This page was last updated on August 28, 2004.

The editorial dwells on a 30-second political ad but fails to provide much background.  That’s probably because the background works against the goal of the editorial.

The source material for the ad came from a new book entitled Unfit for Command.  The group behind the book and the ad is Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT).  SBVT is composed of 250+ enlisted men and officers all the way up to admiral who present a different view of Kerry’s Vietnam service than does the Kerry campaign.  All members served on swift boats in Vietnam; some served in Kerry’s unit.  Members are Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.

To be honest, I don’t know who is telling the truth, Kerry or the SBVT.  I suspect the truth is somewhere in between.  That said, I don’t necessarily believe that either Kerry’s supporters or detractors are willfully providing false information.  In war, it is common for soldiers to have different recollections of the same action.  I’m less certain about Mr. Kerry himself, though.

While some actions in Vietnam may be subject to the “fog of war,” that’s not true for Kerry’s postwar actions.  His anti-serviceman statements beginning in the early 1970s are on film, videotape, and in print.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“The TV spot slandering John Kerry’s Vietnam War service is easily one of the smelliest pieces of propaganda that has ever fouled the American airwaves.  But don’t take our word.”

[RWC] Slander means lying.  The Post-Gazette, however, presents no evidence the SBVT are lying.  The editorial says, “don’t take our word,” but provides nothing other than insinuation to bash the claims.

Does the Post-Gazette consider Fahrenheit 9/11 “one of the smelliest pieces of propaganda that has ever fouled the American airwaves?”  Probably not.  After all, a Post-Gazette editorial gushed, “congratulations are due a filmmaker who has remained true to his vision, despite the risk and rigors of trying to market a politically controversial movie.”¹

“Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam and Republican public supporter of President Bush, calls it ‘dishonest and dishonorable.’  Produced by a major GOP political contributor from Texas, the 30-second attack ad now being aired in scattered markets, including neighboring Ohio and West Virginia, purports to offer critical insights on the Democratic presidential nominee’s character from people who served with him.”

[RWC] The editorial forgot to mention Sen. McCain made this comment without ever reading the book and has no personal knowledge of Kerry’s actions in Vietnam.

The editorial says, “a major GOP political contributor from Texas” produced the ad.  That’s not quite accurate.  The SBVT produced the ad with a GOP supporter (Bob J. Perry, a homebuilder) being a major contributor.  Who was going to fund an anti-Kerry ad, “a Democrat political contributor from Massachusetts?”

On a side note, what’s wrong with being from Texas?  The last I checked, Texas was in the United States and its citizens are U.S. citizens.  Are Texas Republicans not allowed to make political contributions?

The vets who wanted to get their message out weren’t exactly wealthy and the mainstream media ignored the story when the SBVT held its first press conference on May 4, 2004.  The SBVT wanted to get their story out and the only way was to write a book and buy airtime.

For example, a search of the Post-Gazette web site found only two news pieces mentioning the Swift boat vets before the subject editorial.  In the first article, the vets weren’t mentioned until the 27^th paragraph in a 33-paragraph story.²  The group wasn’t even mentioned by name.  The second mention was an aside in an article praising Kerry’s actions, repeating a version of events the Kerry campaign has since revised.³

It’s useful to know the “major GOP political contributor from Texas” supplied only $100,000 as of early-August 2004 according to the FEC.  I say “only” because Democrat political supporter George Soros contributed $2.6 million to MoveOn.org, $5 million to Americans Coming Together, and over $4.5 million to Joint Victory Campaign 2004.  If you remember, MoveOn.org had ads on its web site morphing Hitler into President Bush.  This is over $12 million from Mr. Soros to anti-Bush 527s.  Why doesn’t the press refer to Soros as “a major Democrat political contributor from Hungary?”  Peter Lewis has given over $14 million to anti-Bush 527s.  Given this knowledge, is Mr. Perry a major contributor compared to Messrs. Lewis and Soros?

“We will not repeat the charges, because it is obvious they are false.  But it is important to note that not one of the people who appear in the ad served directly with Mr. Kerry, only on U.S. Navy Swift boats of the same type as his.”

[RWC] How does the Post-Gazette know the charges are “obviously” false?  After all, these men signed affidavits.  Did the Post-Gazette investigate the charges?  No, otherwise the editorial would have presented a point-by-point refutation of the charges.

If the charges are false, why has Mr. Kerry changed his position on at least two items?  Mr. Kerry repeatedly claimed he was in Cambodia on Christmas in 1968 and the experience was “seared” in his memory.

“I remember Christmas of 1968 sitting on a gunboat in Cambodia.  I remember what it was like to be shot at by Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge and Cambodians, and have the President of the United States telling the American people that I was not there; the troops were not in Cambodia.  I have that memory which is seared — seared — in me.”⁴

“I remember spending Christmas Eve of 1968 five miles across the Cambodian border being shot at by our South Vietnamese allies who were drunk and celebrating Christmas.  The absurdity of almost being killed by our own allies in a country in which President Nixon claimed there were no American troops was very real.”⁵

You don’t need to be in SBVT to see the first red flag about these claims.  Lyndon Johnson was president in late 1968, not Richard Nixon.  Nixon was inaugurated January 20, 1969.  Second, Christmas is not a Buddhist holiday, and most Vietnamese were Buddhists or variations of Buddhism.  Why would they celebrate a Christian holyday?

