Examining The Myths of the Vietnam War

As part of my little campaign to expose the poodle's record during his service in Vietnam and his post war antics, I am posting the following article.  If you are a 'Nam Vet you may wish to contact the author with your war experiences. The Washington Dispatch
 
Thanks to my friend Missy for alerting me to this story.  -  Sailor
 
Examining The Myths of the Vietnam War

Commentary by Geoff MetcalfJuly 19, 2004
The Washington Dispatch

Notwithstanding the John Kerry posturing about how his veteran status somehow ingratiates him to the veteran community (he served in Vietnam you know?)…the cold reality is, most veterans revile Kerry.  There is a deep-seated, unbridled antipathy that veterans (and especially Vietnam veterans) hold for the ‘man who would be commander in chief’.
 
If the mainstream media tries to ignore what will be happening during the week of the DNC, they will have a real hard time denying the liberal/democrat label facts in evidence suggest.
 
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were the first to come out noting their mission “is to provide solid factual information relating to Mr. Kerry’s abbreviated tour of duty as a member of Coastal Division 14 and Coast Division 11.”   They added, “Since many who are involved with Swiftvets.com themselves had swift boat duty and knew Kohn Kerry personally, they are in a unique position to provide such information.”
 
There is a long list of veterans who have signed their name to the organizational mission.
 
And they are not the Lone Ranger.  For at least the past three months Stephen Sherman (the de-facto historian for VN-era Special Forces) has been putting together a conference including a significant list of Vietnam era luminaries.
 
From July 26th-29th (coincidentally concurrent with the Democratic National Convention in Boston), an unprecedented conference featuring Vietnam veterans who have authored books about the war and other scholars and educators will gather at Boston’s Simmons College, just down the road from the DNC Convention.
 
Sherman notes, “As Senator John Kerry is about to be nominated for President, in great part based on his Vietnam service, it is important for the American people to understand what ‘Vietnam’ was really about and to dispel some of the common misconceptions about why we went to war, what we did, and what went wrong, and why it mattered.”
 
Reportedly, on the last night of the DNC convention, an undisclosed number of Vietnam Veterans intend to endorse Kerry.  A longer significant list of others will not.
 
Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman, USN (retired), says, "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.(jg) 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 coastguardsmen, 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." 
 
Kerry’s former commander, Captain Charles Plumly, USN (retired), said, "During Lt.(jg) 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.'" 
 
John O’Neill, spokesman for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, said, "We resent very deeply the false war crimes charges he made coming back from Vietnam in 1971 and repeated in the book "Tour of Duty." We think those cast an aspersion on all those living and dead, from our unit and other units in Vietnam. We think that he knew he was lying when he made the charges, and we think that they're unsupportable. We intend to bring the truth about that to the American people. We believe, based on our experience with him, that he is totally unfit to be the Commander-in-Chief." Roger that!
 
During the four days of the DNC Convention, Sherman and his group will be at Simmons College delineating a compendium of facts that contradict the preconceived opinions and prejudices of John Kerry and his gang.
 
This is NOT a partisan attack. It is in no way connected with the GOP. These are distinguished, committed patriots (like Jon R. Cavaiani, Medal of Honor Recipient) who have a REAL problem with Kerry.
 
Will the mainstream report on ‘Examining The Myths of the Vietnam War’, or will they embrace the revisionist history and fictions of the Kerry cabal?