Loon
Inactive
http://www.swiftvets.com/
Requires Quicktime. This is a real bombshell and should shake things up in this election.
Requires Quicktime. This is a real bombshell and should shake things up in this election.
Kerry Ad to be shown in my area. It's a doozie
- Thread starter Loon
- Start date
phoenix7of7
Deceased
GREAT link! Thanks.
Basically the same thing can be said about every word that comes out of the dems mouths between now and November. It will all be lies, lies and more lies.
Basically the same thing can be said about every word that comes out of the dems mouths between now and November. It will all be lies, lies and more lies.
Rattlehead
did someone say BBQ?
DEVASTATING! 
Rattlehead
did someone say BBQ?
Here is the script, for those of you who can't do the video:
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva] [font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Any Questions?[/font] [/font] <hr color="#ffffff"> [font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]John Edwards: "If you have any question about what John Kerry is made of, just spend 3 minutes with the men who served with him." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Al French: "I served with John Kerry." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Bob Elder: "I served with John Kerry." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]George Elliott: "John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Al French: "He is lying about his record." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Louis Letson: "I know John Kerry is lying about his first Purple Heart because I treated him for that injury." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Van O'Dell: "John Kerry lied to get his bronze star ... I know, I was there, I saw what happened." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Jack Chenoweth: "His account of what happened and what actually happened are the difference between night and day." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Admiral Hoffman: "John Kerry has not been honest." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Adrian Lonsdale: "And he lacks the capacity to lead." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Larry Thurlow: "When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Bob Elder: "John Kerry is no war hero." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Grant Hibbard: "He betrayed all his shipmates ... he lied before the Senate." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Shelton White: "John Kerry betrayed the men and women he served with in Vietnam." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Joe Ponder: "He dishonored his country ... he most certainly did." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Bob Hildreth: "I served with John Kerry ... [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Bob Hildreth (off-camera): John Kerry cannot be trusted." [/font]
[font=Arial, Verdana, Geneva]Announcer: "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is responsible for the content of this advertisement." [/font]
Black Seal
Membership Revoked
WND
Kerry's Viet comrades
call him a liar in TV ad
Blistering commercial features 13 vets questioning honesty, medals, character
Posted: August 4, 2004
9:46 p.m. Eastern
©*2004*WorldNetDaily.com
WASHINGTON – A blistering new TV commercial produced by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth quotes John Kerry's Vietnam comrades calling him a liar, questioning his honor, accusing him of misrepresenting his actions for medals and attacking his character.
The ad begins with Kerry's vice-presidential running mate, John Edwards, speaking: "If you have any question about what John Kerry's made of, just spend three minutes with the men who served with him. ..."
"Here's what those men think about John Kerry," reads a message on the screen.
That quote is followed by brief testimonies of 13 men explaining they "served with John Kerry."
Lieutenant Commander George Elliot: "John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam."
Ensign Al French: "He's lying about his record."
Lewis Letson, lieutenant commander, medical center: "I know John Kerry is lying about his first Purple Heart because I treated him for that injury."
Gunner's mate Van Odell: "John Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star. I know. I was there. I saw what happened."
Lt. Jack Chenoweth: "His account of what happened and what actually happened is the difference between night and day."
Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman: "John Kerry has not been honest."
Cmdr. Adrian Lonsdale: "He lacks the capacity to lead."
Lt. Larry Thurlow: "When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry."
Lt. Bob Elder: "John Kerry is no war hero."
Lt. Cmdr. Grant Hibbard: "He betrayed all his shipmates. He lied before the Senate."
Lt. Shelton White: "John Kerry betrayed the men and women he served with in Vietnam."
Gunner's mate Joe Ponder: "He dishonored his country, he most certainly did."
Lt. Bob Hildreth: "I served with John Kerry. John Kerry cannot be trusted."
No details are available on when and where the commercial will be shown, but talk radio shows are already picking up on the audio track and cable television news shows are bound to follow. The Swift Boat Vets for Truth are also taking donations on their website to help pay for spots.
The commercial, personalizing the testimonies of so many of Kerry's comrades and juxtaposing them with Edwards' words has great impact. It is the second major blow to the Kerry campaign since excerpts of an upcoming book by the man who succeeded Kerry as commander of his swift boat leaked from the publisher.
