Alston Never Served Under Kerry

Captain's Quarters ^ | 8/14/2004 | captain ed

[stayout]

For those of you who have not been fully following the Swift Vet's story, one of Kerry's traveling entourage (David Alston) claimed he was under Kerry's command on a PBF and found Kerry to be a great leader. He even gave a speech to that effect at the Democratic National Convention, where he said the following:

I know him from a small boat in Vietnam, where we fought and bled together, serving our country. There were six of us aboard PCF-94, a 50-foot, twin-engine craft known as a "Swift Boat." We all came from different walks of life, but all of us-including our skipper, John Kerry-volunteered for combat duty. And combat is what we got.

However, one intrepid blogger now has proven that to be a lie, Alston never served under Kerry because Alston was wounded and out of action before Kerry took command of Alston's boat. Here is the final bit of proof (published early this morning), I suggest you go to Captain's Quarters to find all the previous analysis leading up to this astonishing coup de gras (pass the word):

Alston Never Served Under Kerry

Thanks to reader Lori in Texas, I think we've just about pieced the record together on David Alston and his supposed service under John Kerry's command. Lori points out a sympathetic article on Dale Sandusky, one of the few Swift boat veterans supporting Kerry and one that served on his boat, specifically gives the timing on Kerry's command of PCF-94:

In January 1969, Sandusky's boat, PCF-94, came under attack during one such ambush. Lt. Ted Peck, the officer in charge, and another crewman were seriously wounded. Sandusky had to take command. The boat was sinking and on fire, but Sandusky steered it back to safety. They counted 155 bullet holes in the boat and found a live enemy rocket in the main cabin. It had come to rest in a sack of potatoes.

For his actions, Sandusky would receive the Bronze Star.

With their officer headed home, the crew of PCF-94 needed a leader. And Lt. j.g. John Kerry, whose crew on PCF-44 had rotated back home, needed men to lead.

"I was sure glad he came along," Sandusky said, "because to be honest, I didn't want to take command."

From Jan. 30 to March 13, 1969, Kerry and the crew of the PCF-94 would conduct 18 missions in the Mekong Delta river system. In that time, Kerry would earn a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and add two Purple Hearts to the one he received earlier.

Bingo! Yachtzee! Alston received his serious wounds in that same exact battle that took Peck out of service. On January 29th, Alston was medevaced out to a hospital with head wounds and no records indicate that he ever returned to the unit. Kerry took command of PCF-94 the next day. Alston never served a day under Kerry's command. In fact, Kerry received a replacement, Fred Short, on 28 February as a replacement for Alston.

Now what does that tell us about Kerry and his Viet Nam narrative?

1. He and Alston conspired to deceive people about Alston's service under Kerry. That conspiracy was intended to give John Kerry cover against exactly the kind of campaign he faces from the other Swiftvets.

2. The "end of January" language on Kerry's website was intentionally vague in order to fuzzy up the timeline and keep Alston's true status a secret. Obviously, Sandusky remembers the dates well enough, and Kerry could easily have gotten them from him if he wanted to be as specific as his other dates on the timeline.

3. The DNC either were saps or actively participated in the conspiracy in order to assist Kerry in his Viet Nam mythology. Otherwise, why would they have allowed David Alston to speak at the convention about his experiences serving with John Kerry on the boat?

4. Kerry's band of brothers have some complicity in this cover-up as well. Those who served on PCF-94 surely remember that Alston never served under Kerry; Sandusky specifically recalls Peck being wounded and removed from command, but he wouldn't remember that Alston left at the same time?

5. One could argue that they served on the same boat, of course, and I look forward to that Clintonian parsing used in Kerry's defense. After holding Alston up as an expert on his leadership, he'll be hard pressed to explain how that expertise came to Alston from a hospital bed miles away from Kerry and his old PCF.

If this gets out to the mainstream media, this story kills Kerry's campaign. This isn't just a guy embellishing his war record -- this is a deliberate and longstanding attempt to mislead and defraud people by creating his own witnesses after the fact. That he could have done such a clumsy job should disqualify him for higher office on that basis alone.

Posted by Captain Ed at August 14, 2004 01:25 AM

[razorback-bert]

Well, I was late to the party as usual.

Now, why did that web site note that Alston is not pictured, when he is?

[Wolfstar]

While I can't say if this photo was doctored, there is more than one light source. So either whoever took the pic was a well-equipped photographer with spotlights set up to the left, right and center behind the camera, or this is a composite photo.

Look carefully at the shadow directions across the photo.

Beginning from the left side of the photo, the light source for the blonde guy comes from above and to his front-right. There is what appears to be the slight round sheen just above his right collar bone that would come from a spotlight. The shadow under his chin falls over his left shoulder, because the light is coming down across his body from above his right shoulder.

