Swift Boat Veterans for Truth - Disinfopedia

"We resent very deeply the false war crimes charges he made coming back fromVietnam in 1971 and repeated in the book "Tour of Duty." We think thosecast an aspersion on all those living and dead, from our unit and otherunits inVietnam. We think that he knew he was lying when he made the charges, andwe think that they're unsupportable. We intend to bring the truth about thatto the American people.We believe, based on our experience with him, that he is totally unfit tobe 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 armedforces of the United States. This is not a political issue. It is a matterof his judgment, truthfulness, reliability, loyalty and trust -- allabsolutetenets of command. His biography, 'Tour of Duty,' by Douglas Brinkley, isreplete with gross exaggerations, distortions of fact, contradictions andslanderous lies. His contempt for the military and authority is evident byeven a mostcasual review of this biography. He arrived in-country with a stronganti-Vietnam War bias and a self-serving determination to build a foundationfor hispolitical future. He was aggressive, but vain and prone to impulsivejudgment, 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 speciousmedals secure, Lt.(jg) Kerry bugged out and began his infamous betrayal ofallUnited States forces in the Vietnam War. That included our soldiers, ourmarines,our sailors, our coast guardsmen, our airmen, and our POWs. His leadershipwithin the so-called Vietnam Veterans Against the War and testimony beforeCongress in 1971 charging us with unspeakable atrocities remain anundocumented butnevertheless meticulous stain on the men and women who honorably stayed thecourse. Senator Kerry is not fit for command."-- Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman, USN (retired), chairman, Swift Boat Veteransfor Truth.

"During Lt.(jg) Kerry's tour, he was under my command for two or threespecific operations, before his rapid exit. Trust, loyalty and judgment arethe key, operative words. His turncoat performance in 1971 in his grubbyshirtand his medal-tossing escapade, coupled with his slanderous lines in therecentbook portraying us that served, including all POWs and MIAs, as murderouswarcriminals, I believe, will have a lasting effect on all military veteransand their families.Kerry would be described as devious, self-absorbing, manipulative,disdain for authority, disruptive, but the most common phrase that you'dhear isrequires constant supervision.'"
-- Captain Charles Plumly, USN (retired)

"Thirty-five years ago, many of us fell silent when we came back to thestain of sewage that Mr. Kerry had thrown on us, and all of our colleagueswho served over there. I don't intend to be silent today or ever again. Ouryoung men and women who are serving deserve no less."
-- Andrew Horne.

"In my specific, personal experience in both coastal and river patrolsover a 12-month period, I never once saw or heard anything remotelyresemblingthe atrocities described by Senator Kerry. If I had, it would have been myobligation to report them in writing to a higher authority, and I wouldcertainly hae done that. If Senator Kerry actually witnessed or participatedinthese atrocities or, as he described them, 'war crimes,' he was obligated toreport them. That he did not until later when it suited his politicalpurposesstrikes me as opportunism of the worst kind. That he would malign my serviceand thatof his fellow sailors with no regard for the truth makes him totallyunqualifiedto serve as Commander-in-Chief."-- Jeffrey Wainscott

"I signed that letter because I, too felt a deep sense of betrayal thatsomeone who took the same oath of loyalty as I did as an officer in theUnited Sates Navy would abandon his group here (points to group photo) tojointhis group here (points to VVAW protest photo), and come home and attempt torally the American public against the effort that this group was sovaliantlypursuing. It is a fact that in the entire Vietnam War we did not lose onemajorbattle. We lost the war at home... and at home, John Kerry was the FieldGeneral."-- 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 notbelieve 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... InKerry's description of the engagement, first he claimed there were 17servicementhat were wounded. Three of us were wounded. I was the first..."-- Joseph Ponder.

"While in Cam Rahn Bay, he trained on several 24-hour indoctrinationmissions, and one special skimmer operation with my most senior and trustedLieutenant. The briefing from some members of that crew the morning afterrevealed that they had not received any enemy fire, and yet Lt.(jg) Kerryinformed me ofa wound -- he showed me a scratch on his arm and a piece of shrapnel in hishand that appeared to be from one of our own M-79s. It was later reported tomethat Lt.(jg) Kerry had fired an M-79, and it had exploded off the adjacentshoreline. I do not recall being advised of any medical treatment, andprobably said something like 'Forget it.' He later received a Purple Heartfor thatscratch, and I have no information as to how or whom.Lt.(jg) Kerry was allowed to return to the good old USA after 4 monthsand a few days in-country, and then he proceeded to betray his formershipmates,calling them criminals who were committing atrocities. Today we are here totell you that just the opposite is true. Our rules of engagement were quitestrict, and the officers and men of Swift often did not even return firewhen 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 thegoodintentions of the men increased the possibility that we might take friendlycasualties." -- Commander Grant Hibbard, USN (retired) .

