Posted on 08/14/2004 7:15:31 AM PDT by 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.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.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.
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
As I understand it the swifties all erthed together etween patrols. Why wouldn't they take snaps of eachother?
As I understand it the swifties all berthed together between patrols. Why wouldn't they take snaps of eachother?
John Kerry: “I’m John Kerry and I approvedthis messagethese lies.”
Or, more likely, the people are not standing parallel to each other and are canted.
Could Kerry be the photo shopped person in the picture?
We need to get Alston's military records and SEE if they served together.
Methinks Kerry and Alston are LYING about this.
If there is an error, all of this hype will hurt the cause and discredit the group. I agree with them.
We can analyze until the election, but if we can't prove it, we need to keep it low key. If they aren't convinced it's true yet, I think we should respect their wishes.
They are honest people. BUMP to your post. The Alston/Kerry angle is just another lie, and its effect plays out mostly in the DEM convention. It's the "lie on top of another lie," but the underlying fabrication (Kerry was a hero in Vietnam) is more damning of his character.
Well, what do the records indicate? Obvious question, yet it remains unanswered.
That is one heck of a leap. You have NO idea how Alston got that "scar" on his head. None whatsoever.
No! It was; "Damn them Freepers! They've gone and done it to me again!"
bump
The medevac report which was on the Kerry site before it was scrubbed indicates Alston was medevaced because he'd received a head wound.
Where and when was that picture in post #31 taken?
Note the shadows. The shadows on the other crewman all look like the Sun is coming from the left, EXCEPT for Kerry, where HIS facial shadow is cast in the OPPOSITE direction.
So? He had a head wound. It that scar from that specific head wound? We don't know.
Let me put this simply--and I suggest you reread the article for details==Alston was removed from the boat and medevaced out for treatment of a shrapnel inflicted head would on January 29th--Kerry assumed command of that boat on January 30. Alston mother stated he returned home after he was wounded. Under those circumstances and others detailed in the article, it is unlikely that Alston served on that boat under Kerry.
We Need Undisputable Proof!! We don't need these allegations to bite us in the butt!!
They are available in the Google Cache... If you do a search for "swiftboats.net" and use the cache, you can get the crew rosters via there, I believe. I did a few days ago...
I've read the articles, but I'm more of a skimmer. I guess I missed the one where his mom said that he returned home. Perhaps you could guide me too it.
Also, you use the word "likely", which is more in keeping with the story than Stayout's post 27 saying this proved that Alston was not on Kerry's crew.
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