KERRY A 'LOOSE CANNON'
I do not believe John Kerry is fit to be the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States.
This is not a political issue. It is a matter of his judgment, truthfulness, reliability, loyalty and trust all absolute tenets of command. His biography, Tour of Duty , by Douglas Brinkley, is replete with gross exaggerations, distortions of fact, contradictions and slanderous lies. His contempt for the military and authority is evident by even the most casual review of this biography.
He arrived in country with a strong anti-Vietnam War bias and a self-serving determination to build a foundation for his political future.
He was aggressive, but vain and prone to impulsive judgment, often with disregard for specific tactical assignments.
He was a 'loose cannon.'
In an abbreviated tour of four months and 12 days and with his specious medals secured, Lt. J.G. Kerry bugged out of Vietnam and began his infamous betrayal of all US soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen, including our POWs in the Vietnam War. His leadership in the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, his testimony before Congress in 1971, charging us with unspeakable atrocities remain as undocumented but nevertheless malicious stain on the men and women who honorably stayed the course.
Senator Kerry is not fit to command. The real 'brothers' are my shipmates and veterans who reliably and honorably stayed the course.
--Admiral Hoffman, United States Navy, retired
KERRY HAS PERSONALITY DISORDER THAT WILL ENDANGER AMERICA
I'm here representing my late father, Admiral Zumwalt and my brother, Lt. J.G. Elmo Zumwalt who was a swift boat commander in Vietnam.
If Lt. Kerry failed to heed the commandments of his military superiors 36 years ago, whom will he heed as president? It surely will not be the electorate who voted him into office.
Senator Kerry has demonstrated a dangerous propensity to slip into multiple personalities depending on the audience he is addressing. This was clear of his Vietnam service and his actions upon returning home. It has been clear as a senator in his actions on various issues related to Iraq.
It is a personality disorder that will endanger America in the event that he is elected president.
-- Lt. Col. Jim Zumwalt, U.S. Marine Corps, retired
KERRY'S INDECISIVENESS PUT BOATS AND CREW IN JEOPARDY
I served in '66 and '67 on my first tour of duty in Vietnam on swift boats and I did my second tour in '68 and '69, involved with John Kerry in the last 2 1/2 months of my tour.
The John Kerry that I know is not the John Kerry that everybody else is portraying..
I served alongside him and behind him, five feet away from him as third class gunner's mate, and watched as he made indecisive moves with our boat, put our boats in jeopardy, put our crews in jeopardy.
If a man like that can't handle a 6-man crew boat, how can you expect him to be our commander in chief?
I left the Navy, lived in Clover, South Carolina and managed boat dealerships. I'm an ordinary guy with no political agenda and no party affiliation.
--Steve Gardner
'FIELD GENERAL' KERRY PRIME MOVER IN AMERICA'S DEFEAT
I served in Vietnam from September 1968 to September 1969, six months of which was with this honored bunch of people, many of whom are here today.
I signed that letter because I, too, felt a deep sense of betrayal: Someone who took the same oath of loyalty as I did as an officer for the US Navy would abandon his group here to join this group here and come home and attempt to rally the American public against the effort that this group was so valiantly pursuing.
You know, it is a fact that in the entire Vietnam war, we did not lose one major battle. We lost the war at home. And at home, John Kerry was the field general.
Only last week--or two weeks ago--I saw on television where, when asked to respond for his support for the Iraq war, he said, "I cannot imagine going to war without the support of the American people." The same man who joined this group to rally the American people against our effort.
This is not the making of a commander in chief.
--Bob Elder
KERRY--OPPORTUNIST OF THE WORST KIND
I served as an officer in charge of swift boats in Vietnam from June 1969 to June 1970. I think it's extremely important that all of his records be released so that the American people can judge for themselves. That's in part why I'm here today.
My greater concern is for his shameful behavior after returning from only four months in Vietnam to condemn and malign the hundred of thousands of men and women who served their country honorably and that he, by his actions, aided and abetted the very enemy we were sent to Vietnam to defeat.
In my specific experience in both coastal and river patrols over a 12-month period, I never once saw or heard anything remotely resembling the atrocities described by Sen. Kerry.
