"Swift Boat Veterans For Truth"

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http://www.swiftvets.com/Index2.htm

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Senator Kerry

We write from our common heritage as veterans of duty aboard Swift Boats in the Vietnam War. Indeed, you should note that a substantial number of those men who served directly with you during your four month tour in Vietnam have signed this letter.

It is our collective judgment that, upon your return from Vietnam, you grossly and knowingly distorted the conduct of the American soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen of that war (including a betrayal of many of us, without regard for the danger your actions caused us). Further, we believe that you have withheld and/or distorted material facts as to your own conduct in this war.

We believe you continue this conduct today, albeit by changing from an anti-war to a "war hero" status. You now seek to clad yourself in the very medals that you disdainfully threw away in the early years of your political career. In the process, we believe you continue a deception as to your own conduct through such tactics as the disclosure of only carefully screened portions of your military records. Both then and now, we have concluded that you have deceived the public, and in the process have betrayed honorable men, to further your personal political goals.

Your conduct is such as to raise substantive concerns as to your honesty and your ability to serve, as you currently seek, as Commander-in-Chief of the military services.

It is vital that the American public have as much information as possible about candidates for President of the United States. In various ways, you have rightly called upon President Bush to be fully accountable and to provide full disclosure. In the same spirit, now that you are the presumptive nominee of your Party, we believe it is incumbent upon you to make your total military record open to the American people.

Specifically, we the undersigned formally request that you authorize the Department of the Navy to independently release your military records (through your execution of Standard Form 180), complete and unaltered, including your military medical records. Further, we call upon you to correct the misconceptions your campaign seeks to create as to your conduct while in Vietnam. Permit the American public the opportunity to assess your military performance upon the record, and not upon campaign rhetoric.

Senator Kerry, we were there. We know the truth. We have been silent long enough. The stakes are too great, not only for America in general but, most importantly, for those who have followed us into service in Iraq and Afghanistan. We call upon you to provide a full, accurate accounting of your conduct in Vietnam.

Respectfully


Roy Alexander

Kenneth J. Andrews, Lt.

Dan V. Armstrong, BM2

Ray Lewis Ballew

Alexander Bass

George “M.” Bates

Richard Beers

Paul L. Bennett, Cdr., USN

Edward J. “Lord Mort” Bergin, Capt., USNR Ret.

Henry “Buddy” Berman, QM2

Barry Bogart, EN2

Bob Bolger Cdr., USN Ret.

M.T. Boone

David Borden

Vern Boyd

David M. Bradley, LCdr.

Robert “Friar Tuck” Brant, Cdr. USN (Ret.)

Kenneth Briggs

Carlyle J. Brown , EN2

Kenneth “Buck” Buckholz, GMM3

Michael C. Burton

Joe Cahill, Jr., Lt.

Jack L. Carlson, Lt., USNR

Billy Carwile, EN3

Jack Chenoweth

William Colgan, RD3

Bill Collins

Daniel K. Corbett, Lt., USNR

James M. Corrigan, QM3

Terry Cosstello

John H. Davis, Lt.

William K. Daybert, Cdr.

James Deal

John Dooley, Cdr., USN, Ret.
Dale Duffield , BM1, USN, Ret.

Robert G. Elder, Lt.

George M. Elliott, Capt. USNR, Ret.

Wallace Benjamin Foreman, QM1, USN, Ret.

William T. Ferris, Capt. USNR, Ret.

William E. Franke, LT.jg

Robert L. Franson, BMCS (SW)

Alfred J. French, III, Capt., JAGC, USNR, Ret.

Paul F. Fulcomer, RD3

Ray Fuller, GMG3

Steve Fulton, Cdr., USN, Ret.

Mike Gann, Capt., USNR, Ret.

Steve Gardner

Bill Garlow

Les Garrett

Tony Gisclair

Robert Gnau, QM2

Donald Goldberg

Morton Golde, Cdr. USN, Ret.

Kenneth Golden

Gerald L. Good, Lt. USN

John C. Graves

Charles E. Green, ENCM, USN Ret.

Dennis L. Green, GMG

H.C. Griffin, Jr., Lt. USNR

I.B.S. (Boyd) Groves, Jr.

Charles R. Grutzius, Capt. USNR, Ret.

F.L. Skip “Mustang Sally”

Gunther, Lt. USN

Bill Halpin, Lt. USNR, Ret.

Don C. Hammer, Lt.

