“Stolen Honor” documentary (coming soon to a TV near you)
A 28-minute documentary called “Stolen Honor” is in the works and soon to be released. For the production of the Stolen Honor documentary, interviews were conducted with 17 Vietnam POWs whose time in prison amounted to 109 years and three months. These distinguished, highly decorated individuals share their experiences and perspective in this compelling program. To meet these men, click here.
To view excerpts from the documentary click here
"Stolen Honor" is produced by Red, White and Blue Productions, Inc., an independent producer of documentaries based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Carlton Sherwood, president of Red, White and Blue Productions is a life-long newspaper and TV investigative reporter. As a Pulitzer Prize and Peabody Award winner, Sherwood has investigated John Kerry's behavior during the Vietnam era and how as a leader of the anti-war movement it impacted America POWs.
In addition to his investigation, Sherwood has first hand memories of Vietnam as a decorated, thrice-wounded, former Marine who served on Vietnam's DMZ. Sherwood also covered the anti-war movement as a journalist.
Red, White & Blue Productions, Inc. is a for-profit Pennsylvania corporation. Initial funding of the production costs of “Stolen Honor” was provided by Pennsylvania veterans. Anyone interested in providing financial support to assist with the distribution and dissemination of the documentary can do so by making a contribution to the “Stolen Honor” Distribution Fund.
Contributions are considered sponsorships of the program. All Sponsors will receive a copy of the documentary in the format desired by the Sponsor.
The following is the story behind this documentary:
When John Kerry appeared before the U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the spring of 1971, his testimony sent shock waves throughout America and the world. Here was a young, articulate Ivy-Leaguer, a highly decorated Naval officer who had seen combat in Vietnam. Now, driven by conscience and lofty ideals, Lt. Kerry said he felt compelled to break his silence and tell the unvarnished truth about the Vietnam War and those who fought it. The war, he said, was a criminal endeavor driven by a “policy of atrocities.” The 2.5 million men who served in Vietnam were akin to “Genghis Khan’s barbaric hordes,” thugs and psychopathic war criminals who wantonly plundered the Vietnam countryside, murdering, raping and bombing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians – old men, women and children -- each and every day.
Lt. Kerry’s widely televised statements were dramatic and persuasive, made all the more credible by the fact he had been there, said he had witnessed many of these same atrocities. His testimony catapulted him to international prominence and the ranks of leadership in the American anti-war movement, launching his once failing political career. It also permanently branded in the American psyche the image of Vietnam veterans as murderous “baby killers” and “drugged out losers,” a perception that persists today, one deeply embedded in our history.
That single act earned for Kerry the lasting enmity of Vietnam veterans, especially those who had borne the brunt of his accusations, that small percentage of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who actually served on the frontlines. Many of these combat veterans would carry the scars of their service for life. Kerry’s repudiation of their sacrifice represented yet another war wound, one that would never heal. As compelling as Kerry’s Senate testimony was, these men knew it was lacking in one key element … truth. They knew from their own combat experiences virtually all his allegations were lies; the U.S. military would never countenance such brutality. And, they also knew his actions were a deliberate betrayal of all of them, especially the more than 58,000 who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.
But, perhaps, more than any living group of combat veterans, it was the America ’s POWs who suffered most, forced to endure the immediate consequences of Kerry’s treacherous falsehoods. In 1971, some 700 of these men were reported as captured or missing in action, most presumed held prisoner by the North Vietnamese Communists in such places as the notorious Hanoi Hilton. Already subjected to years of torture, solitary confinement and unspeakable psychological and physical abuse, their lives were literally hanging by a thread when Kerry issued his damning testimony. In mere moments, Kerry had willingly given the Vietnamese Communists what they had spent years of torture and blood-letting to drag out of their American hostages, an unqualified “confession” they were all war criminals. |