The book by John O'Neill and Jerome Corsi charges two of Kerry's Purple Hearts were for self-inflicted wounds. In "Unfit for Command," scheduled for release Aug. 15, O'Neill, the former swift boat commander, and his co-author Corsi say two of Kerry's three Purple Heart decorations resulted from self-inflicted wounds.
All three of Kerry's Purple Hearts were for minor injuries, not requiring a single hour of hospitalization, as O'Neill has previously explained.
The book reportedly relates how Kerry turned the tragic death of a father and small child in a Vietnamese fishing boat into an act of "heroism" by filing a false report on the incident.
During the Vietnam War, a searing image in the anti-war movement was one of American GIs torching huts with cigarette lighters. It turns out, according to "Unfit for Command," that Kerry did just that – entering an abandoned Vietnamese village, slaughtering domestic animals and burning down their homes with his Zippo lighter.
As O'Neill has reported on Joseph Farah's WorldNetDaily Radioactive in several appearances recently, it was Kerry's reckless behavior that convinced his colleagues he had to go – becoming the only Swift Boat veteran to serve just four months.
O'Neill tells of a joke circulated among his colleagues that Kerry "left Vietnam early not because he received three Purple Hearts, but because he had recorded enough film of himself to take home for his planned political campaigns."
The book charges "Kerry would revisit ambush locations for re-enacting combat scenes where he would portray the hero."
Kerry ended up playing some of that film at the Democratic National Convention last week.
O'Neill, an attorney, is spokesman for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a coalition of more than 200 vets familiar with Kerry's service who oppose his candidacy for president based on their judgment of his character. As WorldNetDaily reported, O'Neill's organization stated last month Kerry was a "loose cannon" in Vietnam and is unfit to be commander in chief.
The group includes the entire chain of command above Kerry during his tenure in Southeast Asia, as well as enlisted men.
The group has called on Kerry to stop unauthorized use of their images in national campaign advertising.
Only two of 20 officers in one photo Kerry has used support him, they say.
Kerry's Viet comrades
call him a liar in TV ad
Blistering commercial features 13 vets questioning honesty, medals, character
Posted: August 4, 2004
9:46 p.m. Eastern
©*2004*WorldNetDaily.com
WASHINGTON – A blistering new TV commercial produced by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth quotes John Kerry's Vietnam comrades calling him a liar, questioning his honor, accusing him of misrepresenting his actions for medals and attacking his character.
The ad begins with Kerry's vice-presidential running mate, John Edwards, speaking: "If you have any question about what John Kerry's made of, just spend three minutes with the men who served with him. ..."
"Here's what those men think about John Kerry," reads a message on the screen.
That quote is followed by brief testimonies of 13 men explaining they "served with John Kerry."
Lieutenant Commander George Elliot: "John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam."
Ensign Al French: "He's lying about his record."
Lewis Letson, lieutenant commander, medical center: "I know John Kerry is lying about his first Purple Heart because I treated him for that injury."
Gunner's mate Van Odell: "John Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star. I know. I was there. I saw what happened."
Lt. Jack Chenoweth: "His account of what happened and what actually happened is the difference between night and day."
Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman: "John Kerry has not been honest."
Cmdr. Adrian Lonsdale: "He lacks the capacity to lead."
Lt. Larry Thurlow: "When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry."
Lt. Bob Elder: "John Kerry is no war hero."
Lt. Cmdr. Grant Hibbard: "He betrayed all his shipmates. He lied before the Senate."
Lt. Shelton White: "John Kerry betrayed the men and women he served with in Vietnam."
Gunner's mate Joe Ponder: "He dishonored his country, he most certainly did."
Lt. Bob Hildreth: "I served with John Kerry. John Kerry cannot be trusted."
No details are available on when and where the commercial will be shown, but talk radio shows are already picking up on the audio track and cable television news shows are bound to follow. The Swift Boat Vets for Truth are also taking donations on their website to help pay for spots.
The commercial, personalizing the testimonies of so many of Kerry's comrades and juxtaposing them with Edwards' words has great impact. It is the second major blow to the Kerry campaign since excerpts of an upcoming book by the man who succeeded Kerry as commander of his swift boat leaked from the publisher.
The book by John O'Neill and Jerome Corsi charges two of Kerry's Purple Hearts were for self-inflicted wounds. In "Unfit for Command," scheduled for release Aug. 15, O'Neill, the former swift boat commander, and his co-author Corsi say two of Kerry's three Purple Heart decorations resulted from self-inflicted wounds.
