"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 coast guardsmen, 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."
-- Rear Admiral Roy Hoffman, USN (retired), chairman, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
"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.'"
- Captain Charles Plumly, USN (retired)
"While in Cam Rahn Bay, he trained on several 24-hour indoctrination missions, and one special skimmer operation with my
most senior and trusted Lieutenant. The briefing from some members of that crew the morning after revealed that they had not
received any enemy fire, and yet Lt.(jg) Kerry informed me of a wound -- he showed me a scratch on his arm and a piece of
shrapnel in his hand that appeared to be from one of our own M-79s. It was later reported to me that Lt.(jg) Kerry had fired
an M-79, and it had exploded off the adjacent shoreline. I do not recall being advised of any medical treatment, and probably
said something like 'Forget it.' He later received a Purple Heart for that scratch, and I have no information as to how or
whom.
Lt.(jg) Kerry was allowed to return to the good old USA after 4 months and a few days in-country, and then he proceeded
to betray his former shipmates, calling them criminals who were committing atrocities. Today we are here to tell you that
just the opposite is true. Our rules of engagement were quite strict, and the officers and men of Swift often did not even
return fire when they were under fire if there was a possibility that innocent people -- fishermen, in a lot of cases -- might
be hurt or injured. The rules and the good intentions of the men increased the possibility that we might take friendly casualties."
-- Commander Grant Hibbard, USN (retired)
"Lt. Kerry returned home from the war to make some outrageous statements and allegations... of numerous criminal acts in
violation of the law of war were cited by Kerry, disparaging those who had fought with honor in that conflict. Had war crimes
been committed by US forces in Vietnam? Yes, but such acts were few and far between. Yet Lt. Kerry have numerous speeches
and testimony before Congress inappropriately leading his audiences to believe that what was only an anomaly in the conduct
of America's fighting men was an epidemic. Furthermore, he suggested that they were being encouraged to violated the law of
war by those within the chain of command.
Very specific orders, on file at the Vietnam archives at Texas Tech University, were issued by my father [Admiral Elmo
Zumwalt] and others in his chain of command instructing subordinates to act responsibly in preserving the life and property
of Vietnamese civilians."
-- Lt. Col. James Zumwalt, USMC (retired)
"In 1971, when John Kerry spoke out to America, labeling all Vietnam veterans as thugs and murderers, I was shocked and
almost brought to my knees, because even though I had served at the same time and same unit, I had never witnessed or participated
in any of the events that the Senator had accused us of. I strongly believe that the statements made by the Senator were not
only false and inaccurate, but extremely harmful to the United States' efforts in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.
Tragically, some veterans, scorned by the antiwar movement and their allies, retreated to a life of despair and suicide. Two
of my crewmates were among them. For that there is no forgiveness. "
-- Richard O'Meara
"My name is Steve Gardner. I served in 1966 and 1967 on my first tour of duty in Vietnam on Swift boats, and I did my second
tour in '68 and '69, involved with John Kerry in the last 2 1/2 months of my tour. The John Kerry that I know is not the John
Kerry that everybody else is portraying. I served alongside him and behind him, five feet away from him in a gun tub, and
watched as he made indecisive moves with our boat, put our boats in jeopardy, put our crews in jeopardy... if a man like that
can't handle that 6-man crew boat, how can you expect him to be our Commander-in-Chief?"
-- Steven Gardner