"Lt. Kerry returned home from the war to make some outrageous statementsand allegations... of numerous criminal acts in violation of the law of warwere cited by Kerry, disparaging those who had fought with honor in thatconflict.Had war crimes been committed by US forces in Vietnam? Yes, but such actswere few and far between. Yet Lt. Kerry have numerous speeches and testimonybefore Congress inappropriately leading his audiences to believe that whatwas only an anomaly in the conduct of America's fighting men was anepidemic.Furthermore, he suggested that they were being encouraged to violated thelaw of war by those within the chain of command.Very specific orders, on file at the Vietnam archives at Texas TechUniversity, were issued by my father [Admiral Elmo Zumwalt] and others inhis chain of command instructing subordinates to act responsibly inpreserving the lifeand property of Vietnamese civilians."
-- Lt. Col. James Zumwalt, USMC (retired) .

"We look at Vietnam... after all these years it is still languishing inisolated poverty and helplessness and tyranny. This is John Kerry's legacy.I deeply resent John Kerry's using his Swift boat experience, and hisbetrayal of those who fought there as a stepping-stone to his politicalambitions." -- Barnard Wolff

"In a whole year that I spent patrolling, I didn't see anything like awar crime, an atrocity, anything like that. Time and again I saw Americanfighting men put themselves in graver danger trying to avoid... collateraldamage.When John Kerry returned to the country, he was sworn in front ofCongress.And then he told my family -- my parents, my sister, my brother, myneighbors -- he told everyone I knew and everyone I'd ever know that I andmycomrades had committed unspeakable atrocities." -- David Wallace

"I served with these guys. I went on missions with them, and these menI served honorably. Up and down the chain of command there was noacquiescence to atrocities. It was not condoned, it did not happen, and itwas not reportedto 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 televisionaudiences and claimed that the 500,000 men and women in Vietnam, and incombat, wereall villains -- there were no heroes. In 2004, one hero from the VietnamWar has appeared, running for President of the United States andCommander-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 mytour of duty was 13 months, from the end of Tet to the beginning of theVietnamization 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 thearea.When I left, I could go anywhere I wanted, just about. Commerce wasbooming, the buses were running, trucks were going, the waterways werefilled withsampans with goods going to market, but yet in Kerry's biography he saysthat our operations were a complete failure. He also mentions a formalconferencewith me, to try to get more air cover and so on. That conference neverhappened..."-- Captain Adrian Lonsdale, USCG (retired).

"I was in An Thoi from June of '68 to June of '69, covering the wholeperiod that John Kerry was there. I operated in every river, in every canal,andevery off-shore patrol area in the 4th Corps area, from Cambodia all theway around to the Bo De River. I never saw, even heard of all of theseso-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 recordstraight." -- William Shumadine.

"In 1971, when John Kerry spoke out to America, labeling all Vietnamveterans as thugs and murderers, I was shocked and almost brought to myknees, because even though I had served at the same time and same unit, Ihadnever witnessed or participated in any of the events that the Senator hadaccusedus of. I strongly believe that the statements made by the Senator were notonlyfalse and inaccurate, but extremely harmful to the United States' efforts inSoutheast Asia and the rest of the world. Tragically, some veterans,scorned by the antiwar movement and their allies, retreated to a life ofdespair andsuicide. Two of my crewmates were among them. For that there is noforgiveness. "-- Richard O'Meara .

"My name is Steve Gardner. I served in 1966 and 1967 on my first tour ofduty 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 Kerrythat Iknow is not the John Kerry that everybody else is portraying. I servedalongside him and behind him, five feet away from him in a gun tub, andwatched as hemade indecisive moves with our boat, put our boats in jeopardy, put ourcrews in jeopardy... if a man like that can't handle that 6-man crew boat,howcan 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 ninemonths with Coastal Division 11 based in An Thoi. John Kerry was in An Thoithe same time I was. I'm here today to express the anger I have harbored forover 33 years, about being accused with my fellow shipmates of waratrocities.All I can say is when I leave here today, I'm going down to the Wall totell my two crew members it's not true, and that they and the other 49Swifteeswho 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 killingcattle, poisoning crops, or raping and killing civilians as charged by JohnKerry, both in his book and in public statements. Since we both operated atthesame time, in the same general area, and on the same missions under the samecommanders, it is hard to believe his claims of atrocities and poorplanning of Sea Lord missions.I signed this letter because I feel that he used Swift boat sailors toproclaim his antiwar statements after the war, and now he uses the sameSwift boat sailors to support his claims of being a war hero. He cannot haveit bothways, and we are here to ask for full disclosure of the proof of hisclaims."-- James Steffes