Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

John Kerry's Christmas in Cambodia
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ^ | 08/10/2004 | Interesting Times

Posted on 08/11/2004 5:47:41 AM PDT by Interesting Times

On October 14, 1979, John Kerry described a remarkable event from his days as a Swift boat officer for the Boston Herald:

"I remember spending Christmas Eve of 1968 five miles across the Cambodian border being shot at by our South Vietnamese allies who were drunk and celebrating Christmas. The absurdity of almost being killed by our own allies in a country in which President Nixon [sic] claimed there were no American troops was very real."

-- President Nixon, of course, did not assume office until January of 1969.

On March 27, 1986, during a speech opposing President Reagan's policy in Central America, Senator John Kerry had this to say:

"Mr. President, I remember Christmas of 1968 sitting on a gunboat in Cambodia. I remember what it was like to be shot at by the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge and Cambodians, and have the president of the United States telling the American people that I was not there; the troops were not in Cambodia. I have that memory which is seared -— seared -— in me, that says to me, before we send another generation into harm's way we have a responsibility in the U.S. Senate to go the last step, to make the best effort possible in order to avoid that kind of conflict." [see Congressional Record - Senate of March 27, 1986, page 3594]

And again, in a 1992 article by the Associated Press:

"But for Kerry, who spent six violent months [sic] commanding a patrol boat on the Mekong River, there's always been a ring of truth to allegations of abandoned Americans. By Christmas 1968, part of Kerry's patrol extended across the border of South Vietnam into Cambodia.

"We were told, `Just go up there and do your patrol. Everybody was over there (in Cambodia). Nobody thought twice about it," Kerry said. One of the missions, which Kerry, at the time, was ordered not to discuss, involved taking CIA operatives into Cambodia to search for enemy enclaves.

"I can remember wondering, `If you're going to go, what happens to you,"' Kerry said.

As recently as May of 2000, U.S. News and World Report stated that, "Sen. John Kerry made his first forays into Cambodia during the Vietnam War as a Navy lieutenant on clandestine missions to deliver weapons to anticommunist forces."

Interestingly, Kerry's Cambodian sojourn, though "seared" into his memory by 1986, somehow failed to rate a mention in Kerry's own contemporary journal.

In "Unfit for Command," authors John O'Neill and Dr. Jerome Corsi document the impossibility of Kerry's story:

Despite the dramatic memories of his Christmas in Cambodia, Kerry’s statements are complete lies. Kerry was never in Cambodia during Christmas 1968, or at all during the Vietnam War. In reality, during Christmas 1968, he was more than fifty miles away from Cambodia. Kerry was never ordered into Cambodia by anyone and would have been court-martialed had he gone there.

During Christmas 1968, Kerry was stationed at Coastal Division 13 in Cat Lo. Coastal Division 13’s patrol areas extended to Sa Dec, about fifty-five miles from the Cambodian border. Areas closer than fifty-five miles to the Cambodian border in the area of the Mekong River were patrolled by PBRs, a small river patrol craft, and not by Swift Boats. Preventing border crossings was considered so important at the time that an LCU (a large, mechanized landing craft) and several PBRs were stationed to ensure that no one could cross the border.

A large sign at the border prohibited entry. Tom Anderson, Commander of River Division 531, who was in charge of the PBRs, confirmed that there were no Swifts anywhere in the area and that they would have been stopped had they appeared.

All the living commanders in Kerry’s chain of command—Joe Streuhli (Commander of CosDiv 13), George Elliott (Commander of CosDiv 11), Adrian Lonsdale (Captain, USCG and Commander, Coastal Surveillance Center at An Thoi), Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann (Commander, Coastal Surveillance Force Vietnam, CTF 115), and Rear Admiral Art Price (Commander of River Patrol Force, CTF 116)—deny that Kerry was ever ordered to Cambodia. They indicate that Kerry would have been seriously disciplined or court-martialed had he gone there. At least three of the five crewmen on Kerry’s PCF 44 boat—Bill Zaldonis, Steven Hatch, and Steve Gardner—deny that they or their boat were ever in Cambodia. The remaining two crewmen declined to be interviewed for this book. Gardner, in particular, will never forget those days in late December when he was wounded on PCF 44, not in Cambodia, but many miles away in Vietnam.