Rock Harmon

Keith C. Harris, RD2

Stewart M. Harris, Lt., USN

Gene Hart, RD3

Bob Hastings

Curt Hatler

John Hecker , RD3

Chuck Herman, RD3

Raul Herrera

Tom Herritage

Grant (Skip) Hibbard

Rocky Hildreth

Roy Hoffmann, Adm., USN, Ret.

William P. Holden, Capt., USN Ret.

Wayland Holloway, Lt. USNR

Robert Hooke, Lt.

Andy Horne

John Howell

Warren Hudson

Charles W. Hunt, EN3

Robert Hunt

Gail E. “Ike” Ikerd, Cdr. Ret.
John Paul Jones, QM3

Tom Jones

Eddie Kajioka ENCS, USN Ret.

John L. Kipp, Cdr., USN, Ret.

Thomas H. Klemash

Kenneth Knipple, EN1

Robert Koger, QM2

Mike Kovanen, RD3

Bob Kreyer, GMG2

Jack K. Lane, GMG3

William T. Langham

William Lannom

Joseph R. Lavoie, II CWO2 (BOSN), USN Ret.

Louis Letson, LCdr., USN, Ret.

Jim Madden, RD3

William S. Mann, Jr., LT.jg

Jim Marohn, GMG3

Douglas Martin, Lt. USNR

Tom Mason, Lt.

Donald Matras, EN2 Ret.

Thomas Mason, Lt.
Louis Masterson

Richard McFarland, Lt. USNR

Kenneth B. McGhee

James McNeal, ENC

Larry Meyer

Jack Merkley, Lt.

James M. Miller

Martin Miller, ENC, Ret.

Marc Milligan, GMG2

Benjamin A. Montoya, QM3

Bub Morgan, LT.jg

Edgar (Ed) M. Morrill, Jr.

Tom Morrill, EN3

Wayne H. Moser

Kurt Moss, Lt. J.G.

Frank Mueller

Marc Mulligan, GMG2

Ed Mundy

Richard Olsen, Lt.

John O’Neill

Albert Owens

Tedd Peck, Capt. USNR, Ret.

Robert Phalen, GMG2

Joseph L. Ponder, GMG-2, USN Ret.

Charles Plumley

Chuck Rabel

Bill Rogers , Lt.

Jennings Rogerson II, Capt. USMC Ret.

Patrick Sage GMG3

Gary W. Sallee, BM2

Joe Sandoval, GMG3

Jimmy W. Sanford, RD3

Robert “Bob” Sattergood

Jim Schneider, EN2

Clair J. (Pete) Schrodt, Capt. USN, Ret.

Jack Shamley

Patrick Sheedy, Cdr., USN, Ret.

Paul Shepherd, QM2

Robert B. Shirley, Lt.jg

William Shumadine

Stanley G. Simonson, GMG2
Darryl Skuce, GMG2
John J. Skura

Gerald H. Smith

Roy Smith

B. Tony Snesko BM2

Mike Solhaug

Jack Spratt, LCDR

Stirlin Harris, BM2

Fred E. Stith, USN, (Ret.)

David R. Stefferud, Capt., USN Ret.

James Steffes

Lawrence Stoneberg, Lt. USN Ret.
Weymouth Symmes

W.P. (Sonny) Taylor

James P. Thomas

Eldon Thompson, LT.jg

Charles R. Tinstman, ENC

Gary E. Townsend

William F. Trainer
Michael Turley, BM2

Chris J. Vedborg, RD3

Jeffrey M. Wainscott, LT. jg

David Wallace

Greg Ward, EN2

Larry J. “Waz” Wasikowski,

Cdr. U.S. Naval Reserve

Pete Webster

Robert T. Wedge, Jr., QM1, USN Ret.

Steven Weekley, GMG, QM3

George H. White, II

R. Shelton White, Lt.
Gary K. Whittington, EN3

James D. Wiggins

Dennis D. Willess, EN3

Thomas A. Withey, Lt.

Barnard Wolff

Thomas W. Wright , Cdr., USN Ret.

John Wyatt, GMG

John Yeoman, Lt.

Ex Officio:

Verne DeWitt

David P. Marion , CPT Infantry, US Army

Benjamin A. Montoya, QM3

Cordelia Ogrinz, in memory of her brother Alexander J. Ogrinz, III, Lt.

Rex Rectanus, VADM, USN, Ret.

Skip Ridley

Emmett Tidd

James M. Zumwalt in memory of Elmo Zumwalt, Sr. and Elmo Zumwalt, Jr, his father and brother