Posted on 07/29/2004 5:57:13 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
A guy named Gardener who served with Kerry is on Savage now debunking Kerry's service.
I wouldn't go that far. I suspect that they're just a pair of publicity hounds, looking for their 5 minutes in the limelight.
PCF-66 for his whole tour.
http://swiftboats.net/#pcf60
Steven Michael Gardner, GMGSN ?-4/68-? Cam Ranh Bay
Notice that it's incomplete. Maybe the fact that he switched boats didn't make it into the data base either. His statement on the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth site says that he served only the last 2 1/2 months of his second tour on Kerry's boat.
The first entry in the crew directory shows him on the 46 boat, the second on the 48.
Can somebody help me understand this?
Just what the hell did Kerry serve on?
According to his website, he served on 44 and 94. According to swiftboats.net, he was on 66 the entire time.
So, which is it?
But wasn't Kerry on the 44?
What the frick is up with these records. Is the swiftboats.net site all washed up in half its records or what?
http://swiftboats.net/#pcf60
look at 66
I saw that, which is why I am utterly confused that the John Kerry website does not say he was on the 66.
I don't understand this and it is very frustrating.
I've come to the same dead end.
However it's up to prove, not us.
Well actually the fake movie might tell all. LOL
I was considering e-mailing the folks of the 44 and 94 who have e-mail addy's listed on what they thought of Kerry (as I believe the 44 and 94 is the correct number, not the 66). But, I don't think I will. From what I am reading, only one has ever said anything negative about Kerry, Stephen Michael Gardner...who had an exclusive in Time or something as the Tenth guy. But, swiftboats.net puts him on the wrong boat, so I bet they put Kerry on the wrong boat as well.
Gardner is the only guy who was not a commander I take seriously. The other guys all have positive things to say about Kerry, so for negative, we have Gardner and the commanders.
I do wonder if the other crewmates were paid off.
See this earlier thread of a story by the guy who wrote the book about Kerry's Vietnam service, "Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War":
Gardner had these thoughts about Kerry: “Kerry was chickenshit ... Whenever a firefight started he always pulled up stakes and got the hell out of Dodge.”
"And you know I served with this guy, and the bottom line to it is; harsh as this may sound or as good as it sounds to any Democrat, out there, John Kerry is another ‘Slick Willy.’ He’s another Bill Clinton and that’s exactly what he is. And I’m telling you right now, that if John Kerry gets to be president of these United States, it’ll be a sorry day in this world for us. We can’t stand another Democrat like that in there again. We’ll get our asses in such a sling this time; we won’t be able to get out of it. And the bottom line to it is, I don’t care how much John Kerry’s changed after he moved off my boat, his initial patterns of behavior when I met him and served under him was somebody who ran from the enemy, rather than engaged it."
Guess that's why Gardner skipped the mission in Boston Harbor.
Gardner served on 4 boats over a period of 3 years. The interview by Brinkley is great:
When describing Kerry he unloads choice adjectives, “opportunist” being his favorite. His most colorful phrase is claiming that all Kerry wanted to do was “save his lily-white ass.” Up until now he has kept his resentment mostly to himself. “I’ve told a few of my friends that he was an asshole,” Gardner says. “But I’m not looking to make news.”
"It doesn't show a Steve Gardener as ever having served in the boats."
Try checking the Crew Directory again, with the correct spelling of Gardner...G A R D N E R...you will find him in the crew on at least two boats...Steven Michael Gardner, PCF 46 and PCF 48, two different tours in Vietnam.
And neither one when Kerry was there, I noticed that, too. Yet he claims to have served with him. What gives?
I wouldn't trust swiftboats.net as far as I could throw a swift boat. I'm absolutely certain that kerry did serve on two different boats, the 44 and 94 boats. O'Neil(sp?) took over for kerry as OIC on the 94 boat when kerry left.
There's no way in he!! that Gardner would be associated with the swift vets for truth group if he weren't legitimate. With that large a group, someone must have known him, if not served with him, at some point.
Gardner is the real-deal as far as having been there. See my post at #50.
Kerry was in 'Nam??
Yeah, I'm in the same boat as you. Gee, I wish he would let us know about that.
It would help his pump the integrity thing, too, you know.
-- Joe
Roger that.
There's no question in my mind that the retired high-ranking officers heading up the Swift boat veterans group very carefully vetted everyone who they allowed to associate with their group.
kerry and the Winter Soldier bunch, on the other hand, were more than willing to accept frauds (as long as they were willing to attest to atrocities).
ping
The dates for Gardner's 2nd tour begin the same year as Kerry's, with ??? for the ending date. It is likely that they overlapped. By the way, the site you are using for giving Kerry absolution, or for criticising Gardner, is not an official site. There are many "holes" in the cloth of that fabric of service dates, and likely also in the fabric of who was there.
I stumbled across this thread because I'm going over the same ground it looks like you guys already covered on whether Kerry was on PCF-44/94 or PCF-66. Anyone made any further progress on that question since this thread was posted?
Everyone who talks about his service say 44 and 94, so I believe that is correct despite that one site being messed up saying 66.
They may be trying to throw anybody off trying to contact his crewmates or something as well by sticking him on another boat since many e-mail addresses are at the swiftboats.net site.
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