Free Republic

I am outraged by Michael Dobbs' attack on Larry Thurlow and his Bronze Star award. The reason the citation mentions "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" is because it is based on the "spot report" that John Kerry submitted. Any and all awards presented for actions on 13 March 1969 would be similar, if not verbatim, regarding enemy gunfire, because the only information submitted to the chain of command was falsified by Kerry. Mr. Dobbs also grossly mischaracterizes my statements, and probably those of Richard Pees as well, when he states that we "do not remember coming under 'enemy...

Its time for the Swift Vets to take this to the courts. I believe there is overwhelming demonstrable evidence that the Swift Vets have been financially and personally harmed by the actions of the DNC, Lanny Davis,Chris Mathews and the John Kerry Campaign. By doing this the Swift Vets will have validated there claims of John Kerry by putting there money where there mouth is. We have got to stop the Stalinist tatics of the left by hitting them where it hurts the most, there wallets. Although its unlikely any lawsuit would be completed prior to the election, a complete...

KWAME HOLMAN: John Kerry has given his military record a principal role in his campaign for president. And at the Democratic Convention last month, Kerry featured prominently several veterans who attested to his bravery and leadership while commanding a swift boat in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.But earlier this month, a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth launched a TV ad charging Kerry with lying about his tour in Vietnam that led to three Purple Heart combat medals. The group is funded in part by a wealthy Republican donor; the ad ran this month in three battleground states: Ohio,...

Statement by Navy Veteran Van Odell, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, in Rebuttal to Michael Dobbs, Washington Post, August 19, 2004 A courageous, soft spoken man of the Midwest, Larry Thurlow has a heart bigger than the great plains and a commitment to truth and honesty that is boundless. He is under attack, because John Kerry is feeling the heat of truth at the hands of this honest man and others like him. The Kerry Campaign is attacking the truthfulness of this man and the Bronze Star he so richly deserves for his actions on March 13, 1969. I was...

Dear *Shill*, Today marks the end of the dishonest and disgusting smear campaign against John Kerry and his crewmates from Vietnam. This morning on the front page of the Washington Post, one of the central figures in the effort to distort John Kerry's military service was completely discredited. Watch the new ad from JohnKerry.com The group behind this smear campaign calls itself "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." But the truth is the last thing they are interested in. President Bush refuses to condemn this group. He wants them to do his dirty work. But this effort to distract attention from...

If Kerry's right about the SwiftVets not serving with him... :)

Got the idea while listening to Rush - how the swift vets stick to their stories while Kerry keeps changing his.

ANNOUNCER: We'll sort through the charges and countercharges and the political implications and talk to a Kerry critic whose own claims are being questioned.

“Main Stream” broadcast networks and print media have done everything possible to provide damage control for the John Kerry campaign against allegations made by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Instead of investigating the issues raised by the Swift Boat veterans to determine their validity, the Courier-Journal and other media outlets assists Kerry attack dogs by trying to discredit the vets on a personal level. Media interests must fear the light of truth may interfere with their desire to see Kerry in the White House. Media Research Center found the big three media networks, ABC, CBS and NBC, ran 75 stories...

According to O'Neill, Dobbs was asked yesterday to interview the vets while they were gathered at the Washinton Marriott. He did not do it, even though a hit piece on them would come out on them the next day.

Kerry has demanded that Bush denounce the Swiftvets' charges. I believe Bush should respond by stating something to this effect: I am not in a position to endorse or denounce the charges made by the Swiftvets because all of the available records tht may have some bearing on the charges have not been released, including all of Sen. Kerry's military records. The release of all such records is a minimum requirement for me to even consider denouncing the Swiftvets's charges or endorsing their charges.

Swiftvet John O'Neill will appear on Hannity & Colmes on Fox News at 9 PM EDT and Swiftvet Larry Thurlow will appear on Hardball on MSNBC at 7 PM EDT.

For Immediate Release August 19, 2004 Statement By Swift Boat Veterans for Truth Member Larry Thurlow I am convinced that the language used in my citation for a Bronze Star was language taken directly from John Kerry's report which falsely described the action on the Bay Hap River as action that saw small arms fire and automatic weapons fire from both banks of the river. To this day, I can say without a doubt in my mind, along with other accounts from my shipmates-there was no hostile enemy fire directed at my boat or at any of the five boats...

BOSTON - Fighting back, John Kerry called on the White House Thursday to condemn criticism of his Vietnam War record and released a television commercial featuring a veteran who says the Democratic presidential candidate "risked his life to save mine." "All those Viet Cong were shooting at me. I expected to be shot. When he pulled me out of the river, he risked his life to save mine,' Jim Rassmann says in the 30-second commercial. Kerry was wounded in Vietnam, and received five medals. But his service has recently come under question in commercials paid for by supporters of President...

I just saw Kerry on Fox News giving a speach, and he directly addressed the SwiftVets. He said that they were a group that was not interested in the truth becuase they were lying. He also said that the group didn't exist until he won the nomination, and that the group was funded by hundreds of thousands of dollars from a major Republican donor, and that the group was a front for the Bush campaign. He attacked Bush for supporting the group I think the press will have to now look into the truth of the story in response to...

Forgive me of a rare vanity. Last night, it occurred to me that I had seen John Hurley on camera before the Kerry campaign. Am I the only one who recognized that face? Does anyone here know his history? I could be wrong, but didn't he make multiple appearances on behalf of Clinton during those years?

I am fill-in producing for a conservative talk host this week. He is having some Vets for Kerry on his show Thursday morning. I'm making my own list of questions, but any input for questions to make these guys rethink their insulting the "Unfit for Command" authors, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

Dear MoveOn member, President Bush still won't condemn his allies' outrageous "Swift Boat" ad, despite calls from Republican leaders, Vietnam vets, and over 175,000 of us who signed yesterday's petition -- including 6,000 current military service members and their families. Together, we can make sure he pays a political price for green-lighting this attack ad that spreads outright lies about John Kerry's leadership and service in Vietnam. We've put together our own ad that sets the facts straight on John Kerry's time in the military. It also points out Bush's hypocrisy in condoning an attack on a combat veteran, after...

The Vietnam War rages on. Witness the barrages being fired by Viet vets on the right and the left: "George W. Bush is a draft-dodger"; "John F. Kerry isn't a war hero." Once again, that tragic war divides America – and this time around, it's vet pitted against vet. Sure, Bush dodged the draft, along with a reported 14 million other Americans with the savvy to work out that Vietnam was a no-win, sorry war. But although he had the luck and the connections to land a spot in the Air Guard, he did put his butt on the line...

This website is dedicated to those men and women who served and fought during the Vietnam War and who understand that honoring the sacrifices made and the brotherhoods forged on the battlefield should transcend one's own political ideology. http://www.notsoswiftvets.com/