all idiots, why don't you grow some sac and use your actual account before you try to insult us, fucktard.
Ok I'll do this person by person who appeared in the Swift boat ad...
George Elliott"John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam."
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George Elliott was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
Was Elliott Honest in 1996 When He Said This of Kerry?
"The fact that he chased an armed enemy down is not something not to be looked down upon but it was an act of courage. And the whole outfit served with honor..."[T]here was no question that it was above and beyond anything that we had seen down there in that case at that time frame...It just so happened that this one was so outstanding that the Silver Star was eventually awarded." [Kerry Press Conference, 10/27/96]
In 1969, Elliott Wrote This to Describe John Kerry's Fitness as a SWIFT Boat Commander
"In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action, LTJG Kerry was unsurpassed. He constantly reviewed tactics and lessons learned in river operations and applied his experience at every opportunity. On one occasion, while in tactical command of a three boat operation his units were taken under fire from ambush. LTJG Kerry rapidly assessed the situation and ordered his units to turn directly into the ambush. This decision resulted in routing the attackers with several KIA. LTJG Kerry emerges as the acknowledged leader in his peer group. His bearing and appearance are above reproach. He has of his own volition learned the Vietnamese language and is instrumental in the successful Vietnamese training program. During the period of this report LTJG Kerry has been awarded the Silver Star medal, the Bronze Star medal, the Purple Heart medal (2nd and 3rd awards)."[U.S. Navy, Officer Fitness Report signed by George Elliott; 18, Dec 1969]
Elliott on Presenting Kerry the Silver Star: He Went "Above & Beyond the Call of Duty."
"The [Silver Star] ceremony [for John Kerry] was meant to be a morale booster,' Commander George Elliot recalled. 'We were trying to pay tribute to Kerry and the others for going above and beyond the call of duty. The Silver Star is always a big deal." [Tour of Duty, 2004, Brinkley; p. 294]
Al FrenchAl French was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
Kerry's Not Lying And Neither Are the People That Back Up Kerry's Military Actions:
the U.S. Navy
Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Commander U.S. Naval Forces in Vietnam
Admiral John Hyland Commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet
Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley
the Boston Globe
James Rassmann and the Crewmates of PCF-44 & PCF 94.
Louis Letson"I know John Kerry is lying about his first purple heart, because I treated him for that injury."
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Louis Letson, Now Part of the Republican Veterans Efforts to Smear Kerry, WAS NOT the Doctor That Signed Kerry's Sick Call Sheet and Was NOT a Kerry Crewmate
Letson Offers NO PROOF He Treated Kerry.
Despite Letson's claims to have treated Kerry, he is not listed on any document as having treated Kerry after the 12/2/68 firefight. Offering only an account of dates and places-which is readily available in Kerry's biography and media accounts-Lester has produced nothing to verify his treatment of Kerry.
Another Doctor Signed Kerry's Sick Call Sheet.
Regarding Dr. Letson's recollection of Mr. Kerry's wound, Michael Meehan, a campaign spokesman, noted that a different person, J. C. Carreon, had signed the "sick call sheet" summarizing treatment of the injury, and asked, "Who is this guy? How do we know that he was the doctor who treated him?" The aides produced several veterans to attest to Mr. Kerry's bona fides. [New York Times, 5/4/04]
Letson Didn't Record His Memories of Vietnam Until Kerry's Emergence in 2003.
"Letson says that last year, as the Democratic campaign began to heat up, he told friends that he remembered treating one of the candidates many years ago. In response to their questions, Letson says, he wrote down his recollections of the time." [National Review Online, 5/4/04]
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Van O'Dell"John Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star. I know. I was there. I saw what happened."
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Van O'Dell was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
The Simple Truth: John Kerry was nominated for the Bronze Star by James Rassmann and eyewitness accounts, official naval documents and independent analyses all state that Kerry and his crew were under fire on the day in question.
Jack Chenowith"His account of what happened and what actually happened are the difference between night and day."
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Jack Chenowith was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
Mysterious Vet Named Chenoweth Appears Out of No Where to Accuse U.S. Navy & Fellow Vietnam Vets of Lying: Its Not Kerry's Account on the Bronze Star Citation-It's the Account of the U.S. Navy, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Commander U.S. Naval Forces in Vietnam and backed up by Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley, the Boston Globe, James Rassmann and the Crewmate of PCF-44 & PCF 94.
Roy Hoffman"John Kerry has not been honest."
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Roy Hoffmann was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
"Hoffman acknowledged he had no first-hand knowledge to discredit Kerry's claims to valor and said that although Kerry was under his command, he really didn't know Kerry much personally." [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/7/04]
Hoffman's Boss Awarded Kerry Silver Star & Bronze Star: "Captain Roy Hoffman" was Admiral Zumwalt's "trusty aide."
