Posted on 08/18/2004 10:54:53 AM PDT by Chieftain
Kerry Krew member Del Sandusky coming to Gainesville FL tonight for veterans for Kerry meeting. FReepers plan to infiltrate for behind enemy lines ambush by asking him revealing questions regarding Hanoi John and all the Vietnam lies.
Please post your good questions for us to use to nail him.
I'd ask him if he's willing to make his statements in a sworn affidavit as the Swiftees have done.
NO! You tip your hand if you confront. Instead, seem a fellow traveler by asking:
"How can we make the issue of Kerry and Cambodia go away?"
Suck them into traps.
ASk him if he took part in any of the wear crimes Kerry admitted to committing
Ask him if it bothered him that the POWs said they were tortured because they refused to endorse Kerry's war crime statements
Ask him since Kerry and the rest of the lefties said we had NO BUSINESS in the war since it was a civil war which we had no right interferring in if he thinks Kerry DEFENDED the nation like he nmow claims
Ask him if he'll sign a form 180, to release his records.
Ask him if he is being paid by the sKerry campaign.
Got it! Please PING anyone to help.
Was Alston present February 28 when Sandusky beached the boat and Kerry ran ashore?
Did Alston ever return to serve on Kerry's boat after suffering the head injury?
FYI - there is another article I read today which mentioned Sandusky backed off one of the previous stories during their press conference yesterday; that might have been the Globe article but I went back and didn't catch it.
CAN YOU NAME THIWS COUNTRY?
709,000 REGULAR (ACTIVE DUTY) PERSONNEL.
293,000 RESERVE TROOPS.
EIGHT STANDING ARMY DIVISIONS.
20 AIR FORCE AND NAVY AIR WINGS WITH 2,000 COMBAT AIRCRAFT
232 STRATEGIC BOMBERS.
19 STRATEGIC BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINES WITH 3,114 NUCLEAR WARHEADS ON 232 MISSILES.
500 ICBMs WITH 1,950 WARHEADS.
FOUR AIRCRAFT CARRIERS AND 121 SURFACE COMBAT SHIPS AND SUBMARINES PLUS ALL THE SUPPORT BASES, SHIPYARDS, AND LOGISTICAL ASSETS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN SUCH A NAVAL FORCE.
IS THIS COUNTRY-
RUSSIA ? NO
CHINA ? NO
GREAT BRITAIN ? NO
FRANCE ? WRONG AGAIN ( What a Laugh!!!!!)
MUST BE USA ? STILL WRONG (SORT OF)
GIVE UP ?
THESE ARE THE AMERICAN MILITARY FORCES THAT WERE ELIMINATED DURING THE ADMINISTRATION OF BILL CLINTON AND AL GORE.
AND [their elimination] was 100% SUPPORTED BY JOHN KERRY
(THESE HE DID VOTE ON) SLEEP WELL!
This is not a new message, but a reminder of why we now have over-deployed our National Guard and Reserve Units.
HE SAID CHECK THE RECORD
Sen. John Kerry, Democrat from Massachusetts says he is the strongest Presidential Candidate on National Defense ! He said Check the Record..
We Did !
Here is what we learned:
He voted to kill the Bradley Fighting Vehicle
He voted to kill the M-1 Abrams Tank
He voted to kill every Aircraft carrier laid down from 1988
He voted to kill the Aegis anti aircraft system
He voted to Kill the F-15 strike eagle
He voted to Kill the Block 60 F-16
He voted to Kill the P-3 Orion upgrade
He voted to Kill the B-1
He voted to Kill the B-2
He voted to Kill the Patriot anti Missile system
He voted to Kill the FA-18
He voted to Kill the B-2
He voted to Kill the F117
He voted to kill every military appropriation for the development and deployment of every weapons systems since 1988,including a bill for battle armor for our troops.
It is most likely, with Sen. John Kerry as President and Commander in Chief of our Armed Services, that they will cease to function making it impossible for our country to protect itself.
John Kerry voted to kill all anti-terrorism activities of each and every agency of the U.S. Government.