As part of the supporting documentation given to station managers for our television ad, "Any Questions?" we provided this regarding John Kerry's "Christmas in Cambodia":

The story is a total preposterous fabrication by Kerry. Exhibit 8 is an affidavit by the Commander of the Swift boats in Vietnam, Admiral Roy Hoffmann, stating that Kerry's claim to be in Cambodia for Christmas Eve and Christmas of 1968 is a total lie. If necessary, similar affidavits are available from the entire chain of command. In reality, Kerry was at Sa Dec -- easily locatable on any map more than fifty miles from Cambodia. Kerry himself inadvertently admits that he was in Sa Dec for Christmas Eve and Christmas and not in Cambodia, as he had stated for so many years on the Senate Floor, in the newspapers, and elsewhere. Exhibit 27, Tour, pp. 213-219. Sa Dec is hardly "close" to the Cambodian border. In reality, far from being ordered secretly to Cambodia, Kerry spent a pleasant night at Sa Dec with "visions of sugar plums" dancing in his head. Exhibit 27, p. 219. At Sa Dec where the Swift boat patrol area ended, there were many miles of other boats (PBR's) leading to the Cambodian border. There were also gunboats on the border to prevent any crossing. If Kerry tried to get through, he would have been arrested. Obviously, Kerry has hardly been honest about his service in Vietnam.

John Kerry was never shot at by Khmer Rouge and Cambodians. He never took CIA operatives into Cambodia to search for enemy enclaves. In fact, John Kerry's boat never came within 50 miles of Cambodia at any time.


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004; antiamerican; bogussecretmission; cambodia; christmasncambodia; hanoikerry; iaintfondajohn; iwasagentorange; johnkerry; kerry; kerryandthevets; kerryschristmas; ketchup; liar; liarliarliar; lyingliar; military; sedition; skerrykerry; swiftboat; swiftvets; swiftvetsdotcom; traitor; treason; unamerican; unfit; unfitforcommand; vet; veteran; veterans; vets; vietnam; wintersoldierdotcom
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-122 next last
To: tiki
...And we thought Clinton was a pathological liar. At least he had a pesonality to go with his deceitful lies.

We thought right...

61 posted on 08/11/2004 7:27:52 AM PDT by Interesting Times (ABCNNBCBS -- yesterday's news.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: Interesting Times

" I think this situation is growing out of control Johnny. The boys at the yacht club are getting nervous".

62 posted on 08/11/2004 7:27:58 AM PDT by jetson (throne)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lady GOP

You must "channel" my thoughts of possible expletives!! LOL


63 posted on 08/11/2004 7:30:54 AM PDT by Carolinamom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: Pure Country
From another thread:

Has anyone else noticed how Kerry's story begins to parallel Apocalypse Now? I guess we should be happy he isn't running around telling everyone that one of his Purple Heart wounds was caused by a spear through the back!

So what? All that stuff in Apocalypse Now happened in what, three hours?

64 posted on 08/11/2004 7:33:11 AM PDT by timpad (Peace without victory is procrastination)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: stockpirate; dennisw

Thanks. . .


65 posted on 08/11/2004 7:34:21 AM PDT by cricket (Don't Lose Your Head. . .Vote Republican)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: maggiefluffs
It was a dark and stormy night.....................

Having read the journal through, I would love to see a psycologist's diagnosis of those ramblings. They sound like a high school freshman who imagines himself a writer. There are some revealing lines in there.

66 posted on 08/11/2004 7:36:16 AM PDT by WVNan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: EllaMinnow

Interesting that all he did was switch the date. Kerry wasn't in Cambodia on that date ... but was in Cambodia on another date. These people are repulsive.


67 posted on 08/11/2004 7:36:23 AM PDT by BunnySlippers (Must get moose and squirrel ... B. Badanov)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: mewzilla

Seared into his brain--that's the problem! He HAS no brain, only DNC talking points! This guy can't even keep his lies straight. Cheez.


68 posted on 08/11/2004 7:37:35 AM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD is STILL in control, even if Bush loses in 2004!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: gunnygail; quadrant
John Kerry's remarks are typical of Baby Boomers. Having lived dull lives of relative comfort, they feel envious at the exploits of others. They wish to construct an heroic (or troubled) past that can be used to justify current actions, enhance their current prospects, or impress others. Boomers create incidents in their minds, events that are perhaps fully fabricated or only partially fabricated...At first, these incidents are never vocalized, but as time passes and the person mentally revisits the incident, details are added to the incident until it takes on the vivid character of real life experience...Finally, he has told the story so many times that he comes to believe it himself...

