral courage, judgment and decisiveness, and "one of the top few" - the second-highest distinction - in the remaining five. In written comments, he called Mr. Kerry "unsurpassed," "beyond reproach" and "the acknowledged leader in his peer group."

Mr. Elliott, who recommended Mr. Kerry for the Silver Star, had signed one affidavit saying Mr. Kerry "was not forthright" in the statements that had led to the award. Two weeks ago, The Boston Globe quoted him as saying that he felt he should not have signed the affidavit. He then signed a second affidavit that reaffirmed his first, which the Swift Boat Veterans gave to reporters. Mr. Elliott has refused to speak publicly since then.

The article goes on to debunk several other statements these guys made and details the strong financial and personal ties the group has to the Bush administration.

You can also read in The Washington Post about how Larry Thurlow, one of the guys saying Kerry didn't deserve his bronze star, himself one his own bronze star on the same day in the same battle, the citation for which directly contradicts his current story about why Kerry didn't deserve the award. Of course, Thurlow made no move to give back his Bronze star.

Check out the truth at the swift boat forums!

Simon, buy and read the book. Much of the book details excerpts of Kerry's own Journal that directly catch him in lies. That is the problem with being a liar, you have to have a good memory. Also, much of the citations SStar, BStar, and Purple Hearts were awarded based upon Action Reports. Problem is Kerry as the OIC (Officer in Charge) filed these reports, turning his own atrocities into Herculean firefights (i.e. Killing a father and child on a Sampan and reporting it as up to 12 V.C. KIA in a fierce firefight). Some of his claims are so stupid it is amazing to me anyone has ever voted for the man... his memory of spending Christmas in Cambodia 1968, when Nixon said he wasn't there was "Seared" into his memory and the chance of being killed where Nixon said he wasn't was "very real"... A) He never got within 50 miles of Cambodia on Christmas Eve, and B) Nixon was only the President-elect then, and not even Inaugurated until late JAN 1969. Something the imbecillic press hasn't even caught on to yet. My friggin' Beagle could have researched that one out. Has any media called him on this whopper? These are the reasons why Kerry hasn't signed a standard Department of Defense form 180 and never will, it will completely expose him for the lying, incompetent, fraud that he is. It's also why he refuses to allow his own book, THE NEW SOLDIER to be reprinted, and his campaign and supporters have purchased all available copies of that book. Amazon has 4 copies for sale, from $600 for a paperback to $2500 for a like new hardcover. Check it out, do a book search for it on Amazon. These Swiftvets are patriots, they are doing the country a great service at great peril to their own well-being. Ask yourself why they all despise and loathe him? Wouldn't you think they would want one of their "own" as Commander in Chief? And as far as Thurlows BStar goes, guess who's action report was used? JFKerry's Larry didn't know about the Bstar until month's later when he got home. And why the hell should he give it back? He saved the sinking craft, attended to the wounded crew and did his duty while Kerry high-tailed it after the mine blew. Rassman was the LAST person to know WTF was goin on. He has stated that he dove and spent most of the time under water after he was thrown off the boat (from Kerry flooring the throttles after the mine explosion running away for his life). When the mine detonated, not knowing the nature of the explosion they followed the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) which is to fire defensively and massively as a unit (all the boats) toward the shoreline. Once they realized there was no return fire, they ceased. Except for Kerry of course, he ran to big-water, then returned when the coast was clear, and picked up Rassman, who couldn't tell a AK47 or m16 report from his position hanging on the weeds at the bottom of the river to stay off the surface.

Read their story, then compare it to the BS from the Washington Post, or the spin from Kerry's folks, the Truth will set you free.

Letter to the Editor


FOUR MORE YEARS?

Wake up America! If you want four more years of George W. Bush (based on his previous four years), here's what you can expect:

Four more years of uncontrolled spending and trillion-dollar-plus deficits.
Four more years of shifting the burden of taxation from multi-millionaires to lower income earners.
Four more years of skyrocketing college tuition.
Four more years of price-gouging by the pharmaceutical and health care industries.
Four more years of raids on the treasury by Halliburton.
Four more years of unprecedented tax cuts for multi-millionaires during time of war.
Four more years of corporate tax loopholes, fraud and unbridled tax evasion.
Four more years of increases in local taxes to make up for federal tax cuts and loss of federal services.
Four more years of ignoring alternative sources of energy that would mitigate our dependence on oil.
Four more years of uncontrolled 'pork-barrel' domestic spending, spending which formerly was deemed by Republicans as the exclusive domain of Democrats. With a Republican President and a Republican majority in Congress, how can this be?
Four more years of the Administration's 'blessing' on the exportation of hundreds of thousands of American jobs abroad.
Four more years of no taxes for those companies exporting jobs to other countries.
Four more years of failure to adequately secure our ports and borders against terrorists.
Four more years of a stagnant stock market.
Four more years of alienating most of our traditional allies, because of GWB's 'go it alone' bravado.
Four more years of GWB's failure to "Leave no Child Behind".
Four more years for GWB to gain his objective of destroying Social Security and Medicare.
Four more years of perpetual wars.
Four more years of calling up the depleted National Guard to supplement our depleted regular armed forces. And, four more years of a deeply divided America.

Paul G. Jaehnert
808 Bur Oak Ct.
Vadnais Hts, MN 55127

phone: (651) 407-0754