Kerry not quite the war hero he paints himself to be?
 

Kerry's exploits in Vietnam are disputed in best seller


By Rowan Scarborough
THE WASHINGTON TIMES


Democrats capped Sen. John Kerry's presidential nomination last night by showing a Hollywood-produced movie of his life, featuring amateur film clips and testaments about his service in Vietnam as commander of a Navy river patrol boat.
But a group of former sailors who served with Mr. Kerry are telling a different story. Rather than depicting Mr. Kerry as a war hero, they are quoted in a new book accusing him of exaggerating and falsifying his experiences.

The group says that of 23 crew members photographed with Mr. Kerry more than 30 years ago in Vietnam, only one supports his presidential campaign. They will announce a nationwide campaign by "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" to tell the American public about what they say is Mr. Kerry's true war record.
The biographical movie shown last night, "A Remarkable Promise," shows "family and friends talking about the courage he has shown as a soldier and a veteran, the fights he has waged for middle-class values and the faith in family he has exhibited as a father and husband," the Kerry campaign said before its prime-time convention appearance.
The film was produced by James Moll, a partner of director Steven Spielberg.
The book, "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry," from Regnery Publishing, is written by John E. O'Neill. Mr. O'Neill served in Vietnam at the same time as Mr. Kerry and followed him as commander on the swift boat.
Mr. O'Neill, riled by what he considered Mr. Kerry's false charge in 1971 of widespread war crimes committed by U.S. troops, has waged a public debate with the politician dating back to the "Dick Cavett Show" that year.
The book quotes Mr. Kerry's fellow combatants as saying two of his Purple Hearts came from friendly fire, not the enemy. The veterans also will dispute other stories Mr. Kerry has told.
"Unfit for Command" will not be released until Sept. 25, but the online Drudge Report yesterday broke news of what it called a "bombshell book." The book hit No. 2 on Amazon.com's best-seller list. Radio and TV hosts were clamoring for Mr. O'Neill to appear.
Regnery, which boasts a long list of best-selling conservative books, has put a tight hold on information until the official release.
Some of the book's charges have been aired by Veterans for Truth.
Retired Rear Adm. Roy Hoffmann, who commanded Mr. Kerry's task force in Vietnam, is one of the book's sources.
Adm. Hoffmann said yesterday he has supplied several instances of Mr. Kerry's purported lies. One example, he said, is Mr. Kerry's contention that he warned admirals of the folly of a certain river operation. Adm. Hoffmann said he and others were at the meeting, and that Mr. Kerry never made such a statement.
"The real truth is he didn't say a ... word," Adm. Hoffmann said.
Mr. Hoffmann is chairman of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which plans what it calls a grass-roots campaign.
"We're going to tell the truth — the fact that he was a perpetual, habitual liar," Adm. Hoffmann said. "I don't care whether it was perjury or lying before the Senate of the United States, or that two of his Purple Hearts are at least very specious, if not absolutely false, because he filed false after-action reports."

Wonder if this book will make the Oprah club? rofl

if the author makes the network morning shows and larry king, will he be treated to the warm gum jobs that authors of anti-bush books have been?

One thing seems to be missing .... Bush Didnt go at all , So I guess Kerry has more gusto then Bush ......

Hmm but did Kerry prettify up his service and was it all he cracks it up to be. Maybe a little resume inflation?

Kerry's the one bringing up his vietnam service. He should be able to defend it.

Your response does nothing to refute the author. It's more like a kid saying something like, 'oh yeah well you're ugly' when told he was fat..

Bush didn't go to vietnam, true, he served his country in the national guard, a good and noble branch of our armed services.

the question is, is Kerry telling the whole truth about his time in Vietnam? His whole presidential bid is based on his vietnam service, he's done nothing else at all.

Why Refute ?
if you are not smart enouh to question the timming , then there is nothing I can do for you ..........

http://members.cox.net/tranquility5/...WrongStuff.jpg

Who do you think Osama is rooting for?

My Guess would be Bush , after all Bush has Nearly put the USA on the Verge of Bankrupcy , and still hasnt Caught OBL , Created More terrorism in Iraq , Alienated the USA ......... Where else can you find such incomptence ?

Or he can be safe in knowing that the War on Terror will be orchestrated by somebody who will first ask "Mother, may I?" to France.

If you say so , but Either way he still walks , but we keep our Money ......

One thing seems to be missing .... Bush Didnt go at all

What?

You mean a nutty smear piece in The Moonie Times failed to mention that ****ling detail?

Say it ain't so!

Hilarious! at that photo of Gigglekill in the flight suit.

What happened to the "mission accomplished" banner?

Cropped?

How much money did we spend in the aftermath on his last American attack? Not to mention 3000 American lives.

Exactly and why did we go into Iraq with OBL not captured ?
Iraq has cost us more ..

O...I...L...

Operation
Iraqi
Liberation................
oops ............Freedom , we mean Freedom.........

Yeah , thats the ticket we meant Freedom

He's rooting for Bush. Says so right on his website. He believes that Bush's "idiocy" plays "right into the hands of the jihad." Al Queda wants to make sure they hit the U.S. right before the election to scare Americans into voting for Bush. New Yorker. Current issue.

There's no arguing with slime. I suppose you think the green beret he rescued is a liar. All the men who actually served with him and saw him under fire time after time, they're all liars too. They have stood up time and time again and told their eyewitness testimony. But of course, they're liars. The Generals and Admirals who have stood up for him? Liars. John McCain, who calls him one of his closest friends? Liar. They're all liars. And O'Neill, hired by Nixon to attack Kerry in 1971 and obsessed with attacking him ever since? Who came into country after Kerry? He's telling the truth. Yeah, the hireling of Nixon - that's the guy I can depend on for the truth.

It's ironic. The people who say they are all "Red, White and Blue" will come out and attack a guy who actually put his ass on the line, in order to defend a guy that nobody can prove even showed up for duty. A guy who's flying privileges were cut because he refused to take a physical. Like I said, there's no arguing with slime.

I suppose you think the green beret he rescued is a liar. All the men who actually served with him and saw him under fire time after time, they're all liars too.

Don't forget all those admirals, generals, and former joint chiefs of staff who publicly endorsed Kerry (something which has never happened before in US history.)

Nah--none of those guys know anything about what's good for the military.

http://www.bartcop.com/warped-egos.jpg

all irrelevant posts aside, did Kerry falsify his purple hearts as the admiral alleges? We need to investigate this. The far lefties have tried to say Bush was awol but have found no evidence that he was, but here is an Admiral who says Kerry falsified stuff. Pretty damning stuff which needs to be investigated.

Plus Heinz-Kerry is a SELF ADMITTED WAR CRIMINAL... he needs to be held accountable.

If I was an republican organization like the lefties moveon, I'd be running ads whenever Heinz-Kerry touts his vietnam record that play his taped testimony admitting he is a war criminal....

LOL ............ Desperation , 10-1 says if Kerrys speech was a flop we dont hear of this Admiral ...........
Does John Kerry run Hienz ?
is he on the Board ?