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Home Front: Politix
Kerry Posts Wrong Records
2004-04-23
..When the Boston Globe is running with this stuff...Johnny's got a problem.
Discrepancies noted in Kerry's record, Ex-skipper says website wrong
Vietnam combat records posted on John F. Kerry's campaign website for the month of January 1969 as evidence of his service aboard swift boat No. 94 describe action that occurred before Kerry was skipper of that craft, according to the officer who said he commanded the boat at the time. On the site, the Massachusetts senator is described as the skipper of Navy boat No. 94 during several actions in late January 1969. However, Edward Peck, who was the skipper of the 94 before Kerry took over, said combat reports posted by the campaign for January 1969 involve action when he was the skipper, not Kerry.

Peck, who was seriously wounded in fighting that took place on Jan. 29, 1969, said he believes Kerry campaign aides made a mistake in claiming Kerry as skipper of the 94 at that time. On the Kerry website, the report of the combat on that day on the 94 boat is posted as occurring during Kerry's time as skipper of the boat. Peck said Kerry replaced him after the Jan. 29, 1969, event. "Those are definitely mine," Peck said, referring to the combat reports that the Kerry campaign posted as representing Kerry's action. "There is no doubt about it." A Kerry campaign spokesman, Michael Meehan, said in an e-mail that the campaign had obtained the combat reports for the 94 from the Navy. He did not directly address the question of why the campaign describes Kerry being skipper of the 94 at a time when Peck says he commanded the boat.
Snicker, they got the boats record and never checked to confirm who the skipper was at the time.
The reports at issue are in a 20-page batch representing Kerry's combat in January 1969. The reports include references to some dramatic action, including an ambush of Patrol Craft Fast, or PCF, 94. In addition to posting the information online, the campaign sent out an e-mail yesterday afternoon repeating the claim that Kerry was the skipper of the 94 boat throughout January and describing action the campaign said Kerry experienced while commanding the craft. For example, in a summary of action that occurred Jan. 26, 1969, the campaign says Kerry served on boat No. 94 alongside another boat, No. 66. "PCFs 94 and 66 escorted troops up the Ong Doc River early in the morning when they were ambushed by gun and rocket fire from approximately 40 men on both sides of the river," the campaign summary says. "Two B-40 rounds hit close to Kerry's boat, while PCF 66 received 2 B-40 rocket hits. Three men on PCF66 were wounded. A junk containing South Vietnamese troops was also sunk, killing 11 South Vietnamese troops. Intelligence reports after the mission indicated that the Viet Cong troops may have planned the ambush in advance." Peck said he was the skipper of the 94 at this time and that Kerry was not on the craft. While combat reports show several boats traveling with the 94, the campaign website says only that Kerry was the skipper of the 94 and does not try to place him on the other boats.

In another report, the campaign summarizes action that took place on Jan. 29, 1969, this way: "While Kerry's boat and another [PCF72] were probing a canal along the river, Kerry's boat came under heavy fire and was hit by a B-40 rocket in the cabin area. One member of Kerry's crew -- Forward Gunner David Alston -- suffered shrapnel wounds in his head. His injuries were not considered serious and he was sent to the 29th Evac Hospital at Binh Thuy." Peck said he was the skipper on this day as well. Peck was also injured in the ambush and was hospitalized. As a result, Kerry then took over the crew, Peck said.

The Navy combat report posted by the Kerry campaign states that Peck and Alston were injured in the same event. There is no mention of Kerry in that report. Kerry's commanding officer, George Elliott, said in a telephone interview that he vividly recalls Peck's injury and hospitalization and Kerry's replacement of Peck. "I think somebody made a mistake who doesn't know" the timing of Kerry's service, Elliott said. Kerry was skipper of boat No. 44 in December and January before taking over command of the 94, he said.
Instead of looking like his hero on PT-109, Kerry's looking more like the skipper of PT-73.
Posted by:Mike Kozlowski

#18  The people in the story keep talking about "somebody" in the Kerry campaign made a "mistake."

They're far more charitable than I. I think Kerry's campaign made a mistake, all right - they thought no one who was there would notice or, if they did, wouldn't say anything.

And these clowns think they're capable of running a nation?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-04-23 8:37:00 PM  

#17  
Posted by: Anonymous   2004-04-23 5:44:55 PM  

#16  You know, I bet that guy probably did get a purple heart...but if he did not - then this little scrape of Kerry's is finally going to draw enough blood that he will truly have earned that purple heart.
Posted by: B   2004-04-23 3:14:16 PM  

#15  head wounds to non-essential personnel (i.e.: other than JF'nK) are inconsequential, and not worthy of a medal deservedly self-awarded by his nibs
Posted by: Frank G   2004-04-23 2:55:32 PM  

#14  One member of Kerry's Peck's crew -- Forward Gunner David Alston -- suffered shrapnel wounds in his head. His injuries were not considered serious and he was sent to the 29th Evac Hospital at Binh Thuy. So for 'not serious' wounds you get med evaced. That raises two questions: Did Alston get a Purple Heart for his head wound? If Kerry's wound was so serious as to rate a Purple Heart why was he just treated on site by a corpsman?
Posted by: GK   2004-04-23 2:39:32 PM  

#13  B i am also both :)
Posted by: Dan   2004-04-23 2:18:04 PM  

#12  Crazy Fool - I think the Kerry campain thinks they understand that they can manipulate the information that they put out. Probably in the years before the blogs, they could. The press would have printed the reports about the heroism of Kerry's "boat" and "crew" and would never have mentioned that Kerry wasn't present unless it appeared as a small correction in the last paragraph or an article titled, "Kerry's Patriotism Questioned by GOP".

