Evidence Shows Crewmate Rev. Alston Never Served Under Sen. Kerry

August 10, 2004 | The Bandit

[The Bandit]

For years now we have been lead to believe that both Sen. Kerry and the Rev. David Alston had served together on the PCF-94 in Vietnam, and therefore, making David Alston an eyewitness to Kerry's actions and heroism. The fact that Sen. Kerry has used a famous photo of himself together with David Alston and other crewmates while serving on swift boats in Vietnam, left little reason to believe anything differently. As with most anything having to do with Sen. Kerry -- nothing is ever as it first appears to be.

There can be little doubt that Sen. Kerry and David Alston wanted to deceive people into believing the two served together on the PCF-94 swift boat by the following statements:

David Alston  said of Kerry, "We were in a lot of firefights," Alston said. "You learn a lot about people. After a firefight, John would come up to me and he would put his hand on me and he'd say, 'David, are you all right?'"  And Kerry added: "I didn't know then that I had a man of God on my boat. That's probably why I'm here today." (Orlando Sentinel, 1/31/04)

"I stand here before you only because almighty God saw our boat safely through those rivers of death and destruction, by giving us a brave, wise, and decisive leader named John Kerry." (David Alston in a speech before the Democratic Convention, and the world.)

Rev. David Alston says, "When the bullets started to hit the side of the ship, we found out that John Kerry [could] lead. (Kerry for President Campaign Ad that aired early February '04)

Only problem with the above statements is that the are flat out false because David Alston was never a crew member under Sen. Kerry nor could he had ever participated in combat operations with Sen. Kerry because they were from two different boats. From December to January 29, 1969 Sen. Kerry commanded the PCF-44 while David Alston was the Gunner onboard the PCF-94 under Lt.(jg) Peck. On January 29, 1969 both Peck and Alston were wounded and hospitalized. We know Alston was wounded on that date because his causality report was made available briefly by the Kerry Campaign before they removed it. Here is what it said:

AWFA: GMG2 DAVID MARION Alston, USN, 99T 57 46
BRAVO: ACTIVE DUTY, ATTACHED TO COASTAL DIVISION ELEVEN AT AN THOI, RVN
CHARLIE: INJURY, HOSTILE FIRE
DELTA: 29, JAN 69, 1030H, SONG CUA LON - SONG BO DE, WHILE SERVING AS FORWARD GUNNER ABOARD PCF 94, ENGAGED IN CORDON AND SEARCH OPERATIONS IN THE ABOVE RIVER, GMG2 Alston RECEIVED SHRAPNEL WOUNDS TO HIS HEAD WHEN PCF CAME UNDER INTENSE HOSTILE ROCKET AND A/W FIRE.
ECHO: CONDITION GOOD, PROGNOSIS GOOD. PRESENCE OF NOK IS NOT MEDICALLY WARRANTED AS REPORTED BY CORPSMAN.
FOXTROT: MRS. IDA MCQUILLAR Alston, MOTHER
GOLF: NOK NOT OFFICIALLY NOTIFIED. REQ NOK NOT REPEAT NOT BE NOTIFIED.
HOTEL: SERVICEMAN TREATED BY CORPSMAN AND MEDEVACED TO 29TH EVAC HOSP. BINH THUY.
2. PATIENT ABL TO COMMUNICATE WITH NOK.
3. NO FURTHER INFO WILL FOLLOW.

This confirms the date of David Alston's wounds, but it does not tell how seriously wounded David Alston was. There is no military medical records available for David Alston, and you cannot go by the causality reports description of good and prognosis is good because they will always say that even if you had both legs shattered -- and then there is the fact no medical doctor had yet evaluated him. But we can today see the severity of the wound Alston suffered as shown below from as Rev. Alston stood before recent Democratic Convention delegates.

As one can see, it was a sever wound indeed, and Alston most likely lost tissue and scalp from this injury. This is important evidence for dating another picture of him with Sen. Kerry below.

 

Now let's take a closer look at Alston.

 

No signs of a serious head wound, or the treatment of such a wound, which would had required visible head shaving that still  would have been visible weeks later if this picture was taken in early March as sometimes suggested by writers. Thus, we can be confident that the picture in question was taken prior to January 29, 1969 when Sen. Kerry was still skipper of the PCF-44 and Alston was the gunner on the PCF-94. How did Sen. Kerry get in this picture then? We know Coastal Division 11 and 13 were participating in joint operations in January of 1969 from the Command History of Division 11 released by the Navy, and no doubt that the crews from each division shared the same faculties and socialize among themselves.