He voted to cut the funding of the FBI by 60%.
He voted to cut the funding for the CIA by 80%.
He voted to cut the funding for the NSA by 80%.
THEN, and this is abhorrent to almost every American Voter be
You Democrat, Republican or Independent, he voted to increase OUR funding for U.N operations by 800%
!Ask yourself Is THIS the person you want as President of these United States providing for the Common Defense of the Nation And be the Leader of the Free World ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Voting history can be accessed through Senate voting records.
The above is an accurate summary.
How many atrocities did he commit? - How many did he see? - Does he think the Vietnam war was a "mistake", as Kerry does? - Was he one of those crew members laughing at Kerry when he put in for his first Purple Heart because his "wound" was so slight?......
That is one I plan to ask as Alston spoke at convention about 'Taking it to Charlie', but he is not in medals picture a few days later.
Here is a brief description of the Feb 28th action for which Kerry got a Bronze star.
"On February 28, 1969, now in charge of PCF 94, Kerry came under fire from an enemy location on the shore. The crew's gunner returned fire, hitting and wounding the lone gunman. Kerry directed the boat to charge the enemy position. Beaching his boat, Kerry jumped off, chased the wounded insurgent behind a thatched hutch, and killed him. Kerry and his crew returned within days, armed with a Super 8 video camera he had purchased at the post exchange at Cam Ranh Bay, and reenacted the skirmish on film."
Additional:
You received a medal for your actions of Feb. 28th in the encounter for which John Kerry received a Bronze Star.
Could you describe in detail what your role was as the coxswain, and what is your memory of the action on Feb 28th?
Describe any enemy fire that you took from shore on Feb 28th.
Were you present for the filmed reenactment of that action?
In an excerpt of their book, they write regarding Kerry's first Purple Heart, "there's no evidence that anyone had fired back, or that Kerry had been in combat, as becomes obvious when we read an entry from his diary about a subsequent excursion, written on December 11, 1968, nine days after the incident that got Kerry his medal."
Good one! I have a stack-o-stuff to go over on the way there and many ?? on that subject. Thanks.
Vanity: Having Vets for Kerry on Radio Show, Need Questions for Them
Thanks. He called it a stupid war as well as Iraq stupid war.
I’ve read “Unfit for Command”. That’s the easy part. Since then I’ve been struggling to find a way to explain why this is so important to many of us out here to those who don’t find it to be important.
“It was 35 years ago, for heaven sake!” or “So he exaggerated his war stories a little” are common explanations, or excuses, as to why many don’t take this seriously. Some will never take it seriously. They’re the same people who thought Bill Clinton’s problem had to do with sex instead of character. But that is the point here. This sort of exaggeration and lying does reflect on a man or woman’s character. And that is one of the reasons the Swift Boat Vets are engaged in telling their side of those stories. They have as much of a right to do so as John Kerry.
But there’s an even more important point that seems to be lost in all of this. It has to do with men who’ve been in combat, who’ve seen their comrades suffer horrible wounds and die. Who’ve watched acts of unselfish valor go unrewarded and who deeply resent those who attempt to take advantage of the system for self-glorification or political gain. Who cynically use their service as a stepping stone to political office and lie about the events of that service to condemn and pillory those who’ve served their country in combat and those still serving in combat. In a word, this is about “honor”.
The money quote for me, the paragraph that said “this is why” came in the 4th chapter where an incident in March of 2004 involving Admiral Hoffmann and John Kerry. In 2003 Kerry had called Hoffmann to try to get his support in his run for President. Hoffmann was initially enthusiastic as he mistakenly thought the caller was Bob Kerrey, the Navy Medal of Honor winner and former Senator. When he realize the caller was John Kerry, his entire tone changed. He refused to give Kerry his support.
In the ensuing months, “Tour of Duty” was published, in which Kerry savaged Hoffmann.