It's like the repeated mantra about all the "Viet Nam vets with PTSS." The overwhelming majority of Nam vets came back to live productive lives, raise families, etc. In fact, some of the most successful business people in this country are Nam vets. So why are the ranks of the so-called homeless occupied by so many so-called "Viet Nam vets"? WHose going to check and find out whether the bum ever really served in Nam? So many of those panhandlers are delusional liars - legends in their own minds. They have discovered a schtick that works: getting guilt-ridden, liberal-minded, suckers to part with their cash.

69 posted on 08/11/2004 7:40:34 AM PDT by ppaul
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: timpad

One of the vets who served with him said, last night, that Kerry had it in his mind to be just like JFK and be president some day. He worked to get into Vietnam, get his medals, and then get out. He'll never be a true hero like JFK was. He will always be a pathological liar.


70 posted on 08/11/2004 7:41:53 AM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD is STILL in control, even if Bush loses in 2004!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Interesting Times

71 posted on 08/11/2004 7:44:05 AM PDT by finnman69 (cum puella incedit minore medio corpore sub quo manifestus globus, inflammare animos)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

In light of the numerous things disappearing from the John Kerry website, I think we should start saving their stuff to our hard drives. I have saved all the mlitary records and spot reports (minus the deleted January one...) to my HD.

I will work on the press releases today after work.

But, the process is easy with WinHTTrack.

Check it out: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,20520,00.asp

By saving the site (or the most important parts at least...press releases and the military records)...we will help ensure that Kerry can't cover up the truth.


72 posted on 08/11/2004 7:47:46 AM PDT by rwfromkansas (BYPASS FORCED WEB REGISTRATION! **** http://www.bugmenot.com ****)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Interesting Times
Look it is the rare Cambodian Christmas Hamster, Moi al Kerri. It appeared only once in Cambodia on Christmas in 1968 while on a secret CIA mission.


73 posted on 08/11/2004 8:00:27 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (Has the Franchurian Dork candidate, le Jacquestrap Kerri ever not lied to Americans!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: quadrant; gunnygail
John Kerry's remarks are typical of Baby Boomers.

Hey guys, as much as I would like to pile on here, at least some of this generation does not fit the typical boomer description! Don't turn this into a generational war. Believe me, not all of us are locked in there.

Don't forget, even George W. Bush is a Boomer!

74 posted on 08/11/2004 8:04:22 AM PDT by texasbluebell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Howlin

Check out this image!


75 posted on 08/11/2004 8:06:20 AM PDT by texasbluebell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: texasbluebell

I should have said at #36 (maybe you haven't seen it yet).


76 posted on 08/11/2004 8:07:17 AM PDT by texasbluebell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]

To: joebuck
please tell me how a memory that never happened gets "seared" in one's brain?

He told the lie so often he actually believed it.
77 posted on 08/11/2004 8:11:57 AM PDT by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Pure Country
Can you imagine if we had just 100 Kerry's in the service...

Really! He makes that other fictional hero, “Rambo” look like a wuss!
78 posted on 08/11/2004 8:14:43 AM PDT by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: EllaMinnow; Interesting Times
state on Fox and Friends that Kerry has "corrected" his mistake and says he wasn't in Cambodia that Christmas after all.

When did he say that Kerry did that?

Did he go back and correct every single time he said it, or is that yet another "colloquialism" like in this article:

Asked if the Kerry campaign bothered to get the details of Knowles’ personal story, spokeswoman Judy Reardon said Kerry’s use of the words “every day” in describing Knowles story was “a colloquialism.”

Kerry Falsifies NH Woman's Story

79 posted on 08/11/2004 8:18:23 AM PDT by Howlin (Kerry being called a war hero is "a colloquialism.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Maeve

True, I also wonder if SV troops from being around our guys picked some of this up.
I know that many of my customers in Asia, now celebrate Holloween, St. Valentines Day. I celebrate Dragon Boat Day but then again, who doesn't!


80 posted on 08/11/2004 8:51:57 AM PDT by Holicheese (Gas up The Flying Squirrel, I'm going to lunch!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-122 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson