SwiftVets.com

[ASPB]

Here's a piece published at Mudville Gazette. It's a dialogue that went on over the last few days between Greyhawk and yours truly the ASPB RiverRat. Greyhawk will be featuring our effort over the next week at least. His blog is a member of probably the largest military blog ring on the net.

It's been posted in Mudville: http://www.mudvillegazette.com/

and linked at Instapundit: http://www.instapundit.com/

THE SWIFTS

I received this e-mail last week from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth around the same time Drudge "broke" the story of their campaign.

There's some great information here for those who question the motives of these guys. In my estimation they are honest and up front about what they are doing and why they are doing it. That blogs (or at least MilBlogs) were getting this info at such an opportune time says something about the media savvy of this group (who likely knew they'd be ignored in the mainstream media - at least initially) and the growing influence of the blogosphere. I've highlighted one paragraph below for those too hurried to read the whole thing, (it's only a presidential election, after all) because the reader would do well to ponder the implications of that statement.

We’re imploring you to put up links to www.swiftvets.com and to www.wintersoldier.com. All too many veterans are unaware of the truth of JFnK’s 4 ½ months of service and anti-war activities. Please read the following and check out the links. We really need your help.

John Kerry has made his 4 months and 12 days in Vietnam the centerpiece of his campaign for President, apparently in attempt qualify himself as a “war time” President. He has avoided his traitorous flip-flop on the Vietnam war from 1970-72 and his dovish 19 year Senate record on defense and intelligence.

This effort at misdirection or “hiding the football’ of his true character requires those of us that lived and suffered the Vietnam experience, including the anti-war movement, to expend a significant effort in awakening the memories of those who lived through the period and to educate those younger than ourselves whose views are founded on press, academic, and Hollywood deceptions.

Many of you may not be familiar with Mr. Kerry’s contrived military record and post service treachery. Before making your voting decision I urge you to take the time to study our case.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has been formed to counter the false "war crimes" charges John Kerry repeatedly made against Vietnam veterans who served in our units and elsewhere, and to accurately portray Kerry's brief tour in Vietnam as a junior grade Lieutenant. We speak from personal experience -- our group includes men who served beside Kerry in combat as well as his commanders. Though we come from different backgrounds and hold varying political opinions, we agree on one thing: John Kerry misrepresented his record and ours in Vietnam and therefore exhibits serious flaws in character and lacks the potential to lead.

We regret the need to do this. Most Swift boat veterans would like nothing better than to support one of our own for America's highest office, regardless of whether he was running as a Democrat or a Republican.

However, Kerry's phony war crimes charges, his exaggerated claims about his own service in Vietnam, and his deliberate misrepresentation of the nature and effectiveness of Swift boat operations compels us to step forward.

For more than thirty years, most Vietnam veterans kept silent as we were maligned as misfits, addicts, and baby killers. Now that a key creator of that poisonous image is seeking the Presidency we have resolved to end our silence.

The time has come to set the record straight.

My qualifications for commenting on Mr Kerry’s service are as follows: BM1 USN September 1965 to November 1969. I extended my enlistment and volunteered for Mobile Riverine duty in Vietnam. I served as a Boat Captain and Patrol Officer in US Navy Task Forces CTF 117 and 116 from November of 1968 to November of 1969. River Division 92, Nov of 68 to March of 69 and was a Plankowner in RivDiv 595/153 and served there from March 69 to November 69. I logged about 20 multi-day assault missions and over 160 combat patrols, participating in about 50 firefights. I was a awarded a Silver Star, a Navy Commendation Medal w/ Combat “V”, and a Purple Heart as well as several unit citations including 3 Presidential Unit Citations. I also have a piece of self-inflicted “friendly fire” shrapnel in my stomach for which I was too embarrassed, apparently unlike Mr Kerry, to request a Purple Heart.

Many of us believe that his war diary and cinematic activities in Vietnam are the tip of the iceberg and that he recommended himself for 2 of his Purple Hearts for minor scratches that were probably self-inflicted and, more importantly, for the Silver Star. The events surrounds the award of the Bronze Star are also questionable as will be revealed in a soon to be released book, “Unfit to Command”, currently #2 in sales at Amazon.com. That’s why we are demanding the release of his “complete” service records.

More about this period in our and Kerry’s history can be found at: www.wintersoldier.com

That message came to me from Tom Mortensen, I e-mailed back with a few additional questions. He graciously responded, and the following interview is a result of that correspondence, and the first in a series on the Swift boat vets and their message here at Mudville. My questions are in regular, his responses in blocked font.

