Swift Boat Veterans For Truth Expose Kerry’s Lies
By Judson Cox (08/29/04)
Thanks to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Kerry has been forced to admit that he was not in Cambodia on Christmas of 1968, and that in the incident during which he won his Bronze Star, he did indeed flee down river. Previously, Kerry maintained that all of the Swift boats fled except for his. He still claims that he was in Cambodia at some point during his four month tour of duty, but not even one of his “band of brothers” will confirm this story. As Van Odell said during our recent interview, “This is the second lie he is admitting and I think his house of cards is starting to fall.”
Kerry’s operatives have tried to smear the Swift Boat Veterans in innumerable ways. They have made public their credit histories and divorce records. They have published off color jokes taken from private correspondence. The have disputed their service, impugned their motives, claimed that the doctor who treated Kerry for his first Purple Heart is not really a doctor, and called them liars. At least they haven’t called the Swift Boat Veterans bimbos, or accused them of stalking Sen. Kerry, as they maligned the many women Clinton assaulted.
Sixty Swift Boat Veterans who served with John Kerry in Vietnam, on his boat or in close proximity to him, dispute his account of his service. In answer, the Kerry campaign can only produce a few records taken from John Kerry’s own reports and an eight member “band of brothers.” Even Jim Rassman, who says that John Kerry valorously saved his life while under hostile fire, is a poor witness. Rassman was blown off his boat by a mine. He was in the water, probably in shock, and hearing hundreds of rounds of suppression fire from the swift boats toward an absent enemy. His recently conflicting accounts show that he doesn’t even remember which boat he was on. Rassman is hardly a credible witness.
The new advertisement by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth makes a very important point. When John Kerry returned home, he teamed up with Jane Fonda to give aid and comfort to our enemies. Kerry and Fonda engaged in the infamous “Winter Soldier Investigation,” in which several supposed Vietnam veterans came forward to tell tales of the atrocities they were ordered to commit. It was later proven that few of these “veterans” actually served in Vietnam, that the few who did lied about their ranks, and that none of these atrocities and war crimes ever happened.
Kerry then testified before Congress:
“They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war…”
The Vietcong were desperate to have such statements by American soldiers to use as propaganda. As prisoners of war, our soldiers withstood torture to keep the enemy from having this weapon. John Kerry showed no hesitation to aide the enemy by propagating such lies. According to John McCain, transcripts of Kerry’s testimony were used to demoralize American prisoners of war.
Kerry claimed to have seen such atrocities with his own eyes, and to have taken part in them. He knew the allegations were lies. What Kerry did to the soldiers he left behind in Vietnam was unforgivable. It is because of the lies spread by Kerry and his cohorts that our soldiers were branded “baby killers,” and returned home to be spat on and shunned. It is John Kerry and his ilk who are the baby killers; they have the blood on their hands of the millions massacred by the Khmer Rouge. They bear the blame for turning America against our own.
Vietnam veterans are among the heroes who make possible a free America. With few exceptions, they fought bravely and with humanity against a ruthless enemy. I have received many emails from veterans who recall seeing their friends die because they chose not to return fire in ways that would have endangered civilians. John Kerry does not deserve to share in their legacy. Like Benedict Arnold, Kerry was a decorated officer who betrayed his country for personal and political gain.
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