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WASHINGTON — A former Navy doctor who says he treated Sen. John F. Kerry for the wound that led to his first Purple Heart in Vietnam said Monday that several of Kerry’s crewmates told him at the time that the injury did not occur in battle. Dr. Louis Letson, a retired Alabama physician who served as medical officer at the Naval Support Facility at Cam Ranh Bay, said the crew’s “confided” story contradicted Kerry’s own report in December 1968 that he was wounded during a river firefight between his Swift boat and Vietcong gunmen ashore. The doctor’s account surfaced Tuesday...

<p>''I do not believe John Kerry is fit to be commander in chief," said retired Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann, who helped organize the news conference and oversaw all of the swift boats in Vietnam at the time Kerry commanded one of those crafts. ''This is not a political issue; it is a matter of his judgment, truthfulness, reliability, loyalty, and trust--all absolute tenets of command." . . .</p>

The two Tampa Bay daily newspapers, the St. Petersburg Times and the Tampa Tribune gave no mention of yesterday's damaging (to John Kerry) news conference by the Swiftboat veterans organization. I realize AP spiked the story but there were other sources where these papers could have sourced an article. Did your daily newspaper report on the news conference in today's edition? Comments.

ABC, NBC, CBS and sadly Fox have ignored the press conference conducted by the Swift Boat Veterans.

WASHINGTON, May 4 — A group of Vietnam veterans tried to pick apart Senator John Kerry's war-hero biography on Tuesday, questioning a combat wound and denouncing his antiwar activities as a betrayal that should disqualify him to be commander in chief. The group cited a document from a doctor who said that in December 1968 he treated the wound for which Mr. Kerry received the first of his three Purple Hearts and that it probably resulted from an accident, not hostile fire. "Some of his crew confided that they did not receive any fire from shore, but that Kerry had...

Replay started a couple minutes ago on CSPAN-2

REPEAT OF DEVASTATING NEWS CONFERENCE

Kristinn, co-leader of the DC Chapter, attended part of the John O'Neill & Swift Boat Veterans for Truth press conference this morning*  (details below).   Per his request, I'm posting his photos and his captions. CLICK ON ANY PHOTO AND A FULL SIZE VERSION OF THE PHOTO SHOULD APPEAR.  (Thumbnail photos hyperlinked to full versions)  John O'Neill with Accuracy in Media's Roger Aronoff  John Kerry's 'other' brothers in arms.   John O'Neill reviews his remarks before the press conference begins.  Ditto, Kerry circled in red in photo.   Baba Booey, Howard Stern and Jackie Martling trying to pick up chicks at...