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

[auboy]

I'm starting to think Kerry had these made years ago!

One thing is for sure. Kerry said he was going to be the next JFK. IMO, he started his 'plan' early on. He would make himself a 'war hero'. We are dealing with a calculating opportunist, aren't we?

Do not put anything past Kerry and his ambition.

[Steel Wolf]

Thanks for posting that movie review, Meek. You simply can't make this stuff up. I can't believe I'm actually reading John F. Kerry writing a movie rewiew about Apocalypse Now. Kerry is so shameless as to use his own fiction as a stick to beat Coppola's fiction with.

IT'S MADNESS, I TELL YOU! SHEER MADNESS! How does this guy have an ounce of credibility with anyone?

[Mo1]

A photo of a photo from a George Washington University website, first posted june 2002, shows an earlier photo that the FAKED PHOTO seems to have been 'shop'ed from... Note the captions say that ALSON IS NOT PICTURED

Not so fast .. they are two DIFFERENT pictures

Notice how the blonde hair guy is holding a cig in each picture

And the one from that site it looks like Alson is bent over leaning on his knee

[shrinkermd]

Someone has to question the principals before any claims of wrongdoing are made. This could be just the mistake the Kerry clan desires--we assume a wrongdoing and are proven wrong ourselves. A disaster for the many proven lies thus far.

[maggief]

http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/images/day5/04.htm US Senate candidate John Kerry is flanked by fellow Vietnam veterans in front of the State House on September 12, 1984, as he receives their endorsement. Speaking is Joe Bangert, US Marine Sergeant and helicopter gunner.

[Future Useless Eater]

Ok then, why are the shadows wrong?

[Shermy]

I think the "wall" picture is the "laughing" pic. The next one is the "be serious" snapshot. I have the similar. :)

Alston could have returned after his injuries and served under Kerry. Though the details and timing are interesting, none the less.

[Cboldt]

Both pictures have the same 5 people. The caption ("Alston is not pictured") is wrong.

Knock yourself out with the "photoshopped photo" story. An easier way to poke holes in Kerry's story (and more likely true) is the dates the photos were taken, and more meaninful deviations in the record (like, how the heck did Kerry get his 1st PH?).

[Shermy]

Ok then, why are the shadows wrong?

1. Because Kerry, or his head, was added to the photo.

2. It is Kerry, and for reasons not immediately evident to us the shadow isn't wrong. I've read these "shadows are wrong" type discussions before with other photos.

[shezza]

"It's like you're unraveling a big cable-knit sweater that someone keeps knitting, and knitting, and knitting, and knitting..."

[Mo1]

I'm not a photo expert .. so I can't explain shaddows

But from what I can tell they are two different pictures taken within seconds or minutes of each other

[Cboldt]

His (Alston's) speech is online at http://www.dems2004.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=luI2LaPYG&b=125919&ct=158727 <--Clickit

Another thread here on FR has a recent JPG of him. I'll see if I can cite it for you.

[Mo1]

Alston could have returned after his injuries and served under Kerry. Though the details and timing are interesting, none the less.

I agree it is interesting .. but they need records to see of it pans out

[TruBluKentuckian]

That larger version shows the area that I took to be "airbrushing" in better detail.

I take back my accusations, from this version you can see that's it's not altered.

I'm also having my doubts that any of the picture is altered, due to there being another picture taken, obviously, at the same time.

[Aliska]

Seeing another picture like that makes me think it is less likely that it was faked.

The Boston Globe credited Madeiros as being the owner of the picture.

[dead]

There just appears to be two different photos to me.

[razorback-bert]

From that web site:

Immediately by the door is large color photograph taken in 1969 on the Mekong Delta in Vietnam showing Kerry and crewmates Tom Belodeau, Michael Medeiros, Del Sandusky, and Gene Thorson (not in the photo is David Alston).

[Cboldt]

Here's the curious thing. I can't find a current pic of alston.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1189173/posts <-- Alston pics in 1st post

[dead]

The shadows aren't wrong. The sun appears to overhead, just behind the guy taking the picture. The blonde guy is tilting his head to his left. Kerry is tilting his head to the right.

Kerry's shadow is longer because his enormous horse head is longer.

[Jenya]

Being a newbie, I'd like to know why huge is hugh and serious is series. Is there a background story on this? It makes me laugh, but has me wondering.