This is What Zumwalt Said About Kerry: "KERRY's calmness, professionalism and great personal courage under fire were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service." [Kerry Bronze Star Citation;
www.JohnKerry.com]
Former Senator Bob Kerrey Described Roy Hoffman as "The Classic Body Count Guy"
Hoffmann was a cigar-chomping officer who brandished an M-16 assault rifle and wore a revolver when he visited troops in the field. "He was the classic body-count guy," Kerrey says. "Bunkers destroyed, hooches destroyed, sort of scorekeeper." [New York Times Magazine, 4/29/01]
Hoffman Thought His Rules of Engagement in Vietnam Were "Too Restrictive"
In the summer of 1968, Hoffmann complained to his superiors in Pearl Harbor that the prevailing rules of engagement were too constrictive. "This was war," Hoffmann said in an interview last month. "This wasn't Sunday school." He made what he said was a pro forma request for looser rules, which was granted. Previously, Hoffmann said, military personnel had not been permitted to fire unless they were fired upon. Under the new rules, he said, they could attack if they felt threatened. "I told them you not only have authority, I damned well expect action," Hoffmann recalled. "If there were men there and they didn't kill them or capture them, you'd hear from me." [New York Times Magazine, 4/29/01]
Hoffman Described by Fellow Vets as "Hotheaded", "Bloodthirsty" and "Egomaniacal"
"Interviews with various Swift boat veterans turned up descriptions of Hoffman as 'hotheaded,' 'bloodthirsty,' and 'egomaniacal'." [Tour of Duty, Brinkley, 2004, p. 105]
Adrian Lonsdale"He lacks the capacity to lead"
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Adrian Lonsdale was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
Adrian Lonsdale in 1996:
"As far as I was concerned, the war was won over there in that part for that period. And it was mainly won because of the bravado and the courage of the young officers that ran the boats, the SWIFT boats and the Coast Guard cutters and Senator Kerry was no exception." [Kerry for Senate Press Conference, 10/27/96]
Larry Thurlow"When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry."
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Larry Thurlow was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
Thurlow's Statements Do Not Fit With History - Says Navy is Lying?
On the day Kerry pulled Rassmann from the water, "Larry Thurlow had maneuvered his PCF-51 over by this time and he hopped aboard PCF-3 to offer assistance. The boat was in shambles but they were still shooting too hard to assess any damage" "BOATS RECEIVED HEAVY A/W [automatic weapons] & S/A [small arms] FROM BOTH BANKS?ALL BOATS AND MSF RETURNED FIRE?PCF-94 [Kerry's boat] PICKED UP MSF ADVISOR WHO WENT OVERBOARD?PCF-94 TOWED PCF-3." [Tour of Duty, Brinkley, 2004, p. 314; U.S. Navy After Action Report:
http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/SpotReports_March1969.pdf]
Larry Thurlow Even Praised Kerry Despite Coming From Different Backgrounds:
"John was sharp as a tack... But he came from a background most of us couldn't understand." [Tour of Duty, Brinkley, 2004 p. 300]
Bob Elder"John Kerry is no war hero."
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Bob Elder was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
Kerry's Silver Star Citation:
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with Coastal Division ELEVEN engaged in armed conflict with Viet Cong insurgents in An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 28 February 1969."
Kerry's Bronze Star Citation:
"For heroic achievement while serving with Coastal Division ELEVEN engaged in armed conflict with Viet Cong communist aggressors in An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 13 March 1969."
Shelton White"John Kerry betrayed the men and women he served with in Vietnam."
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Shelton White was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
Jim Rassmann, Says Kerry Risked His Life to Save Him:
"Rassmann was 21 at the time, a Special Forces lieutenant in charge of a company of American and Chinese fighters. On that day, they traveled on a convoy of five patrol boats led by the 25-year-old Kerry, a Navy lieutenant - and they were on the run, being chased down the Bay Hap River by enemy soldiers firing guns and rockets. The group had already lost one soldier that day. As they sped down the river, one boat was blown out of the water, and then another. An explosion wounded Kerry in the arm and threw Rassmann into the river. Rassmann dove to the bottom to avoid being run over by the other boats. When he surfaced, he saw the convoy had gone ahead. Viet Cong snipers fired at him, and Rassmann submerged over and over to avoid being hit. The bullets came from both banks, and Rassmann had nowhere to go. He began thinking his time had come, but the fifth time he came up, he saw the convoy had turned around. Kerry had ordered the boats back to pick up the man overboard. Kerry's boat, under heavy fire, sidled up to the struggling soldier. Rassmann tried to scramble up a cargo net at the bow but was too exhausted to make it all the way. He clung to the net as bullets whizzed past. 'Next thing I knew, John came out in the middle of all this,' Rassmann says. 'I couldn't believe it. He was going to get killed. He ran to the edge, reached over with his good arm [Kerry had been wounded in his right arm] and pulled me over the lip.' Rassmann later recommended Kerry for the Silver Star, and was upset when the Army instead awarded Kerry a lesser Bronze Star with a 'V' for valor." [Los Angeles Times, 3/13/04]
Joe Ponder"He dishonored his country. He most certainly did."
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Joe Ponder was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
Kerry's Silver Star Citation:
"His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."
Kerry's Bronze Star Citation:
"KERRY's calmness, professionalism and great personal courage under fire were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Grant Hibbard"He betrayed all his shipmates. He lied before the Senate."
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Grant Hibbard was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
Kerry's Crewmates Are "All Fiercely Loyal"
"Vietnam crewmates, [are] all fiercely loyal to John Kerry." [AP, 7/29/04]
Just This Week, General Tommy Franks Came to Kerry's Defense on Sean Hannity's Show.
When pressed by conservative talk show host Sean Hannity, retired General and Former Commander in Chief of Central Command, Tommy Franks believed Kerry's summary of what other soldiers had told him about unfortunate actions by a few U.S. soldiers in Vietnam: "I'm not sure that -- that activities like that didn't take place. In fact, quite the contrary. I'm sure that they did." [Fox News, Hannity & Colmes, 8/3/04]
Pulitzer Prize Winning Series Further Backs Kerry.
In April of 2004, the Toledo Blade was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for their series detailing the atrocities committed by a few American soldiers in Vietnam. The series was based upon the Tiger Force which operated for several months in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
] [http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SRTIGERFORCE]Bob Hildreth"I served with John Kerry. John Kerry cannot be trusted."
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Bob Hildreth was NOT a crewmate of John Kerry's
But Jim Wasser Was:
"If John Kerry came to us and said he had one more mission and we're going to hell, he'd have a full crew" -- Jim Wasser [Dallas Morning News, 7/29/04]