All three of Kerry's Purple Hearts were for minor injuries, not requiring a single hour of hospitalization, as O'Neill has previously explained.
The book reportedly relates how Kerry turned the tragic death of a father and small child in a Vietnamese fishing boat into an act of "heroism" by filing a false report on the incident.
During the Vietnam War, a searing image in the anti-war movement was one of American GIs torching huts with cigarette lighters. It turns out, according to "Unfit for Command," that Kerry did just that – entering an abandoned Vietnamese village, slaughtering domestic animals and burning down their homes with his Zippo lighter.
As O'Neill has reported on Joseph Farah's WorldNetDaily Radioactive in several appearances recently, it was Kerry's reckless behavior that convinced his colleagues he had to go – becoming the only Swift Boat veteran to serve just four months.
O'Neill tells of a joke circulated among his colleagues that Kerry "left Vietnam early not because he received three Purple Hearts, but because he had recorded enough film of himself to take home for his planned political campaigns."
The book charges "Kerry would revisit ambush locations for re-enacting combat scenes where he would portray the hero."
Kerry ended up playing some of that film at the Democratic National Convention last week.
O'Neill, an attorney, is spokesman for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a coalition of more than 200 vets familiar with Kerry's service who oppose his candidacy for president based on their judgment of his character. As WorldNetDaily reported, O'Neill's organization stated last month Kerry was a "loose cannon" in Vietnam and is unfit to be commander in chief.
The group includes the entire chain of command above Kerry during his tenure in Southeast Asia, as well as enlisted men.
The group has called on Kerry to stop unauthorized use of their images in national campaign advertising.
Only two of 20 officers in one photo Kerry has used support him, they say.
brokenwings
Veteran Member
The bad thing about it is that BOTH candidates are worse than the other! They BOTH lied about their military service to our country!! 
Shock Wave Rider
Inactive
Ahhhhh uuuummmmmm
McCain Condemns Anti-Kerry Ad
Repubican Senator Calls Attack 'Dishonest and Dishonorable'
By RON FOURNIER, AP
WASHINGTON (Aug. 5) - Republican Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, called an ad criticizing John Kerry's military service "dishonest and dishonorable" and urged the White House on Thursday to condemn it as well.
"It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me," McCain said in an interview with The Associated Press, referring to his bitter Republican primary fight with President Bush.
The 60-second ad features Vietnam veterans who accuse the Democratic presidential nominee of lying about his decorated Vietnam War record and betraying his fellow veterans by later opposing the conflict.
"When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry," one of the veterans, Larry Thurlow, says in the ad.
The ad, scheduled to air in a few markets in Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin, was produced by Stevens, Reed, Curcio and Potham, the same team that produced McCain's ads in 2000.
"I wish they hadn't done it," McCain said of his former advisers. "I don't know if they knew all the facts."
Asked if the White House knew about the ad or helped find financing for it, McCain said, "I hope not, but I don't know. But I think the Bush campaign should specifically condemn the ad."
Later, McCain said the Bush campaign has denied any involvement and added, "I can't believe the president would pull such a cheap stunt."
The White House did not immediately address McCain's call that they repudiate the spot.
Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign, said Kerry's record and statements on the war on terrorism - not his service in Vietnam - are fair game. "The Bush campaign never has and will never question John Kerry's service in Vietnam," he said.
In 2000, Bush's supporters sponsored a rumor campaign against McCain in the South Carolina primary, helping Bush win the primary and the nomination. McCain's supporters have never forgiven the Bush team.
McCain said that's all in the past to him, but he's speaking out against the anti-Kerry ad because he believes it's bad for the political system. "It reopens all the old wounds of the Vietnam War, which I spent the last 35 years trying to heal," he said.
"I deplore this kind of politics. I think the ad is dishonest and dishonorable. As it is, none of these individuals served on the boat (Kerry) commanded. Many of his crew have testified to his courage under fire. I think John Kerry served honorably in Vietnam. I think George Bush served honorably in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War."
McCain himself spent more than five years in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp. A bona fide war hero, McCain, like Kerry, used his war record as the foundation of his presidential campaign.
The Kerry campaign has denounced the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, saying none of the men in the ad served on the boat that Kerry commanded. The leader of the group, retired Adm. Roy Hoffmann, said none of the 13 veterans in the commercial served on Kerry's boat but rather were in other swiftboats within 50 yards of Kerry's.
