The Tenth Brother [former Kerry mate from Nam steps forward: "Kerry was chickens---"]

Time Magazine ^ | 3.09.04

[syriacus]

Have we heard much about Kerry from the crew members of his first swift boat (caution: web page takes a long time to load)--- PCF44?

Here's Mother Jones' rundown of Kerry's service around that time.

November 17, 1968: Kerry arrives in Vietnam, where he is given command of Swift boat No. 44, operating in the Mekong Delta.

December 2, 1968: Kerry gets his first taste of intense combat, and is wounded in the arm. He is awarded a Purple Heart.

January, 1969: Kerry takes command of a new Swift boat, completing 18 missions over 48 days, almost all in the Mekong Delta area.

You don't want to see their comparison with Bush

[cynicom]

Personally, I find Kerry to be a too "calculating" person".

If one goes back to his college days, when he boasted about being president someday, from that point on his entire life seems to have been contrived with that goal in mind.

With a "handler" like Ted Kennedy, I find no redeeming social value in Kerry.

[Mo1]

You know, I think Mr. Brinkley has a little bit of doubt, although he isn't voicing it. I think it interesting that Mr. Gardner has finally come forward. I bet that Kerry couldn't find him either, and hoped the guy was dead.

Here is a video that Kerry has on his website about his service and the guys he served with

brothers in arms

[Publius6961]

It was all a house of cards.

A Potemkin war record?
Ya think?

[Balata]

bttt

[syriacus]

Del Sandusky seems to be the most active of Kerry's former crewmembers

From   'Band of brothers' fight for man who saved them in Vietnam,Telegraph (UK) By David Rennie in Washington (Filed: 12/02/2004)

Mr Sandusky first turned out for his commander in 1996 when the Boston Globe suggested that Mr Kerry won his Silver Star with a war crime, alleging that the guerrilla he killed was unarmed.

Mr Kerry called on his crewmen from PCF-94, who testified that the enemy soldier was still holding a rocket launcher when he was killed. [snip]

Mr Sandusky, who is from the Chicago suburbs, knows he is a precious asset to the Kerry campaign. "We establish his credibility. We were there when he got the medals," he said. [PCF 94 Crewmember Sandusky's] interview with The Telegraph was monitored by the Kerry press operation. But he insisted that he is his own man. He said: "I'm not getting paid. The campaign doesn't tell me what to do.

This is from an article about Kerry and Sandusky -- Elgin tie to presidential race

The pair met in 1969, when Kerry was the officer leading the PCF 44 riverboat and Sandusky was serving in the PCF 94 boat.

Sandusky's officer was injured in an ambush and had to be sent home; Kerry's crew had been rotated out of duty.

"He was an officer without a crew, we were a crew without an officer, so we just kind of blended together," Sandusky said.

For 4 1/2 months [????? I thought it was 48 days] they ran their boat up and down the Mekong Delta, encountering gunfire at least two or three times a day, trying to outrun people trying to kill them. In that time, Sandusky formed a deep bond with Kerry.

[rwfromkansas]

bump

[rocklobster11]

Kind of like Frank Sinatra being the only one who remembered being brainwashed in the Manchurian Candidate.

[auboy]

Bump

[Angelwood]

...his stories are made up. It’s sad, but that’s the way it goes in war, and especially in politics.”

Hanoi John Kerry constantly projects what he and the democrats are doing onto their opponents -- the Republicans and President Bush in particular. The above statement, while it is directed at Kerry's tenth shipmate, applies to all I know about Kerry -- especially his involvement in the Winter Soldier investigation, anti-war rallies, and testimony (under oath, I presume, with immunity) before Congress.

I tend to believe Gardner for the most part. This article is a hatchet job and an effort to discount Gardner's recollections.

Gee, the more we learn about Hanoi John Kerry's Vietnam background, the more questions we have.

[syriacus]

Thanks for posting the link.

Odd that Del Sandusky doesn't mention that Kerry's staff rescued him from his suicidal moments in 1999, which was after Sandusky had already proven his usefulness in Kerry's 1996 campaign.

[RipSawyer]

"If all the others have the exact same story that means that they've been coached because any group of people will recall an incident differently and not exactly the same."

Bingo, we have a winner!

[Mo1]

doesn't mention ??

I thought he did mention it in the video?

[RipSawyer]

"I bet that Kerry couldn't find him either, and hoped the guy was dead."

I find it somewhat hard to believe that a man, living under his real name, could not be located. Am I missing something?

[RipSawyer]

"I also find it interesting that the author "couldn't locate" the only veteran who conflicted with Kerry's image."

Exactly, I have seen nothing in this article to indicate that the man was actually hiding under a different name. How can it be so difficult to find someone, especially someone who is a veteran of the Vietnam war, if he is not going to a great deal of trouble to cover his tracts. I would think that any competent investigator could have found him in about ten minutes on the internet.

[tsomer]

Kerry has been extremely lucky that 9 out of his 10 crewmen have almost identical stories about his valor during various firefights and skirmishes.

You've found the ragged seam in this patchwork. BS indicator in the red zone.

[lepton]

bookmark bump 33

[syriacus]

Sandusky mentioned that Kerry helped him, but he doesn't make it clear that Kerry helped him after it became apparent that Sandusky was a "precious asset" to Kerry..

From the UK telegraph article I posted above...

Mr Sandusky, who is from the Chicago suburbs, knows he is a precious asset to the Kerry campaign. "We establish his credibility. We were there when he got the medals," he said. His interview with The Telegraph was monitored by the Kerry press operation. But he insisted that he is his own man. He said: "I'm not getting paid. The campaign doesn't tell me what to do.

Kerry, who really only wants to talk about Vietnam, isn't so stupid as to allow one of his assets to slip away.

[twigs]

Excellent analysis. I think situations are never so black-and-white as we might like to think. I, too, am somewhat sceptical of Gardner for reasons some of which you mention. But then I too find the other 9 just a little too convenient. Thanks for shining some light with good thinking on a murky subject.

[Mo1]

Oh ok .. Now I understand what you were pointing out

I was a bit slow on the up take .. guess I need more coffee :0)