Kerry: apologize? resign!

Latest insult to our military is part of a long pattern

By Tom Kovach

Because I'm a candidate for the US House of Representatives, what I'm about to say might be considered "political suicide." I don't think so. But, even if it was, I would need to respond with a famous quote from American naval hero and our first admiral, David Glasgow Farragut (a native of Tennessee, by the way), "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"

Senator John Kerry should resign from office immediately!

There, the round is out of the tube. Others might call for Kerry's apology, but not me. I wrote about Kerry — and his connections to "Hanoi Jane" Fonda — when he ran for president in 2004. He has a 35-year history of open disdain for our troops, and for the institution of the military. It was obvious that, even during his own truncated career in the US Navy, he held the military in contempt. (And, for victims of Outcome Based Education, the word "truncated" means "artificially cut short.") His contempt is so open that Vietnam veterans dubbed him "Hanoi John."


What evidence do I have to support this allegation against John Kerry? How about the fact that, while in command of a Swift Boat in the rivers of Vietnam, he actually beached the boat in order to conduct the one-man assault that he later used as his claim to fame. The very reason for the boat's existence is to be fast and maneuverable in the water. In the process of beaching the boat, he endangered the men under his command (who thus would not have been able to escape a shore-based attack). He also endangered the crews of other nearby Swift Boats, who would've relied upon his boat for mutual fire support during unit operations. (They were hunting for snipers along the river that day. Kerry's boat was stuck in one spot. The other boats engaged the snipers — 800 yards up the river.)


Furthermore, the actions of Kerry, as later related by the Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry, and as Kerry alluded to during his "Winter Soldier" testimony before Congress, should've earned him a court-martial. Apparently, both Kerry and others agree that he beached his Swift Boat, his machinegunner then strafed an enemy position, and then Kerry ran ashore by himself. (He thus abandoned the boat that he was commanding.) There was exactly one enemy insurgent there: a teenage boy, who was already wounded by the machinegunner. Rather than capture the wounded combatant and give medical aid — as required by the International Law of Armed Conflict (the real name of the so-called "law of war") — Kerry executed the teenager with a single shot from his 45-caliber pistol. For that action, which is a war crime, Kerry was awarded the Silver Star. Were the rules bent because John Kerry and his family were wealthy friends with the late President John Kennedy and his family?


Also during his career, there was (and remains) strong evidence that the medals he received were based upon false or inflated statements. (I'm being polite.) In fact, those that served with him have gone on record as saying that John Kerry's wounds were self-inflicted. For those without political connections and ambitions, that would also be a court-martial offense (Article 115, section 2, of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, "Malingering"). It is also considered quite low-life to request a medal — especially a Purple Heart for a superficial wound, especially when it is from shrapnel from one's own grenade. (I have fired grenade launchers — three different models, including the M-79 that Kerry fired that day — and it is foolish to "fire short" for any reason. It is especially foolish to fire short with a high-explosive round while approaching the target in a fast-moving boat. Kerry drove into his own blast.) According to the doctor's report, Lt. Kerry got one small piece of shrapnel, about the size of a small pencil lead. The piece could've been removed at any time, but Kerry left it in his arm until after he debriefed to his commander, and then went to the doctor. The doctor, Louis Letson, later told Dr. Jerome Corsi (co-author of Unfit for Command), "I've seen worse injuries from a rose thorn." Dr. Letson treated the wound with a Band-Aid, and told Kerry to get out of his office.

While in Vietnam, in less than six months Kerry managed to acquire three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, and a Silver Star. He then used an obscure regulation to request a transfer out of Vietnam, based upon the fact that he had been awarded three Purple Hearts. Not only were the other two Purple Hearts issued under equally questionable circumstances, but both the commander and the doctor that saw the "wound" for the first one said that they never saw any paperwork for a Purple Heart, and that they would've refused to sign it if there had been any. Thus, many veterans of the Vietnam War have argued that Kerry owes the government about eight months of "lost time" service in a combat zone. It's a good thing that I'm not the president, because the president could recall him to active duty and send him back to Vietnam. (Of course, he would be regarded as a hero there, now that the Communists are in solid control.)

Even by attempting to show himself as a "warrior" in Vietnam, Kerry actually showed what a "hambone" he really was. The photograph below appears to show the camaraderie of his Swift Boat crew, and what a bunch of fine warriors they were. In reality, to an experienced military eye, it shows quite the opposite.