Now that we know when and how Alston was wounded, we can see how Alston could not have been part of Sen. Kerry's crew on the PCF-94 because he had been replaced, just as the wounded Lt. Peck had been replaced by Kerry after the January 29th incident that lead to both Alston and Peck being hospitalized. Was David Alston able to return to the PCF-94 during anytime between February 1 and March 13, Kerry's last combat mission? No evidence that he did or even the suggestion he physically could have with the injury he had suffered,  because we know that on February 28, 1969, Fred Short was onboard and described as an replacement for a wounded David Alston. We Know David Alston was not onboard for Kerry's last combat mission on March 13, either. Therefore, we can confidently say David Alston was never part of Kerry's PCF-94 crew from February 1 through March 13, 1969 because he was still recovering from his head wounds.

Now we need to answer whether David Alston could had been able to participate in combat missions with Kerry from a different swift boat? Looking at the daily combat missions for Coastal Division 11 we do not find both the PCF-44 (Kerry's boat) and the PCF-94 (Alston's boat) involved in any joint missions together. This conclusion is further supported by the fact David Alston or any other Kerry supporter has ever ventured to describe specific missions that Alston and Kerry could have participated in. All discussion of Alston and Kerry together is vague, generalized and non-specific.

Everything we were told by David Alston, Sen. Kerry and his people are clearly false about in regards to Kerry's relationship with David Alston. This is not a mere little slip of the tongue, but an orchestrated scheme over the last few years to outright deceive people about Sen. Kerry's military service. Why did the Rev. David Alston put himself into this position of deception and lies?

"I owe John Kerry my life,"  the Rev. David Alston was quoted as saying, "But John Kerry owes his life to me, too." This just might be true, but not in the sense that Kerry saved Alston's life during Vietnam, but for what he may have done for Alston after Vietnam and what Alston is doing for Kerry now for his run for the White House.

After both Kerry and Alston departed Vietnam, the two stayed in contact and Kerry had invited Alston to his first wedding, to Julia Thorne in 1970, and sent Christmas cards to Alston's parents' house. Kerry aides contacted Alston in 1996, after a story in a Boston paper "accusing him of being a killer," Alston told the Charlotte Observer.

"That was just false, and I was happy to tell people that," Alston said. "In Vietnam, killing an enemy soldier meant saving men's lives. It was something that had to be done." The incident in question here was on February 28, 1969, for which Alston was not part in because he was recovering from a head wound.

David Alston's mother-in-law, Beulah Lowery, has said: "He didn't like to talk about it [Vietnam], so we didn't press him," Lowery said. "But David always appreciated what he (Kerry) did for them. He talked real nice about him." Was Sen. Kerry so good to the Rev. Alston that Alston would do anything for him, like mislead voters on his behalf? Only David Alston can answer this question.

Another troubling question arises from this disclosure -- why haven't the rest of Sen. Kerry's supporting "Band of Brothers" stepped forward and correct the record of the Kerry/Alston relationship, something they know firsthand cannot be possible? Perhaps we will be find Kerry has been very good to them as well.

[McGavin999]

BE careful, before any accusations are made, be sure we have the facts well in hand. A slip up at this point could cause everything to be doubted.

[claudiustg]

---Anyone catch what Del Sandusky told the LA Times the other day? No one clearly saw Kerry shoot the wounded kid. Me thinks they are starting to cover their tracks.---

Soon they'll start to have memory loss. Rasman looks sweaty and uncomfortable. A few hard questions could crack that one.

[Mo1]

I hear you and knowing Kerry's record of using pictures and people .. what you are saying could very well be true

I'm just saying .. going after this guy won't be easy

[Mo1]

Exactly!

[Mockingbird For Short]

Yea .. but to go after this guy .. there needs to be more info or we look like a bunch of nuts.

You mean like today on Hannity's radio show?

[Gil4]

After both Kerry and Alston departed Vietnam, the two stayed in contact and Kerry had invited Alston to his first wedding, to Julia Thorne in 1970, and sent Christmas cards to Alston's parents' house.