“On March 15, 2004, Admiral Hoffmann’s telephone rang again. Once again, the caller was John Kerry. Kerry had clinched the Democratic nomination, and he knew that Hoffmann was organizing Swiftees to bring out the truth about him, his exaggerated military record and his antiwar lies that had slandered his fellow veterans. Kerry made the admiral an offer: If you will back off and drop your efforts, I will ensure that my biography, “Tour of Duty”, which I know is unfair to you, will be changed to make it accurate in a revised edition. Here is my secretary’s number – you can get me anytime.
The offer from the Democratic presidential candidate was an attempt to flatter Hoffmann, a warrior who’s coin is not power or wealth, but honor – an honor deeply impugned by Kerry’s book. ... Kerry knew that winning Hoffmann over to his side would thwart the Swiftees’ efforts to discredit him. Hoffmann told Kerry that he and the vast majority of his shipmates could never forgive him for his defamation of our Navy and other US Armed Forces by his slanderous and undocumented accusations of unspeakable atrocities in Vietnam before the US Congress in 1971, his leadership in the VVAW, and his association with the traitorous Jane Fonda and others of her ilk. Surprisingly, Kerry responded by simply saying that he “was expressing his conviction”. So for Admiral Hoffmann and the rest of the Swiftees, this isn’t about Republican or Democrat. Its not about wealth or power. This is a matter of honor. The Swift Boat Veterans, as a group, and you’ll find this mostly true of most veterans and particularly Vietnam and Vietnam era veterans, the problem they have with Kerry is a matter of honor. They feel he dishonorably lied about them and their service after he left Vietnam, that he dishonored those who were a part of the very same operations he now claims for his awards through his exaggerations and fabrications and he dishonored the thousands who’ve given lives and limbs for the very same awards they allege he faked.
In the military, and among veterans and veteran’s groups, honor is a very important and even sacrosanct subject. The honor of serving, the honor of serving well, the honor of awards for valor, all are taken very seriously. The honor of legitimate heros is closely guarded and worshiped. It is not something taken lightly or waved off with “oh, he was just exaggerating a little”. That is especially true if the “exaggerations” were actually cynical attempts to portray the service of others in a dishonorable way for the self-promotion of the person telling the lies.
It is this concept of honor which drives the Swift Boat Veteran’s for Truth. And it is this concept which is so hard for civilians and politicos to comprehend and take seriously. Honor isn’t a constant thread in their daily lives as it is in the military. The greatest sin for any military man or woman is to dishonor his or her comrades, unit and service. It is that which the Swiftees contend John Kerry has done.
The book very compellingly and succinctly makes their case. This isn’t a book which deals with innuendo and rumor. It is meticulously researched and footnoted. It uses direct quotes which were obtained in signed and notarized affidavits. In short, it is a documented indictment of John Kerry’s perfidy. More importantly, it’s a documentation of his lack of honor.
In 1971, John Kerry accused American soldiers of daily atrocities of the most heinous kind. But he, and his comrades in the Vietnam Veterans Against the War provided nothing specific. No names, no places, nothing which could be checked. “Unfit for Command” however, provides us with some specifics to meet the charges. In 1971, in front of the US Congress, John Kerry had the following to say:
“We rationalized destroying villages in order to save them.”
“We learned the meaning of free-fire zones, shooting anything that moves, and we watched while America placed a cheapness on the lives of Orientals.”
“We watched the US falsification of body counts ...”
In “Unfit for Command” three incidents are described where Kerry destroyed a village and the animals in the village, fired without orders in a free-fire zone and falsified body counts in a report.
In the first incident, George Bates, another PCF commander in CosDiv11 and now a retired USN Captain, recalls where he and Kerry were on a mision together and came upon a small village.
“With Kerry in the lead, the boats approached a small hamlet with three to four grass huts. Pigs and chickens were milling around peacefully. As the boats drew closer the villagers fled. There were no political symbols or flags in evidence in the tiny village. It was obvious to Bates that existing policies, decency and good sense required the boats to simply move on.
