What Vietnam Vets Say About Kerry
Doug Hagin
August 26, 2004
During John Edwards speech accepting the Democrat Party's vice-presidential nomination, he said if we, the American people wanted to know about John Kerry, we should ask those who served with Kerry in Vietnam. OK, fair enough. After all Kerry has run his presidential campaign based upon his four-month stint in Vietnam. So exactly what do many of Kerry's fellow veterans have to say about his service?
Well, first of all there is Captain Charles Plumly, U.S. Navy retired. He actually commanded John Kerry and he has some interesting words concerning Kerry. "During Lt. Kerry's tour, he was under my command for two or three specific operations, before his rapid exit. Trust, loyalty and judgment are the key, operative words. His turncoat performance in 1971 in his grubby shirt and his medal-tossing escapade, coupled with his slanderous lines in the recent book portraying us that served, including all POWs and MIAs, as murderous war criminals, I believe, will have a lasting effect on all military veterans and their families. Kerry would be described as devious, self-absorbing, manipulative, disdain for authority, disruptive, but the most common phrase that you'd hear is 'requires constant supervision'." Hmmm seems as if John Kerry is not adored by all his contemporaries does it?
Let us listen to what retired Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman has to say about John Kerry and the chance he might become the Commander-in-Chief shall we? "I do not believe John Kerry is fit to be 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 a 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 secure, Lt. Kerry bugged out and began his infamous betrayal of all United States forces in the Vietnam War. That included our soldiers, our marines, our sailors, our coast guardsmen, our airmen, and our POWs. His leadership within the so-called Vietnam Veterans Against the War and testimony before Congress in 1971 charging us with unspeakable atrocities remain an undocumented but nevertheless meticulous stain on the men and women who honorably stayed the course. Senator Kerry is not fit for command."
Not exactly a ringing endorsement is it? But remember John Edwards asked us all to ask those who served with Kerry if we wanted to know about him.
Let us listen to Vietnam veteran Andrew Horne. "Thirty-five years ago, many of us fell silent when we came back to the stain of sewage that Mr. Kerry had thrown on us, and all of our colleagues who served over there. I don't intend to be silent today or ever again. Our young men and women who are serving deserve no less."
Now hear the words of yet another Vietnam veteran, Bernard Wolfe concerning John Kerry. "We look at Vietnam ... after all these years it is still languishing in isolated poverty and helplessness and tyranny. 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."
Still a Kerry supporter? Then read these words from Steve Gardner who served on the boat Kerry commanded in Vietnam. "My name is Steve Gardner. I served in 1966 and 1967 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 in a gun tub, 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 that 6-man crew boat, how can you expect him to be our Commander-in-Chief?"
Lastly, consider what retired Navy Captain George Elliot has to say about John Kerry. "I served with these guys. I went on missions with them, and these men served honorably. Up and down the chain of command there was no acquiescence to atrocities. It was not condoned, it did not happen, and it was not reported to me verbally or in writing by any of these men including Lt. Kerry. In 1971, '72, for almost 18 months, he stood before the television audiences and claimed that the 500,000 men and women in Vietnam, and 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."
Remember now John Kerry has made his entire campaign about his service in Vietnam. It is he who wants us to elect him Commander-in-Chief based upon his Vietnam service. So it is only fair that we use the criteria he set to judge him isn't it?
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