Jim Rassmann, an Army veteran who was saved by Kerry, said there were only six crewmates who served with Kerry on his boat. Five support his candidacy and one is deceased.
McCain Condemns Anti-Kerry Ad
Repubican Senator Calls Attack 'Dishonest and Dishonorable'
By RON FOURNIER, AP
WASHINGTON (Aug. 5) - Republican Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, called an ad criticizing John Kerry's military service "dishonest and dishonorable" and urged the White House on Thursday to condemn it as well.
"It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me," McCain said in an interview with The Associated Press, referring to his bitter Republican primary fight with President Bush.
The 60-second ad features Vietnam veterans who accuse the Democratic presidential nominee of lying about his decorated Vietnam War record and betraying his fellow veterans by later opposing the conflict.
"When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry," one of the veterans, Larry Thurlow, says in the ad.
The ad, scheduled to air in a few markets in Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin, was produced by Stevens, Reed, Curcio and Potham, the same team that produced McCain's ads in 2000.
"I wish they hadn't done it," McCain said of his former advisers. "I don't know if they knew all the facts."
Asked if the White House knew about the ad or helped find financing for it, McCain said, "I hope not, but I don't know. But I think the Bush campaign should specifically condemn the ad."
Later, McCain said the Bush campaign has denied any involvement and added, "I can't believe the president would pull such a cheap stunt."
The White House did not immediately address McCain's call that they repudiate the spot.
Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign, said Kerry's record and statements on the war on terrorism - not his service in Vietnam - are fair game. "The Bush campaign never has and will never question John Kerry's service in Vietnam," he said.
In 2000, Bush's supporters sponsored a rumor campaign against McCain in the South Carolina primary, helping Bush win the primary and the nomination. McCain's supporters have never forgiven the Bush team.
McCain said that's all in the past to him, but he's speaking out against the anti-Kerry ad because he believes it's bad for the political system. "It reopens all the old wounds of the Vietnam War, which I spent the last 35 years trying to heal," he said.
"I deplore this kind of politics. I think the ad is dishonest and dishonorable. As it is, none of these individuals served on the boat (Kerry) commanded. Many of his crew have testified to his courage under fire. I think John Kerry served honorably in Vietnam. I think George Bush served honorably in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War."
McCain himself spent more than five years in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp. A bona fide war hero, McCain, like Kerry, used his war record as the foundation of his presidential campaign.
The Kerry campaign has denounced the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, saying none of the men in the ad served on the boat that Kerry commanded. The leader of the group, retired Adm. Roy Hoffmann, said none of the 13 veterans in the commercial served on Kerry's boat but rather were in other swiftboats within 50 yards of Kerry's.
Jim Rassmann, an Army veteran who was saved by Kerry, said there were only six crewmates who served with Kerry on his boat. Five support his candidacy and one is deceased.
Rattlehead
did someone say BBQ?
The dems can dish it out (moveon.org) but they sure can't take it! Bwahahaha!
SWR:
So McCain says he doesn't know if they know all the facts. EXCUSE ME, but these men were THERE. They served with Kerry! I think I'll take their word over McCain's & Kerry's cronies.
I've noticed the reply from the Kerry camp has been all about condemning the type of message - not the message itself.
Kerry is gonna be toast. Sorry.
SWR:
So McCain says he doesn't know if they know all the facts. EXCUSE ME, but these men were THERE. They served with Kerry! I think I'll take their word over McCain's & Kerry's cronies.
I've noticed the reply from the Kerry camp has been all about condemning the type of message - not the message itself.
Kerry is gonna be toast. Sorry.
Last edited:
Shock Wave Rider
Inactive
In case you haven't noticed McCain ain't a Democrat
Rattlehead
did someone say BBQ?
He may have an "R" by his name, but he ain't no Republican.Shock Wave Rider said:
Link: http://members.aol.com/endclint0n2/swiftie1.swf
Rattlehead
did someone say BBQ?
The swift boat vets in the ad served with Kerry. They skippered their own PCFs, but the boats operated together in groups of at least three and they were within yards of one another. They lived and ate together.
<tt>
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whatever
Kerry is the one who made Vietnam the centerpiece of his campaign.
Basically, it's been the only history he has.