Instead, Kerry beached his boat directly in the small settlement. Upon his command, the numerous small animals were slaughtered by heavy-caliber machine guns. Acting more like a pirate than a naval officer, Kerry disembarked and ran around with a Zippo lighter, burning up the entire hamlet.”
Bates has never forgotten Kerry’s actions and was appalled by the complete hypocrisy of Kerry’s quick shift to the role of peace activist condemning war crimes upon his return. Even today, Bates describes Kerry as a man without a conscience.”
Tom Wright, another PCF commander, talks about Kerry and “free-fire” zones.
“We believe that “free-fire” zones placed the greatest responsibilty on the OinC because he alone had to decide if he was going to shoot. In other areas, the ROE (Rules of Engagement) told you what to do. John Kerry thought that a “free-fire” zone meant “kill anyone you see....”. Not every person is a good combat commander. John Kerry was not a good combat commander.
In fact, Wright finally went to his boss, George Elliott and asked that Kerry not be assigned to any further missions Wright was put in charge of because of his unreliability.
“I had some very serious problems with Kerry one day and I told the DivCom that I did not want Kerry in my group anymore.”
The last incident involves a sampan, the ubiquitous little boats that Vietnamese use for transportation and commerce on the rivers of Vietnam. Vietnam had a dusk to dawn curfew which prohibited travel on the rivers at that time. On the day in question, Kerry and another Swift boat (PCF 21) were on patrol. The night, as described, was “pitch-black”. Out of the dark came a sampan, and Gunner’s mate Steve Gardner, in the absence of Kerry orders (Kerry was in the pilot house and not on deck) saw what looked like a man with a weapon drawing down on him and fired into the sampan. Technically, to this point, nothing wrong has been done.
The sampan was out after dark, Gardner thought he saw a weapon and fired. What happened afterward is the problem. When the lights of the PCF were turned on Kerry relates what he saw:
“The light revealed a woman standing in the stern of the sampan with a child of perhaps two years or less in her arms. Neither [was] harmed. We asked her where the men from the stern were, as one of the gunners was sure that he had seen someone moving back there. She gesticulated wildly and I could see traces of blood on the engine mounting. It was obvious they had been blown overboard. Then somebody said there as a body up front and we moved closer to se the limbs of a small child limp on th stacks of rice.”
All indications were that the boat had mistakenly shot into the sampan of a family, probably returning late from some destination. This wasn’t at all unusual, but usually ended much less dramatically and with no loss of life as the sampan was searched, the crew warned and let go. As stated, though, to this point, technically the Kerry’s crew had done nothing wrong. Until the report was filed.
According to The CTF 115 report (called the Commander Coastal Surveillance Force Vietnam (CTF 115) Quarterly Evaluation Report) of March 29, 1969, the following was reported by Kerry:
“...20 January PDFs 21 and 44 (Kerry’s boat - ed.) Operating in An Xuyen Province ... engaged the enemy with a resultant GDA of one VC KIA (BC) [body count], four VC KIA (EST) and two VC CIA (VQ810650/44)”
In other words, what Kerry reported was he’d killed a VC (the man blown off the boat), probably killed four other VC (purely fictional) and captured two VC (the mother and the two year old) in action. The child who was killed was simply ignored. The four estimated VC KIAs were simply made up out of whole cloth. The mother and child suddenly became VC who were captured.
These three incidents put an exclamation point to why the Swift Boat Vets for Truth specifically and may other veterans in general find Kerry to be a dishonorable man and “Unfit for Command”.
Regardless of your political leanings or feelings for either candidate (and in full disclosure, I feel and have felt precisely the same way the Swiftees do about John Kerry) you need to read this book. It's contents deserve a review before you cast your vote in November.
Ask him if LTJG Kerry recommended him for any medals or awards while he served under Kerry and if so what were they. Methinks Kerry only wrote himself up, but I'd like to verify that.
Do they sell mens clothes where you bought that shirt?
Sandusky got Navy COm w/combat V for same day Kerry got Silver STar and PH. The qwhole crew got medals that day... except Alston, who was visibly absent fromthe awards photo.
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