I don't see a lot of unit pride or cohesion in this photo. No one is looking at Kerry. Kerry is not looking at anyone, including the camera. They are in a combat zone, but Kerry is apparently not wearing his ID tags, as required. (He has a medallion, possibly of Saint Christopher, clearly visible. If his medallion is hanging out, wouldn't his dog tags also be hanging out?) Another crewmember is definitely not wearing his ID tags, because he is not wearing a shirt. Note the crewmember with the white T-shirt. Note the "fresh, crisp" look of his tiger-stripe pants. Tiger stripes were issued to Special Operations troops on deep-insertion missions, and to the Riverine warriors. Now, the crew of PCF 94 might have transported such warriors (who were dropped ashore to engage the enemy in the swamps and forests along the river), but they were not Riverine personnel themselves. If they were, then all of the crew would be wearing tiger stripes. But, if a man wore tiger stripes, then he would also wear a dark T-shirt, because the white T-shirts stand out against a jungle background. (The only Black man in the photo was probably a Riverine warrior. Not only does he have "the look," but his fatigues have obviously been worn...) Thus, Kerry not only allowed a crewmember to wear unauthorized gear (fresh out of the box), but allowed him to "mix and match" to his own liking, thus indicating lax discipline aboard PCF 94. Note the dour looks on most of the faces. Apparently, the morale wasn't any higher than the discipline. By the way, Kerry is standing to the left of the men under his command. The normal position of military honor is to the right. In most photos, most officers — especially Navy officers — would have insisted on at least that aspect of protocol, even in a combat zone. But, to disciplined enlisted men, the protocol would not have needed to be asked for; it would've simply been second nature.

Kerry's disdain for the military has caused him to vote to shrink our military. At the start of Operation Desert Storm, our military was half the size that it was at the end of the Vietnam War — thanks in large part to President Jimmy Carter, and fellow Democrats like John Kerry. By the time of the "9-11" attacks, our military was half the size that it was at the end of Desert Storm — thanks in large part to President Bill Clinton, and fellow Democrats like John Kerry.

Kerry's disdain for the military has also caused him to use the military, and his own purported "credibility" as a "war hero," to undermine our country during time of war. Specifically, while running for president, Senator John Kerry made allegations against the Air National Guard service record of President George W. Bush. The bulk of those allegations was debunked when TV newsman Dan Rather went ahead with a story using documents that were proven to have been falsified. (Some conservatives also feel that Rather's belated "apology" was just as phony as the documents.) But, the TV news was not Kerry's only outlet for his anti-Bush bile.

In an attempt to bolster his own "credibility" about his allegations against President Bush, the tenacious campaigner brought in a retired two-star Air National Guard general. That general criticized President Bush in a Boston Globe interview about his failure to take a required flight physical examination. But, as I wrote in March of 2004, in a column called "Bush Basher's Credibility Crumbles", the words of retired Major General Paul A. Weaver, Jr., are not to be trusted. To summarize that column, General Weaver had a personal history of trying to procure at least one medal for himself under fictional circumstances during Operation Desert Storm, just as the young Lt. John Kerry had done during the Vietnam War. While he was the commander of my last base, Weaver personally oversaw the details of my illegal discharge from the military (despite a solid military career), after I had blown the whistle on an illegal environmental dumping incident that he had also personally supervised. After leaving the military, Federal law requires that senior officers wait at least one year before becoming paid lobbyists. But, Weaver illegally became a registered lobbyist within a few months of his retirement. In his first year as a lobbyist, Weaver made almost a quarter-million dollars in fees, in addition to his military retirement. (By contrast, Uncle Sam owes me at least a quarter-million dollars in back promotions and back pay, in the wake of my illegal discharge. Weaver "has his reward already.") It seems that, by using General Weaver to support his specious allegations, Senator Kerry had found a kindred spirit.

For his long-term lying about our military members, for his disdain of the institution of our military, for his lies to bolster his own military career, for his votes to shrink our military, for his political maneuvering, and — most recently — for his insult of the intelligence of our troops, Senator John Kerry should resign his office immediately.


The above photograph came from a military contact that I've maintained over the years. It came from an e-mail that has been quickly circling the planet. It shows how quickly and effectively our troops have replied to Senator Kerry's insulting remarks ... by agreeing with them. (Thus, they avoid any charges of "using contemptuous words" against a superior. Now, that was pretty smart of them, wasn't it?) I don't know the original source of the photo, and I'm sure that the men in the photo would prefer to keep it that way — lest they end up like Air Force Major General Harold Campbell (whom I spoke with after his retirement, to ask him to be a guest on the talk-radio show that I hosted at that time). General Campbell was forced to retire in 1993, after he made a speech in Belgium that referred to President Bill Clinton as a "dope-smoking, gay-loving, draft-dodging womanizer."

But, as soon as Kerry is out of the Senate, I'm sure that our troops will find more direct ways of communicating their reactions to Kerry's abusive treatment of our troops.

Then, we can continue with the more serious business of our nation, such as demanding that our president immediately secure all of our national borders.

© Tom Kovach