That does sound like the actions of guys who served together in some capacity. We need to be careful with this one.

[concerned about politics]

Soon they'll start to have memory loss. Rasman looks sweaty and uncomfortable. A few hard questions could crack that one.

He has what sounds like talking points. He rarely deviates from that one story. He "forgets" other details. Yep. I think more questioning would confuse his testimony.

Kerry could end this right now if he weren't so ashamed of his military records.

[rolling_stone]

http://www.johnkerry.com/about/john_kerry/combat_reports.html

You may very well be correct but it would be a huge lie, sinking his crewmates credibility too, I would word it a little less certain for safety's sake an opinion not statement of fact until further proven, JMHO,

....summary of Kerry's missions at the kerry site shows no mission between 2/28 and 3/11 with combat, combat noted on 3/12 no mention of Kerry's boat...Rassman incident on 3/13,(I forget, how do you know he wasn't on the boat on 3/13?) and according to your quote on 2/28 Alston was still recovering from wounds..missing records needed..how about someone going to the National Archives and checking out all the reports, they would not be personal to Kerry...

[Mo1]

Something like that .. The left is just waiting to jump on us and we need to be very careful and make sure we have all the facts

[concerned about politics]

You mean like today on Hannity's radio show?

Hannity and the vet did an excellent job on his FOX show. Very believable!
The left keeps bringing out people who weren't there, but the vets were. All the left has is one really sweaty guy and millions of spinners. The vets are showing up in person.

[The Bandit]

They had became friends while COSDIV 11 and 13 were conducting ops. But from the chronology of Kerry's and Alston's service do not place these guys serving with each other on missions, just at the same port.

[Mockingbird For Short]

Yes, I agree with you. I was referring to the Freeper that had to "eat crow" today on Hannity. At the time, I thought it kind of made all Freepers look bad, but looking back on it now, I think I was probably just taking it too personally.

[Happy2BMe]

Kriminy Krapola Kerry - ping.

(Are his Viet Nam War "friends" as big as a liar as the genuine package?)

__________________________

"Only problem with the above statements is that the are flat out false because (the Reverand) David Alston was never a crew member under Sen. Kerry nor could he had ever participated in combat operations with Sen. Kerry because they were from two different boats.

From December to January 29, 1969 Sen. Kerry commanded the PCF-44 while David Alston was the Gunner onboard the PCF-94 under Lt.(jg) Peck. On January 29, 1969 both Peck and Alston were wounded and hospitalized. We know Alston was wounded on that date because his causality report was made available briefly by the Kerry Campaign before they removed it.">

_________________________

What is it with all the Democrat "Reverands", anyhow?

[The Bandit]

Doug Reese was an army guy who was on the March 13 mission and he said Alston was not on Kerry's boat. Reese is a pro Kerry supporter too!

Also note there is a March 4 ceremony in which Kerry's crew posed for a picture AND NO ALSTON.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Good research, and as others have said, still we seem to have some loose ends, but the Kerry pattern of fabrication for political reasons makes everything look suspicious to me.

[rolling_stone]

if you are right you should get a Pulitzer Prize! This would sink Kerry and crew...

[america-rules]

Kerry is a freeking fraud and if he was a pubbie the press would be all over this crap !

[claudiustg]

---You may very well be correct but it would be a huge lie, sinking his crewmates credibility too---

A fabric of lies, a tapestry of lies. I wonder if Dr. Letson treated Alston. Wouldn't he have had to sign off on his return to combat duty. I'm assuming Alston got a rather generous time to recuperate from his wound back at the unit. You want to observe someone with a head injury carefully before returning them in a high performance duty.

[The Bandit]

I should had added this evidence to my article, and will, but what is important is this is Kerry's crew from the PCF-94 dated sometime after March 6, 1969. How do I know this? Zumwalt pinned his SS on him March 6, and the picture below shows him with his Silver Star and (cough) Purple Heart. There is NO Alston.

[smoothsailing]

My prayers are with you. And your Dad as well.

The festering wound was laid open raw by the likes of Jane Fonda, magget infested hippies, the hate for the military that spewed forth from the press of that time, and opputurnists seeking personal gain such as Kerry.

The shame of it was misplaced from the vileness of the above mentioned to the noble service of our troops.

I remember being pelted by tomatoes and eggs upon arriving home at SEA-TAC in 69.