“We Know the Truth” Some of Kerry’s Vietnam colleagues challenge the Democratic candidate.

National Review Online ^ | May 04, 2004 | An NRO Primary Document

[neverdem]

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May 04, 2004, 4:15 p.m.

We Know the Truth
Some of Kerry's Vietnam colleagues challenge the Democratic candidate.

An NRO Primary Document

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth released the following letter to John Kerry, signed by 189 fellow veterans of the Navy vessels featured so prominently in the senator's campaign ads. The group's organizers explain that the veterans who have signed to date represent the large majority of those who served with Lt. Kerry in Vietnam. Scores of others are expected to join up in the days ahead.

May 4, 2004

Senator Kerry,

We write from our common heritage as veterans of duty aboard Swift Boats in the Vietnam War. Indeed, you should note that a substantial number of those men who served directly with you during your four month tour in Vietnam have signed this letter.

It is our collective judgment that, upon your return from Vietnam, you grossly and knowingly distorted the conduct of the American soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen of that war (including a betrayal of many of us, without regard for the danger your actions caused us). Further, we believe that you have withheld and/or distorted material facts as to your own conduct in this war.

We believe you continue this conduct today, albeit by changing from an anti-war to a "war hero" status. You now seek to clad yourself in the very medals that you disdainfully threw away in the early years of your political career. In the process, we believe you continue a deception as to your own conduct through such tactics as the disclosure of only carefully screened portions of your military records. Both then and now, we have concluded that you have deceived the public, and in the process have betrayed honorable men, to further your personal political goals.

Your conduct is such as to raise substantive concerns as to your honesty and your ability to serve, as you currently seek, as Commander-in-Chief of the military services.

It is vital that the American public have as much information as possible about candidates for President of the United States. In various ways, you have rightly called upon President Bush to be fully accountable and to provide full disclosure. In the same spirit, now that you are the presumptive nominee of your Party, we believe it is incumbent upon you to make your total military record open to the American people.

Specifically, we the undersigned formally request that you authorize the Department of the Navy to independently release your military records (through your execution of Standard Form 180), complete and unaltered, including your military medical records. Further, we call upon you to correct the misconceptions your campaign seeks to create as to your conduct while in Vietnam. Permit the American public the opportunity to assess your military performance upon the record, and not upon campaign rhetoric.

Senator Kerry, we were there. We know the truth. We have been silent long enough. The stakes are too great, not only for America in general but, most importantly, for those who have followed us into service in Iraq and Afghanistan. We call upon you to provide a full, accurate accounting of your conduct in Vietnam.

Respectfully,

Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann, USN
Captain Charley Plumly, USN (ret)

Mr. Alvin A. Horne

Mr. Bill Lannom

Mr. John O'Neill

Mr. Wey Symmes

Mr. William W. Franke

 

	http://www.nationalreview.com/document/vets200405041615.asp

[So Cal Rocket]

... and not a word from Old Media on this letter.

[cripplecreek]

A couple of things come to mind from the press release i saw on FOX. "Requires constant supervision" and it appears that he also wastes mortar rounds killing rocks.

[gdc61]

you need to have the admin moderator fix your head line , its kerry not kerrey

[Rome2000]

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?.

If the Bush campaign doesn't make this organization, and these people, part of the campaign strategy, they will deserve to lose in November.

[gilliam]

Kerry was a kid. And an ivy league kid at that. I know a lot of kids who take constant supervision at Kerry's (then) age. The problem with Kerry is he lied and deceived for political gain. Time to stop that political gain!

[jmstein7]

BUMP!

[counterpunch]

[onyx]

GOOD POST!

[Yaelle]

Thanks for posting the actual letter. Now, how to get the squirrelhead media to pick up this story?

[bond7]

Wonder if this is the same Rear Admiral Hoffman that lived across the street from me growing up in Va Beach, VA. I'll bet it is. Good People.

[rodguy911]

Some of These guys were just on Fox news channel and they came off spectacular. If the real truth gets out about f'ing he's toast.

[CyberAnt]

Adm Hoffman called Kerry, "a loose cannon".

Boy oh boy .. that's what we need today .. a "loose cannon" .. the movie "Dead Zone" comes to mind.

[GaltMeister]

Kerry was a kid. And an ivy league kid at that.

Gotta disagree with you there, FRiend. He was 27 years old, college educated, a commisioned Naval Officer. The 'just a kid' thing don't cut it. A man graduates from college or the Naval Academy, gets his commission, earns his wings, and is flying F-14's, driving ships and submarines, leading Sailors, etc. way before 27 years old. They aren't kids.

[Vermonter]

Any idea where the list of 200 signee's are? I served with a couple of former gunners and wonder if they're involved

[neverdem]

In case you haven't seen this PING.

[Names Ash Housewares]

These guys are still serving their country. Getting the word out on Kerry is just as important as the work they did in the military.

[Fresh Wind]

Loose cannon. Imagine a cannon rolling around on the deck of an old wooden warship as the ship rocks from side to side. That's a great description of Mr. Kerry.

[MN_Mike]

The cable media. I was annoyed when Carl Cameron gave the Kerry campaign slant when bringing up the issue at mid-afternnon. What's more, immediately following "Campaign" Carl, was the Boston Globe authors descrbing their new puff book biography (I smell the book odor again).

Surprisingly, Cindy Crawley from CNN did a better job than Campaign Carl. But things improved when Brit Hume picked up the story on his Special Report program. Carl revised his approach to be more "fair and balanced." And Brit gave it some airtime.

The big question: What does the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth do for an encore? They do have a web site you know.

http://www.swiftvets.com/Index2.htm

[afraidfortherepublic]

. and not a word from Old Media on this letter.

Never fear. This story is exploding across the Internet as I type. I certainly hope that some of the people reading it on the Web, or in their personal emails, will respond to its points in the Letters to the Editor columns of their local newspapers. The story MUST get out.