His Senate history is one of do-nothing except vote left-wing on every single issue, even to the left of Teddy Kennedy.
He certainly does not want to highlight that.
And now he's pissed because not everyone who served in Vietnam agrees with his carefully choreographed autobiography.
Kerry is the one who made Vietnam the centerpiece of his campaign.
Basically, it's been the only history he has.
His Senate history is one of do-nothing except vote left-wing on every single issue, even to the left of Teddy Kennedy.
He certainly does not want to highlight that.
And now he's pissed because not everyone who served in Vietnam agrees with his carefully choreographed autobiography.
Black Seal
Membership Revoked
Keerys and his lawyers are trying to surpress the ad!!!
DNC Lawyers Work To Muzzle Swift Boat Vets' Ad
*
HUMAN EVENTS has obtained a copy of a letter (see below) which lawyers for the Democratic National Committee and John Kerry have sent to television station managers attempting to suppress the blistering anti-Kerry TV spot created by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (click here to view the ad) and first reported here on HumanEventsOnline.com.
The letter claims the ad is "false" and "libelous" and suggests, in not-so-subtle terms, that TV stations should use their "legal authority" to refuse any requests for advertising airtime, stating that "because your station has this freedom [to refuse the ad], and because it is not a 'use' of your facilities by a clearly identified candidate, your station is responsible for the false and libelous charges made by this sponsor" (emphasis added).
As their first piece of evidence of the ad's supposed lies, the DNC/Kerry lawyers claim that the veterans in the ad "purport to have served on Senator Kerry's SWIFT Boat in Vietnam" but, "in fact, not a single one of the men who pretend to have served with Senator Kerry was actually a crewmate of Senator Kerry's." The problem is that none of these men claimed to have served on Kerry's SWIFT Boat. They simply said they "served with John Kerry" -- and they did. The letter goes on to make several more misleading statements about the advertisement, in an attempt to protect Kerry's "war hero" record. Read the full text below.
(see link!)
http://humaneventsonline.com.edgesuite.net/unfit_pdf.html
DNC Lawyers Work To Muzzle Swift Boat Vets' Ad
*
HUMAN EVENTS has obtained a copy of a letter (see below) which lawyers for the Democratic National Committee and John Kerry have sent to television station managers attempting to suppress the blistering anti-Kerry TV spot created by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (click here to view the ad) and first reported here on HumanEventsOnline.com.
The letter claims the ad is "false" and "libelous" and suggests, in not-so-subtle terms, that TV stations should use their "legal authority" to refuse any requests for advertising airtime, stating that "because your station has this freedom [to refuse the ad], and because it is not a 'use' of your facilities by a clearly identified candidate, your station is responsible for the false and libelous charges made by this sponsor" (emphasis added).
As their first piece of evidence of the ad's supposed lies, the DNC/Kerry lawyers claim that the veterans in the ad "purport to have served on Senator Kerry's SWIFT Boat in Vietnam" but, "in fact, not a single one of the men who pretend to have served with Senator Kerry was actually a crewmate of Senator Kerry's." The problem is that none of these men claimed to have served on Kerry's SWIFT Boat. They simply said they "served with John Kerry" -- and they did. The letter goes on to make several more misleading statements about the advertisement, in an attempt to protect Kerry's "war hero" record. Read the full text below.
(see link!)
http://humaneventsonline.com.edgesuite.net/unfit_pdf.html
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
heh...
If it WERE libelous, don't you think that he'd have filed suit already?????
C, who was there the night before this slime testified before COngress that ALL of his military associates were participating in atrocities, at the VERY least.....We spent a couple hours chatting on the 10th floor (IIRC) of a very interesting building just off of I street.....and yepper the 10th floor was the Trot Floor.....
If it WERE libelous, don't you think that he'd have filed suit already?????
C, who was there the night before this slime testified before COngress that ALL of his military associates were participating in atrocities, at the VERY least.....We spent a couple hours chatting on the 10th floor (IIRC) of a very interesting building just off of I street.....and yepper the 10th floor was the Trot Floor.....
Mike 9 or 10
Deceased
Chuck, what is Trot ?
Loon
Inactive
*
Visit http://www.swiftvets.com for the ad. Requires Quicktime.