If I had, then my obligation was to report them in writing to a higher authority and I would certainly have done that. If Sen. Kerry actually witnessed or participated in these atrocities, or as he described them, "war crimes," he was obligated to report them. That he did not until later, when it suited his political purposes strikes me as opportunism of the worst kind.
That he would malign my service and that of his fellow sailors, with no regard to the truth, makes him totally unqualified to serve as commander in chief.
--Jeff Wainscot
KERRY ENGINEERED EARLY VIETNAM EXIT WITH FRAUDULENT PURPLE HEART
I served as commander, coastal division 14-4 early days of 1968 til the first week of 1969. Lt. J.G. Kerry reported in mid-November to that division.
While in Cam Rahn Bay, he turned in -- he trained on several 24-hour indoctrination missions. On one specific skimmer operation with my most senior and trusted lieutenant, the briefing from some members of that crew the morning after revealed that they had not received any enemy fire, and yet Lt. J.G. Kerry informed me of a wound and showed me a scratch on his arm and a piece of shrapnel in his hand that appeared to be from one of our own M-79s.
It was later reported to me that Lt. J.G. Kerry had fired an M-79 and it had exploded off the adjacent shoreline. I do not recalling being advised of any medical treatment and probably said something like, "Forget it."
He later received a purple heart for that scratch and I have no information as to how or whom.
Lt. J.G. Kerry was allowed to return to the good ol' USA after four months and a few days in country; and then he proceeded to betray his former shipmates, calling them criminals and [accusing them of] committing atrocities.
Today we are here to tell you just the opposite is true.
Republican or Democrat, it doesn't matter. I for one, could not support and do not want Senator Kerry to be commander in chief of our brave and honorable men.
--Commander Grant Everett, United States Navy, retired
KERRY'S ARROGANCE ROOTED IN IGNORANCE
That's the problem with Mr. Kerry. He's always criticizing others in command without knowing the facts.
--Joe Ponder
KERRY "REQUIRES CONSTANT SUPERVISION"
In the Navy, we have a term, 'service reputation,' by-and-large, unofficial and unwritten. It means the few words that a sailor's colleagues would use to give a snapshot of someone. Kerry would be described as 'devious,' 'self-absorbed,' 'manipulative,' [has] 'distain for authority,' 'disruptive,' but the most common phrase would be 'requires constant supervision.'
--Charlie Plumly, Captain, United States Navy, retired
KERRY'S BETRAYAL CONTRIBUTED TO THE IMPOSITION OF TYRANNY ON THE VIETNAMESE PEOPLE
Good morning ladies and gentlemen. My name is Bernard Wolff.
I'm a Georgia boy who joined the Navy to avoid the draft. After a couple of years in a safe, secure assignment in California, I felt an obligation to follow in the footsteps of my forebears and fight for my Country. I volunteered for Swift Boats, and was privileged to be accepted.
I served in three Coastal Divisions during my one year tour from August 1967 to 68: Cam Rahn Bay, An Thoi, and Da Nang. Like so many combat veterans, I returned to civilian life, earning an MBA and joining the business world.
I have signed the Letter to John Kerry in hopes that releasing his Navy medical records will clarify the credibility of his statements in 1971 that defamed those of us who served in Vietnam.
In addition to signing this Letter, I want to refute Kerry's assertions regarding Swift Boat crews engaging in war crimes. We went out of our way to protect innocent Vietnamese, even when it placed us in deep peril.
John Kerry's statements not only brought heartbreak to Vietnam Veterans and their families. They contributed to the imposition of tyranny upon the Vietnamese people.
My 30 years of business travel in the Far East have provided a sad testament to Vietnam's plight. I have seen citizens of neighboring countries enjoy growing prosperity, while our former friends in Vietnam have languished in isolated poverty and hopelessness. This is John Kerry's legacy.
I deeply resent John Kerry's using his Swift Boat experience, and his betrayal of those who fought there as a stepping stone to his political ambitions.
