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i have never questioned Kerry's war record for the sole reason that i was not in the Mekong Delta as much as i was in the Texas Air National Guard in 1969.
with that said, it is Kerry's sole decision to make his Vietnam record the cornerstone of, not just his national convention, but his entire campaign as opposed to his record of 30 years in the senate. it was his choice, just like it was his choice to run for the presidency.
no one, including the men that served with him and around him, gave two shits whether he was an anonymous career senator from taxechusettes or an anti-war activist until he made the decision to become one step away from the office of the leader of the free world.
all of us here can only be so critical of the character of the man Kerry.
let the men who fought the war beside him, be critical of the character of the man that decided to make his character during that war a contention.
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May 4, 2004
Senator Kerry,
We write from our common heritage as veterans of duty aboard Swift Boats in the Vietnam War. Indeed, you should note that a substantial number of those men who served directly with you during your four month tour in Vietnam have signed this letter.
It is our collective judgment that, upon your return from Vietnam, you grossly and knowingly distorted the conduct of the American soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen of that war (including a betrayal of many of us, without regard for the danger your actions caused us). Further, we believe that you have withheld and/or distorted material facts as to your own conduct in this war.
We believe you continue this conduct today, albeit by changing from an anti-war to a "war hero" status. You now seek to clad yourself in the very medals that you disdainfully threw away in the early years of your political career. In the process, we believe you continue a deception as to your own conduct through such tactics as the disclosure of only carefully screened portions of your military records. Both then and now, we have concluded that you have deceived the public, and in the process have betrayed honorable men, to further your personal political goals.
Your conduct is such as to raise substantive concerns as to your honesty and your ability to serve, as you currently seek, as Commander-in-Chief of the military services.
It is vital that the American public have as much information as possible about candidates for President of the United States. In various ways, you have rightly called upon President Bush to be fully accountable and to provide full disclosure. In the same spirit, now that you are the presumptive nominee of your Party, we believe it is incumbent upon you to make your total military record open to the American people.
Specifically, we the undersigned formally request that you authorize the Department of the Navy to independently release your military records (through your execution of Standard Form 180), complete and unaltered, including your military medical records. Further, we call upon you to correct the misconceptions your campaign seeks to create as to your conduct while in Vietnam. Permit the American public the opportunity to assess your military performance upon the record, and not upon campaign rhetoric.
Senator Kerry, we were there. We know the truth. We have been silent long enough. The stakes are too great, not only for America in general but, most importantly, for those who have followed us into service in Iraq and Afghanistan. We call upon you to provide a full, accurate accounting of your conduct in Vietnam.
Respectfully,
Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann, USN
Captain Charley Plumly, USN (ret)
Mr. Alvin A. Horne
Mr. Bill Lannom
Mr. John O'Neill
Mr. Wey Symmes
Mr. William W. Franke |
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