Campaign 2004
Deeply Angry Vietnam Vets Buy Ads to Expose Kerry's Record
Posted Aug. 5, 2004
Former Vietnam comrades of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts were launching a three-state, 60-second television ad Thursday questioning his character and fitness to be president based on their personal knowledge of his military performance. The ad, titled "Any Questions," will run in West Virginia, Ohio and Wisconsin, key battleground states in the November election.
"We're following him around," said Larry Thurlow, a swift-boat commander who served in the same unit with Kerry in 1969 and is a member of the organization called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
The organization's chairman, retired Adm. Roy Hoffmann, said he became involved in opposing Kerry's candidacy because he doubts the Massachusetts senator's veracity and character.
"The main reason that I got so concerned about this is that I just don't feel (Kerry) has the character to be the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the United States," he said in an interview with United Press International. "We're talking about judgment, we're talking about truthfulness, reliability, loyalty, and above all, trust," Hoffmann said. "And in my experience with (Kerry), he didn't measure up to that."
The television ad is based on testimonials from several sailors who served in Vietnam at the same time Kerry did and were familiar with his record there.
Van O'Dell, who served in the same unit in An Toi, says in the ad, "John Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star ... I know, I was there, I saw what happened."
Lewis Letson says, "I know John Kerry is lying about his first Purple Heart because I treated him for that injury."
Grant Hibbard, who was Kerry's commanding officer for the first part of Kerry's Vietnam tour, says in the ad of Kerry's anti-war advocacy, "He betrayed all his shipmates. ... He lied before the Senate."
Hibbard said as Kerry's commanding officer early during Kerry's tour, he turned down Kerry request for his first Purple Heart. The wound, he said, was very minor and did not warrant it, but somehow Kerry got it anyway sometime after Hibbard left for the United States.
Kerry served four months and 12 days of a 12-month tour in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. He received three Purple Hearts and two awards for bravery during that period and then returned home through a Navy regulation that allowed cutting short a tour of Vietnam duty for those with three Purple Hearts. No other Swift-boat commander took advantage of this loophole, and officers serving at the time say they encouraged him to do so because his posturing was putting others in danger, according to swiftvet.com.
Upon his return to the United States, Kerry became a prominent anti-war activist and testified before a Senate committee, repeating allegations of widespread American atrocities. Many veterans disputed the allegations -- garnered from an anti-war panel of former veterans, both real and imposter -- as unverified or false.
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a 527 advocacy group, is made up entirely of Vietnam veterans who served on the same kind of boats Kerry did. It is funded by contributions. Internet magazine Salon.com reported that the group's largest contributor is Houston developer and Republican activist Bob Perry, who gave the group $100,000 on June 30. That donation provided almost two-thirds of the group's funding up to that point. No other single donor had given more than $25,000.
The group does not receive donations directly from the Republican Party.
The 60-second ad cost less than $50,000 to produce and was funded entirely with money raised by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The group is working to raise money to extend that ad to other states and keep it running as long as possible. The group first announced its existence in May and has quietly been building support and collecting documentation to support their claims that Kerry's recollections of his Vietnam service and exploits were wrong.
Thurlow, who was present in the last action Kerry took part in Vietnam, vehemently disputes the account of Kerry rescuing a Special Forces soldier and winning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star in the process. So does Van Odell, Thurlow's machine-gunner at the time.
Kerry has come under attack by veterans groups over his anti-war activities following service in Vietnam. Among those not voting for him are several prisoners of war, who told UPI Kerry's anti-war statements and actions were used by their North Vietnamese captors to try to sap their morale.
Some of the attacks, including some based on work by a Swift Boat Veterans for Truth-sponsored private detective, have drawn criticism from veterans who support Kerry and who have called them invasive and partisan.
UPI is a sister news organization of Insight.
Visit http://www.swiftvets.com for the ad. Requires Quicktime.
Campaign 2004
Deeply Angry Vietnam Vets Buy Ads to Expose Kerry's Record
Posted Aug. 5, 2004
Former Vietnam comrades of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts were launching a three-state, 60-second television ad Thursday questioning his character and fitness to be president based on their personal knowledge of his military performance. The ad, titled "Any Questions," will run in West Virginia, Ohio and Wisconsin, key battleground states in the November election.
"We're following him around," said Larry Thurlow, a swift-boat commander who served in the same unit with Kerry in 1969 and is a member of the organization called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
The organization's chairman, retired Adm. Roy Hoffmann, said he became involved in opposing Kerry's candidacy because he doubts the Massachusetts senator's veracity and character.