--Bernard Wolff
KERRY'S FALSE ACCUSATIONS RUINED LIVES, HARMED AMERICA
My name is Richard O'Meara. I'm from the Bronx. I served as a petty officer, 3rd class on a Swift Boat from September '68 to September '69. This was tough, frustrating and sometimes very deadly duty that we took very seriously. During my tour, I participated in over 100 combat patrols, from the very mundane Coastal patrols to the serious and deadly river operations. As crewmen, we were young volunteers and committed to our mission. After my year of duty, I left Vietnam, proud of my service to my country, proud of my crew members and proud of the work that we did.
In 1971, when John Kerry spoke out to America, labeling all Vietnam veterans as thugs and murderers, I was shocked and almost brought to my knees, because even though I had served at the same time and same unit, I had never witnessed or participated in any of the events that the senator had accused us of.
I strongly believe that the statements made by the senator were not only false and inaccurate, but extremely harmful to the United States' efforts in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. Tragically, some veterans, scorned by the anti-war movement and their Allies retreated to a life of despair and suicide. Two of my crewmates were among them. For that, there is no forgiveness.
--Richard O'Meara
KERRY DOESN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ENDURING TRUTHS AND A BOLD-FACED LIE
I'm David Wallace from Atlanta, Georgia. In 1969-'70, I was officer-in-charge of a Swift Boat in Coastal Division 13.
The officers and men with whom I served were honest and honorable. I can only speculate what went on with John Kerry's boats and crew. I do know that I didn't see anything remotely resembling war crimes committed by American sailors, soldiers or airmen.
To the contrary, I saw time after time where American fighting men knowing placed themselves in greater danger to protect civilians and avoid what the politicians called "collateral damage." About one-third of our operations were to assist the people of Vietnam.
John Kerry returned to this country and, under oath, told my parents, my brother, my sister, my neighbors, he told everyone I knew and everyone that I would ever know, that I and my comrades had committed unspeakable atrocities, that we tortured people, raped women, burned villages without any reason--that sort of thing. He never let up on that.
That wasn't even the worst part. He told the parents, brothers and sisters of the 58,000 brave men who paid the full measure that it's not so bad--they're just war criminals anyway....
Now he's parading around in a Navy flight jacket with patches all over it. I was in Vietnam three times longer than the senator and I didn't see anyone wear flight jackets in 90-degree weather. Now that it suits his purpose, he wants to be a war hero &endash; one wearing a leather flight jacket and telling people it brought him luck in Vietnam.
I just want a commander in chief who knows the difference between the truth and a fanciful flight that gets you somewhere. I want someone who knows the difference between a bold-faced lie and the enduring truths. From what I've seen, John Kerry isn't close.
--David Wallace
THE GALLING IRONY OF KERRY'S OPPORTUNISM:
SELF-CONFESSED VIETNAM-WAR-CRIMINAL KERRY BECOMES SELF-PROCLAIMED VIETNAM-WAR-HERO KERRY
I find it ironic that in 1971-72, for almost 18 months, John Kerry stood before the American people and claimed that the 500,000 men and women in Vietnam in combat were all villains. There were no heroes. In 2004, one hero from the Vietnam War has appeared running for President of the United States and Commander in Chief.
It just galls one to think about it.
--George Elliot
KERRY'S WORST ATROCITY OF ALL
During the Vietnam War, I was a task group commander at An Thoi and my tour of duty was 13 months from the end of Tet to the beginning of the Vietnamization of the Navy units. My tour spanned the four months that Kerry served there in the area.
I think the greatest atrocity of all was when we pulled the financial rug out from under the thousands of military officers and South Vietnamese government officials and assigned them to three and four years of hard time in reindoctrination camps.
--Capt. Adrian Lonsdale, US Coast Guard, retired
KERRY'S OPPORTUNISTIC EXPLOITATION OF SWIFT BOATS -- WANTS TO HAVE IT BOTH WAYS
I'm a retired chief petty officer and I live in Sun City, California. I was in Vietnam from June 1968 to Jun 1969 serving up in Da Nang and Chu Li and in January 1969, I went to Cat Lo where I served as an engineer and a lead petty officer aboard swift boats during the same period as John Kerry.
I signed this letter because I feel he used Swift Boats for Sailors to proclaim his action, his anti-war statements after the war, and now he uses the same Swift Boats for Sailors to support his claims of being a war hero.
He cannot have it both ways and we are here to ask for full disclosure of the proof of his claims.
--Jim Steffis
