Of Swift Boat Veterans and Phony Wounds
May 7, 2004
by Roger F. Gay
We now have convincing evidence that John Fitzgerald Kerry, Democrat presumptive presidential candidate, is a two-bit con man and a danger to the nation. Some people may be convinced by the fact that he lied about a wound in order to get a purple heart that supported his request to leave Vietnam after only four months duty. Others might need the additional context provided by those he left behind; a group of fellow soldiers who have grown tired of John Kerry's efforts to make himself look like something he's not at their expense. The latest round raises serious doubts about his fitness for duty as Commander-in-Chief.
The wound in question has been described by Louis Letson, the doctor who treated Kerry at a medical facility in Cam Ranh Bay. It was about 3-4 mm. deep (around 0.15 inches). A metal fragment about 1 cm. long and 2-3 mm. in diameter penetrated the wound. (At these dimensions it was more like the tiny metal splinter sitting on a mosquito bite.) The splinter was pulled off without difficulty and the "wound" was covered with a band aid.
Kerry, who had recently arrived in Vietnam, said the wound resulted from a fire fight, in which their boat had received small arms fire from on shore. He said that his injury resulted from this enemy action. Some of his crew confided with the doctor that they had not received any fire from shore. Kerry's wound may have been accidental, but one way or another had been self-inflicted.
Dr. Letson's recollections cast doubt on the idea that Kerry was called into public service by things he felt passionate about. According to Dr. Letson, his political aspirations were already intact when he was faking injuries in order to avoid duty. Letson says he remembers Kerry because "some of his crewmen related that Lt. Kerry had told them that he would be the next JFK from Massachusetts."
 Swift Boat Veteran John O'Neill with Accuracy in Media's Roger Aronoff: Photo from Kristinn Taylor, D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com |
The picture that has emerged is a John Kerry who used the anti-war mood of the day as a mechanism to get personal attention because he was passionate about getting himself into politics. He's a basically dishonest guy who bluffs his way into things. What we've seen during the campaign is day to day efforts to bluff his way into the right part of public opinion or bluff his way into critisism of or counter-point to his opponent. This has created a candidate on one side of a fence one day and the other the next, finally settling down to the idea that someone else should decide. An indecisive president would be bad enough, but in the end, Senator Kerry has been promising to leave states dangling in the face of destructive federal policies (family policy for example) and to hand over the reigns of U.S. foreign policy to the European Union and the United Nations.
Context is provided by latest round to hit Kerry politically. It involves a newly formed group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. These are Vietnam veterans, Democrats, Republicans, and independents, who served with Lt. Kerry, and includes the entire chain of command above Kerry.
As an activist in the anti-war movement, Kerry adopted its propaganda, alleging that many American soldiers had routinely engaged in atrocities such as raping and cutting off ears and heads of Vietnamese soldiers and citizens.
A newly publicized letter from the group to Senator Kerry states; "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." "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."
The group is challenging Kerry to sign a release (Department of the Navy Standard Form 180) allowing his military record, "complete and unaltered," including his medical record, to be made public.
"Senator Kerry," the letter ends, "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."
Roger F. Gay is a professional analyst, international correspondent and regular contributor to MensNewsDaily.com, as well as a contributing editor for Fathering Magazine.