The light source for the black guy comes from slightly above and to his front. You can see evidence of a spotlight by the brightness on his right cheek and a small bright spot above his right eye. His body is at an angle to the camera, yet his clothing is still brightly lit.

The light source for guy standing to the black guy's left is directly in front and a little above. The shadow under his chin goes straight down, and the sides of his face are evenly lit.

The light source switches direction for the guy in the T-shirt and for Kerry. It is coming from their front left. In fact, it is more pronounced from the left for Kerry than for the T-shirt guy. This change of light direction in the same photo is impossible, of course, unless (a) there were multiple light sources, or (b) the photo is a composite.

Four of the men are squinting due to the bright light in their faces. The guy with the glasses simply looks away, although even he appears to be squinting some. His T-shirt is very washed out and shows little detail due the bright frontal light.

Again, if this is not a composite, then it is a posed shot taken by a photographer standing a little above the men (perhaps on a dock or bank) with at least three spotlights behind the camera.

[Wolfstar]

You may have found evidence of airbrushing. Hard to say. But what makes the photo questionable is that there are at least three different light sources. Look at it closely.

[BlessedBeGod]

They were typos that became part of FReeper lore because they were so funny at the time. :-)

[Jenya]

They were typos that became part of FReeper lore because they were so funny at the time. :-)

Are you series? Wow, that is so funny that I just let out a hugh laugh. ;)

[Aliska]

There's now a second photo of the same group with slightly different poses, so I doubt they would both be faked.

This thread

[dennisw]

Well done!!!!! Needs it's own thread?

[anniegetyourgun]

Stick around, kiddo....we got a million of 'em....

[Anti-Bubba182]

I see that caption, but I wonder who wrote it and where they got that information. If it was from Kerry it would be very signifcant, because it appears that the black man in the camo outfit is in both pictures, at least the body is.

This is if the caption is correct.

In the better enlarged version It is not clear to me if it is Alston or not. I have tried to enlarge that picture and it is too blurry to see for sure. If the office photo truly is not Alston, the published photo must be fake, because it is clear to me that the base photos were shot together at the same time.

If someone could get a better version of Kerry's office photo we could be sure.

[devolve]

PC WALL PHOTO OP

J FKERRY & REV. ALSTON

IN OR NEAR KOHNBODIA

POSSIBLY A CIA MISSION

POSSIBLY 1968 OR 1969

POSSIBLY A BEER RUN

POSSIBLY A - - - - RUN

http://pro.lookingat.us/KerryAlston.jpg
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http://pro.lookingat.us/KerryAlston.gif
520x385 GIF


http://pro.lookingat.us/KerryAlstonLg.gif
2704x1482 276.2K GIF [520x385]


2704x1482 276.2K GIF

collect the whole set!
day 2-06
[ no longer on Boston Globe archives ]

[Jean S]

what does that say about bush?

LOL

[vnjagvet]

I am inclined to agree with you Shermy. Looks to me like he expression on the blonde guy on the left is different in each. It also looks like Kerry's expression is different. Finally, the background waves look to me to be different.

Let's be real careful, here.

[mcg1969]

Nothing to see here, move on. The shadows aren't that unbelievable, and it's clear everyone is posed slightly differently, not just Alston.

[votelife]

attacking Kerry's Vietnam experience is attacking the Senator's patriotism!!!!

Sarcasm off.

[Bogey78O]

Looking at it it seems like 2 photos taken back to back. There are minor trivial differences between them that a photoshopper wouldn't care to edit out. For instance, take a look at Kerry's hand and the creases on his shirt. Also the angle is slightly different. So it's possible they took 2 in rapid succession and Alston changed positions between each one while everyone else stayed about the same.

[Sloth]

This simply stupid. When the sun is behind the photographer, the shadows will all lean toward the center of the picture. Like this:

The shadows in the swift boat pic are fine.

[Bogey78O]

Keep in mind this is taken from 35 yr old photo stock. It could be a blur from the negative or reconstruction which was later made to stand out during the digital conversion.

[dennisw]

Some say this photo and another one very similar are frames off of J Kerry's home movies. Off his Super 8 film.

[Happy2BMe]

"He and Alston conspired to deceive people about Alston's service under Kerry. That conspiracy was intended to give John Kerry cover against exactly the kind of campaign he faces from the other Swiftvets."

O.K.

So if (Preacherman) Alston stood up in front of God, the DNC Convention, CNN and the whole world extolling the sheer, naked heroism of J-FK and it was all fabricated - a BIG LIE - then why aren't Bill O'Reilly and Matt Drudge all over this like white on rice?