Why did you serve in Vietnam?

3 reasons:

1. As a child of the fifties and a believer in the "Camelot" dream of the real JFK, I believed, as I do today, that totalitarian regimes represented by the Stalinist Soviet vision were, and are, a pox on humanity. I believe there is no equality by "right", but only liberty, opportunity, and justice for individual humans. I believed, and still do, the domino theory of totalitarianism, whether based on political, social, or religious theology is a pox on humanity and probably always will be.

2. I believed, as I do today, that our system of government, i.e. democratic republicanism (federalism) for large nation-states is the only viable system of government for large groups of humans. Personal liberty was, and is, pre-eminent in my thinking.

3. On a personal level I'd spent 3 years in the Navy. 2 of them driving Aviation Rescue Boats, Yard Tugs, and Mike Boats in Kodiak, Alaska. I had just been notified that I would be promoted to BM2 (E-5). I'd never been to sea on a line ship. Given 1 and 2 above I thought I could serve my country better by extending my enlistment and going to Nam to lead younger men in combat. This was based upon my age and experience in commanding small craft.

Thanks for your service Tom. I get a real sense of pride in America hearing from others who've responded to that call. But why are you doing what you're doing now regarding Senator Kerry? Part of the vast Right Wing Conspiracy?

Other than voting a conservative and hawkish vision since Johnson and the Dimocrats departed American foreign and domestic values in the late '60s, I've been apolitical for the last 34 years. No partisan or activist contributions or activities.

Kerry and the move to the extreme left of the Democratic Party activate me today. Really though, it's all about the war for our very survival in the face of another totalitarian ideology.

As to fighting the leftists; I might have demurred to traditional conservative federalists. Kerry's candidacy and possible victory has activated me.

Kerry is, and always has been, a financially secure, ideologically international Marxist elitist and supremacist. He has no clue what liberty is. He's an appeaser. I suppose, first and foremost, he's an opportunist that betrayed his "Band of Brothers" (including me and most Viet vets) in a quest for personal power as do most megalomaniacs.

He was a contributor to the loss 3 million lives to totalitarianism in SE Asia. www.swiftvets.com and www.wintersoldier.com can tell the story better than I can in a single email note. Nuff said!

I thought the motivations for your current service and your Vietnam era service to the country were similar, and boiled down to a fundamental desire to do the right thing. And you know, I'll bet another similarity is that many of the same people who were opposed to you then are also against you now. With one exception - John Kerry was a fellow Sailor and is now the ideological opponent of the huge majority of the men he served with, and is the candidate of choice for the anti-everything left. An interesting turn of events, wouldn't you say? Has Kerry "switched sides"? Is that the first of his many flip flops?

He's never switched sides! I think you're right that he's been blowing in the wind as a back-bencher since '72. To me it's more important to expose his true ideology compounded by his opportunism. The side-switching is just a trait---but it doesn't go to the heart of the man.

Wars, domestic political ones included, are about ideology. Not about the tactics of propaganda of deception. Propaganda and deception are the definition of John Kerry.

Thanks Tom.

As I said, that's just the beginning of "Swift Vet" week in Mudville.
And if you haven't ordered it yet, do it
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On Sale! Order in lots of 100 now at velero@rcn.com Free for the cost of shipping All profits (if any, especially now) go to Swiftvets. The author of "Sink Kerry Swiftly" ---ASPB

[Me#1You#10]

Tom...

That was superb! BZ!

Bloggers, COME AND GET IT!

[hanna]

WOW!

[Scott]

Thank you, ASPB,

I bookmarked the Mudville Gazette.

I'm looking forward to reading more there.


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Bye bye, Boston Straggler!

[Indianbaboon]

*Snaps to Tom*

that came out wonderfully...especially the part where you talk about the stomach shrapnel...I giggled like a schoolgirl...which is a funny site on a guy with the face of a terrorist.

[ASPB]

Pride aside, it's just an example of what all of us can do to spread the word. Famiiarize yourselves with blogs of personal interest, plagiarize anything you want from here that isn't copyrighted, and Spread the Word!

Copy the really good stuff to the mainsewer media, my work included if you like. Just get the word out.
_________________
On Sale! Order in lots of 100 now at velero@rcn.com Free for the cost of shipping All profits (if any, especially now) go to Swiftvets. The author of "Sink Kerry Swiftly" ---ASPB

[rlmorel]

You are a very eloquent guy, ASPB. Thanks for your service, and thanks for your words.
Bob
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Military Brat, USN Aviation Machinist Mate 2nd Class 1975-1979