Perhaps most damning is three of Kerry’s five-man crew at the time, Steve Gardner, Steven Hatch, and Bill Zaldonis, claim their boat was never in Cambodia.⁶

The SBVT claim the Kerry Cambodia assertion is false and now the Kerry campaign has issued various revisions of Mr. Kerry’s recollection.

In the incident involving the pick-up of the overboard soldier, Kerry initially claimed the three other undamaged Swift boats left and he stayed.  The SBVT said the opposite occurred.  The Kerry campaign now acknowledges his boat left and returned several minutes later.  During this time, the other boats were rescuing sailors from the Swift boat that hit the mine.  About the rescued Green Beret, he was not a member of Kerry’s crew.  In fact, he was on Kerry’s boat for only a few days while being ferried to missions.

These are only a couple examples why the Post-Gazette, as well as most of the mainstream media, doesn’t attack the allegations.  The Post-Gazette fears the outcome.  Instead, the strategy is to smear the decorated veterans of the SBVT.

The editorial lied when it said, “not one of the people who appear in the ad served directly with Mr. Kerry, only on U.S. Navy Swift boats of the same type as his.”  The sailors who contributed to the book served in Kerry’s unit though not on the same boat.  Would the Post-Gazette claim fighter pilots in the same squadron didn’t serve together because they weren’t in the same plane?  Of course not, and this is the same situation only with Swift boats.  The editorial fails to mention Swift boats always went on patrol in groups, never alone.

“In contrast, the men who actually fought side by side with Mr. Kerry on Mekong River patrol -- nine of whom attended the Democratic National Convention -- have consistently and without reservation testified to his bravery and leadership.  They were his Band of Brothers 35 years ago, and they still are today.”

[RWC] Incorrect.  Many sailors who fought side by side with Kerry but on other Swift boats do not uniformly accept Kerry’s account of his actions.  In addition, as mentioned above, three of Kerry’s own shipmates shot down the “Christmas in Cambodia” story.

We routinely see a picture of Kerry with 19 fellow Swift officers in Coastal Division 11 and the implication is they all support Kerry.  In fact, only one officer in that picture supports Kerry.  According to SBVT, of the remaining 18, “12 consider him unfit, 4 are neutral, and two have died.”  The Kerry campaign never contacted the officers in the picture to get their permission to use it in campaign ads.

Were his shipmates his “Band of Brothers” when Kerry accused them – and all other servicemen – of war crimes after Kerry got back to the United States?

“Though you won’t learn it from the ad, at least one of the critics, George Elliott, was a superior officer of Mr. Kerry’s in Vietnam.  He wrote a glowing fitness report about Mr. Kerry in December 1969, after the combat events.”

[RWC] John Kerry was long gone from Vietnam by December 1969.  In April 1969, after a little more than four months (11/17/68 – 3/26/69) on Swift boats, Kerry requested to be removed from combat duty and was made an admiral’s personal aide and left Vietnam.

“Quoted from the actual document, here’s what Mr. Elliott said when he had no political ax to grind: ‘In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action LT JG Kerry was unsurpassed.  He constantly reviewed tactics and lessons learned in river operations and applied his experience at every opportunity.  On one occasion while in tactical command of a three-boat operation his units were taken under fire from ambush.  LT JG Kerry rapidly assessed the situation and ordered his units to turn directly into the ambush.  This decision resulted in routing the attackers with several enemy KIA [killed in action].’

“The report goes on to note that Mr. Kerry ‘emerges as the acknowledged leader in his peer group,’ and that he was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for action during his Vietnam tour.

“Now Mr. Elliott says Mr. Kerry ‘has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam.’  That only raises the question of whether Mr. Elliott was lying in 1969, when he wasn’t involved in partisan politics, or whether he is lying now, to try to tarnish John Kerry.”

[RWC] Nice trick, but no cigar.  Much of Capt. Elliot’s problem with Kerry is in Kerry’s post war antiwar comments.  The remainder is the result of reviewing Kerry’s books, speeches, et cetera over the years and of speaking with sailors who served with Kerry.  Haven’t most of us known someone of whom we thought a lot, only to be disappointed later when we learned the truth?

“To disagree about who should be president of the United States is one thing.  To spread lies to try to create a false impression of a candidate’s bravery makes us wonder if these disaffected Swift boat veterans surrendered their integrity when they came home from Vietnam.”

[RWC] How would the Post-Gazette know who is lying, if anyone?  As far as I can tell, it conducted no investigation to determine the veracity of any claims, either for or against John Kerry.

Over the years, Kerry said he committed and witnessed atrocities.  This means one of two things.  Either he was a war criminal or at least didn’t report war crimes – a court-martial offense, or he lied in his testimony to further his antiwar goals.  Neither result is heroic.

When 250+ Vietnam veterans don’t swallow the Kerry story, they are the ones who “surrendered their integrity?”  Why do vets supporting Kerry deserve unquestioned credibility while vets opposing Kerry deserve our disdain?

1. Moore's milestone / Cannes heaps praise on a politically charged film; Editorial; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; May 26, 2004.

2. Bush, Kerry battling for vets’ hearts, minds; James O’Toole; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; May 30, 2004.

3. Kerry in Vietnam: Daring, doubt; Stephen Braun, Los Angeles Times; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; August 8, 2004.

4. Speech on Senate Floor; Sen. John Kerry; Congressional Record; March 27, 1986.

5. Letter to the editor; John Kerry; Boston Herald; October 14, 1979.

6. Cambodia ‘Mission’ Never Happened: Shipmates; Ian Bishop, Vincent Morris; New York Post; August 10, 2004.

© 2004 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.