Kerry’s Commanders & Military Colleagues Speak Up

03 May, 2004 by John Hawkins

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If we had a Democratic incumbent in the White House and there was a Republican running almost entirely on his military record, this news would be on the front page of every paper in America in screaming 3 inch high type…

“Hundreds of former commanders and military colleagues of presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry are set to declare in a signed letter that he is “unfit to be commander-in-chief.” They will do so at a press conference in Washington on Tuesday.

“What is going to happen on Tuesday is an event that is really historical in dimension,” John O’Neill, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy as a PCF (Patrol Craft Fast) boat commander, told CNSNews.com. The event, which is expected to draw about 25 of the letter-signers, is being organized by a newly formed group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

“We have 19 of 23 officers who served with [Kerry]. We have every commanding officer he ever had in Vietnam. They all signed a letter that says he is unfit to be commander-in-chief,” O’Neill said.

…”We are going to be presenting a letter that deals with Kerry’s unfitness to be commander and chief that has been signed by hundreds of swift boat sailors, including most of those who served with Kerry,” O’Neill explained.

“The ranks of the people signing [the letter] range from admiral down to seaman, and they run across the entire spectrum of politics, specialties, and political feelings about the Vietnam War,” he added.”

“Hundreds of former commanders and military colleagues”? “19 of 23 officers who served with [Kerry]. We have every commanding officer he ever had in Vietnam”? So it isn’t any “Republican attack machine” challenging Kerry’s records, it’s his fellow service men and commanders. This is as damning as it gets. It’s like Ken Lay running for President based on his business experience while the Enron scandal was breaking.

If you ask me, this cuts to the heart of what’s wrong with the Kerry campaign. Winning medals in Vietnam is a great accomplishment, something to be proud of, and it speaks well for your character. However, it isn’t enough to prove you’re tough enough on defense or a fantastic human being. Most importantly, I don’t care what you did 36 years ago in Vietnam, in and of itself, it doesn’t qualify you to be President of the United States.

Unfortunately for Kerry, his record in the Senate, particularly on defense issues, has been so poor that he has to treat make his experience in Vietnam the focal point of campaign. But medals in Vietnam are like ketchup that goes with your fries for a politician. It certainly adds something to the meal, but without the fries (the record), dinner isn’t served and the election isn’t going to be won…