There is an article on Drudge today about the NYT mis-lableing a photo under the Senate hopeful, Mr. Coors. Under his photo, they ran a caption labeling him a KKK murderer. I don't know, it's probably a mistake....but these days you have to wonder.

In the old days, the propaganda effect of that would have been useful as it would have fooled a certain percentage of the people who would have just been left with a vague, negative impression of the Coors candidate. Most people don't really pay attention to these things.

I say Kerry thinks he can manipulate, because it all seems to be backfiring on him. It's MHO, that they aren't used to the power of the computer and the blogs and haven't yet adjusted their tactics accordingly.

When it comes to the propaganda - these guys are living in the 20th Century, instead of the 21st. IMHO they won't be able to get with the program, as so much of their world is dependent on the old way of doing things. They never really bothered to get in touch with their voters, they just tried to manipulate them with the news media. I just think that's going to be a lot harder to do in the future and I don't think they grasp that yet.
Posted by: B   2004-04-23 1:49:00 PM  

#11  Instead of looking like his hero on PT-109, Kerry's looking more like the skipper of PT-73
I keep getting these two mixed up anyway myself...

Question: Is the Kerry campain only posting records which show SKerry in a 'positive' light? or all his records? Seems like they are being 'filtered' if not outright 'forged' to me.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2004-04-23 1:16:54 PM  

#10  Dan...I was trying to be funny, but I guess that it doesn't preclude me from being both :-)
Posted by: B   2004-04-23 12:58:06 PM  

#9  Correction : I stated "The book, Winter Soldier that he co-authored shows an American Flag upside down and an insulting mockery of Iwo Jima. YA man vote for Kerry."

Should have been The New Soldier

Posted by: Bill Nelson   2004-04-23 12:52:25 PM  

#8  Kozlowski-Instead of looking like his hero on PT-109, Kerry's looking more like the skipper of PT-73.

LtCdr Quintin McHale should not be compared to Kerry. He had a crew of oddballs, but remember, he was an effective warrior. It was his commanding officer, Binghampton, who was the idiot.
Posted by: Anonymous4052   2004-04-23 12:20:13 PM  

#7  B - hard to tell where you stand - either you being funny or your an idiot..

doesn't matter what the e-mail said - it's all in the symantics of the wording. it is written to lead the reader to believe skerry was there. this guy is a true phony. i really do not know why he is pushing the service issue - he has nothing to stand on.

and remember it was democratic badgering of Bush and his record (which was made totally public - not from some hq in some piss water town only!)which will cause the Rebublican machine into action. is it fair for one candidate to have show the money and not the other? the dems dug their own hole on this one.
Posted by: Dan   2004-04-23 12:04:37 PM  

#6  Oh ya did I say Ketchup John's activities after the war were treasonous too? Patriotism=Opportunism for Hanoi John. Those "hearings" in 71 showed what is really made of. The book, Winter Soldier that he co-authored shows an American Flag upside down and an insulting mockery of Iwo Jima. YA man vote for Kerry. What a hero. LMAO....
Posted by: Bill Nelson   2004-04-23 12:00:31 PM  

#5  This makes sense. He threw someone else's medals away during a protest. As Stan Marsh would say, he's an @ss spelunker.
Posted by: Tibor   2004-04-23 11:58:36 AM  

#4  You stoopid Republicans are always questioning Kerry's patriotism. Get over it. Can't you see there ARE NO LIES here.

The email is correct. Kerry's BOAT and members of Kerry's CREW were involved in this action. They never said Kerry was involved.

Your so-called "lies: are actually the truth and there is no need for the Kerry campaign to correct the propaganda effect that they have already taken to the bank over this "so-called" "mistake". Only people who read the Boston Globe or fair minded blogs will ever read about this.

Bwahhahaaahahahahaaaa.
Posted by: B   2004-04-23 11:11:46 AM  

#3  My fellow Americans. The Republican attack machine has once again shown how low they will go to discredit me and my glorious service to our country. I was on the boat before I wasn't on the boat. Have I told you lately that I was in Vietnam.
Posted by: Bill Nelson   2004-04-23 9:35:42 AM  

#2  Dave, They dont have anyone else.... They placed all their eggs in one basket -- a basket with several holes in it.

I wonder what other 'mistakes' there are in his posted records...
Posted by: CrazyFool   2004-04-23 9:20:35 AM  

#1  The left-leaning media will favor their candidate up to a point, but once they get the feeling he's a lemon, they stop showing any mercy. I have to wonder if they're reaching that point with Kerry.
Posted by: Dave D.   2004-04-23 9:11:24 AM  

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