Posted on 08/21/2004 2:08:47 PM PDT by nwrep
In this interview titled "An Angry War Veteran", John Kerry admitted to the NYT reporter that he enlisted in the Swift Boats to avoid the war in Vietnam, since the boats were only used for patrol duty:
*************************************************************************
..That first trip to Vietnam piqued his curiosity, - "I wanted to go back and see for myself what was going on, but I didn't really want to get involved in the war." So late in 1968 he volunteered for an assignment on "swift boats" - the short, fast aluminum craft that were then used for patrol duty off the coast of Vietnam.
Two weeks before he arrived in Vietnam as a swift boat commander, he said, "they changed the policy on the used of the boats - decided to send them up the river to prove to the Vietcong that they didn't own the waters."
The river missions involved shooting at sampans and at huts along the banks and suddenly, Mr. Kerry recalls, "we said, 'hey, wait a minute - we don't know who these people are'. So we started to beach our boats to go to ashore and find out what we had been shooting at."
I disagree. This is potentially very big. I personally think this sould be elevated to breaking news and made sticky to raise it's viewability. We do have media types that lurk here. Make sure they see it.
I guess he signed up for the Naval Reserves because he knew he probably wouldn't be in any danger. When he realized he needed to establish some credibility in order to further his anti-war cause, he went back, but still in a capacity that would not subject himself to real danger.
Whatta guy!
First of all the mission wasn't to "shoot at sampans and huts," at least not according to the unit tactictian. It was to make friends with the people living along the river and convince them to trust the US and reveal the movements of the Viet Cong among their midst. I heard this guy on the radio, explaining the mission and explaining why Kerry was considered a loose cannon who was jeopardizing the mission, shooting at anything that moved and endangering the men. Kerry was reprimanded for his actions several times, each time he had some excuse, like we saw something move, or they opened fire. The excuses never seemed to be substantiated.
http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061603.shtml
Kranish story 2003:"I didn't really want to get involved in the war," Kerry said in a little-noticed contribution to a book of Vietnam reminiscences published in 1986. "When I signed up for the swift boats, they had very little to do with the war. They were engaged in coastal patrolling and that's what I thought I was going to be doing."
Can you send this to Hugh Hewitt and Instapundit. CaptainsQuarters and Powerline have also been following this and they might appreciate it.
It takes many people to do this research.
Thank you for doing this.
Is this when Kerry turned into an infantry man with his movie camera ??
Kinda like inadvertently letting the enemies know the Americans were coming? Giving up their location?
Yes, it sounds like that to me.
It would be nice but this appears nowhere that I can find - not those words anyway.
The closest I could find was:
Kerry said to the New York Times when he was an angry war veteran: "I'm not radical in any sense of the word. I guess I'm just an angry young man."
We need an accurate link please otherwise it isn't useful.
>> "Not really new news, but to summarize:"
> I disagree. This is potentially very big.
I've seen it here several times, perhaps not under its own
headline. It's at least as big a story as Kerry's 40 min
of being "unable to think" on 9/11, which has been reported
here dozens of times, and still fails to catch the interest
of the lamestream or alternative press.
Since it's apparently in the UFC book (my copy hasn't
arrived yet), press members will see it there as well as
here. We'll see where it goes.
Kerry does seem to have a talent for leaving discrediting
quotes in the record, doesn't he?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1080240/
... At Yale, Kerry was chairman of the Political Union and later, as Commencement speaker, urged the United States to withdraw from Vietnam and to scale down foreign military operations. And this was way back in 1966.
When he approached his draft board for permission to study for a year in Paris, the draft board refused and Kerry decided to enlist in the Navy. ...
Not only that, but Kerry was active against the Vietnam War BEFORE he enlisted. AND he only enlisted, because the Draft Board turned down his request for a deferment to study in Paris for a year.
He volunteered, because otherwise he was going to be drafted!
It's in the 1970 Harvard Crimson article, which is an interview with Kerry.
Published on Wednesday, February 18, 1970
John Kerry: A Navy Dove Runs for Congress
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=352185
"At Yale, Kerry was chairman of the Political Union and later, as Commencement speaker, urged the United States to withdraw from Vietnam and to scale down foreign military operations. And this was way back in 1966.
When he approached his draft board for permission to study for a year in Paris, the draft board refused and Kerry decided to enlist in the Navy. "
There is no link. What are you reading?
"He is not a pacifist. 'if I have to pick up arms to defend something that is very real. If the shores of this country were threatened, I'd be the first to defend it.'"
Can't quote the whole article because of copyright restrictions.
I don't think that the swift boat assignment changed two weeks before Kerry arrived, though. I think that operation Market time was initiated in February of 1968, in response to the Tet Offensive. My husband had two swift boat crews assigned to be based on his ship at that time, and I think I read this, straight from his Vietnam year book.
MORE GOLD from you.
You are really GOOD.
Bookmarked.
bump
Great find -should be circulated widely.
Another nugget.
Bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha
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.