"The main reason that I got so concerned about this is that I just don't feel (Kerry) has the character to be the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the United States," he said in an interview with United Press International. "We're talking about judgment, we're talking about truthfulness, reliability, loyalty, and above all, trust," Hoffmann said. "And in my experience with (Kerry), he didn't measure up to that."
The television ad is based on testimonials from several sailors who served in Vietnam at the same time Kerry did and were familiar with his record there.
Van O'Dell, who served in the same unit in An Toi, says in the ad, "John Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star ... I know, I was there, I saw what happened."
Lewis Letson says, "I know John Kerry is lying about his first Purple Heart because I treated him for that injury."
Grant Hibbard, who was Kerry's commanding officer for the first part of Kerry's Vietnam tour, says in the ad of Kerry's anti-war advocacy, "He betrayed all his shipmates. ... He lied before the Senate."
Hibbard said as Kerry's commanding officer early during Kerry's tour, he turned down Kerry request for his first Purple Heart. The wound, he said, was very minor and did not warrant it, but somehow Kerry got it anyway sometime after Hibbard left for the United States.
Kerry served four months and 12 days of a 12-month tour in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. He received three Purple Hearts and two awards for bravery during that period and then returned home through a Navy regulation that allowed cutting short a tour of Vietnam duty for those with three Purple Hearts. No other Swift-boat commander took advantage of this loophole, and officers serving at the time say they encouraged him to do so because his posturing was putting others in danger, according to swiftvet.com.
Upon his return to the United States, Kerry became a prominent anti-war activist and testified before a Senate committee, repeating allegations of widespread American atrocities. Many veterans disputed the allegations -- garnered from an anti-war panel of former veterans, both real and imposter -- as unverified or false.
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a 527 advocacy group, is made up entirely of Vietnam veterans who served on the same kind of boats Kerry did. It is funded by contributions. Internet magazine Salon.com reported that the group's largest contributor is Houston developer and Republican activist Bob Perry, who gave the group $100,000 on June 30. That donation provided almost two-thirds of the group's funding up to that point. No other single donor had given more than $25,000.
The group does not receive donations directly from the Republican Party.
The 60-second ad cost less than $50,000 to produce and was funded entirely with money raised by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The group is working to raise money to extend that ad to other states and keep it running as long as possible. The group first announced its existence in May and has quietly been building support and collecting documentation to support their claims that Kerry's recollections of his Vietnam service and exploits were wrong.
Thurlow, who was present in the last action Kerry took part in Vietnam, vehemently disputes the account of Kerry rescuing a Special Forces soldier and winning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star in the process. So does Van Odell, Thurlow's machine-gunner at the time.
Kerry has come under attack by veterans groups over his anti-war activities following service in Vietnam. Among those not voting for him are several prisoners of war, who told UPI Kerry's anti-war statements and actions were used by their North Vietnamese captors to try to sap their morale.
Some of the attacks, including some based on work by a Swift Boat Veterans for Truth-sponsored private detective, have drawn criticism from veterans who support Kerry and who have called them invasive and partisan.
UPI is a sister news organization of Insight.
Chuck..a FOIA request might get the fibber's surveilence transcripts of those meetings, maybe even the movies they took....if someone knew exactly what to ask for. ???
I heard way back then (beer gossiping in a way out west saloon) that there were some real goodies. Everyone at the time were pissing that they'd never be used because of the pol PTB involvements. Too many threads to some high placed dudes. But they're all dead now AFAIK.
On 2nd thought, I donno what kind of attention that FOIA would bring. I think I'd wanna be a relatively "protected" inquirer.
I heard way back then (beer gossiping in a way out west saloon) that there were some real goodies. Everyone at the time were pissing that they'd never be used because of the pol PTB involvements. Too many threads to some high placed dudes. But they're all dead now AFAIK.
On 2nd thought, I donno what kind of attention that FOIA would bring. I think I'd wanna be a relatively "protected" inquirer.
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TerriHaute
Hoosier Gardener
Too late. It was all over the mainstream media this morning. I saw it discussed on NBC and FOX as well as a big article in the local newspaper. It's circulating all over the internet too and the political columnists have picked up on it. Even if the ad gets squashed now, which I think is unlikely, the negative impression has already been created.
Terri in Indiana