O neill, a lawyer and swift boat veteran, and corsi, an expert on vietnam antiwar movements, argue that kerry misrepresented his wartime exploits and is therefore incompetent to serve as commander in chief. Hayes, who oversees the companys office in alexandria, va. Swiftboating refers to the group swift boat veterans for truth that accused john kerry of fabricating his exploits to win decorations during his military service in vietnam when he ran for. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry book online at best prices in india on.
They produce an awful lot of damn fine original reporting. Unfit for command swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry authors. Patrol craft fast or swift boats assigned to coastal squadron one. Oneill, a lawyer and swift boat veteran, and corsi, an expert on vietnam antiwar movements, show how kerry misrepresented his wartime exploits and is therefore incompetent to serve as commander in chief. Many took exception to the purple hearts awarded to kerry, swift boat veteran william e. Over 250 swift boat veterans have endorsed the accounts in this book. May 04, 2017 the swift boats had faded from the american consciousness for decades, they wrote, but in 2004, swift boats surfaced briefly and notoriously when prorepublican swift veterans upended the. Origin of swiftboating after the swift boat veterans for truth, a group of swift boat crew. Leftist politics and the cult of personality and the coauthor of unfit for command. The swift boat veterans new york times bestselling book unfit for command, and their now famous television ads experienced great success during the campaign. Kerry that challenges his fitness to serve as americas commanderinchief.
If you are not yet a member please click the join button to find out more details. Swift boat dictionary definition swift boat defined. Oct 10, 2004 the book a sort of companion piece to the political attack ads placed by oneills group, swift boat veterans for truth is a furious assault on kerrys character and service in vietnam. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry oneill, john e. Swift vets and pows for truth, formerly known as the swift boat veterans for truth, was a political group of united states swift boat veterans and former prisoners of war of the vietnam war, formed during the 2004 presidential election campaign for the purpose of opposing john kerrys candidacy for the presidency. Democratic presidential nominee john kerry, you may have heard, commanded a swift boat during the war in vietnam.
Kerry is unfit to be commander and chief of the united states. While much has been written about the identity and history of john e. News about swift boat veterans for truth, including commentary and archival articles published in the new york times. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry, which dominated the presidential campaign in 2004. Nov 08, 2006 swiftboat veterans for truth ad on john kerry sellout. Buttressed by interviews with navy veterans who patrolled vietnams waters, some along with kerry, the book claims he exaggerated minor injuries, self inflicted. The swift boats had faded from the american consciousness for decades, they wrote, but in 2004, swift boats surfaced briefly and notoriously when pro. Franke, a silver star recipient, wrote to the authors in march. I shot brothers in arms in the summer and early fall of 2003 long before there was anything called the swift boat veterans for truth. What sort of combination of hypocrite and paradox is john kerry. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry kindle edition by oneill, john e.
In his book about kerry titled unfit for command, coauthor john oneill wrote of an account by an army veteran named doug reese that said that when. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry is a 2004 book about then u. Corsi simon and schuster, aug 25, 2004 political science 256 pages. The swift boat sailors association is a veterans organization created. Over the past few weeks, veterans and pundits have argued about what actually. The ads were endlessly parsed within the context of a new media environment and an anxious electorate divided over questions of war and national security. The term swiftboating also swift boating or swift boating is a pejorative american neologism used to describe an unfair or untrue political attack. Obama nation failed where the swift boat attack succeeded for three major reasons. Navy swift boat, or patrol craft, fast pcf, was used extensively during the vietnam war to inhibit the movement of enemy troops and supplies in the coastal waters and rivers of south vietnam. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Your donations to this effort would be appreciated. In television advertisements and a book called unfit for command, coauthored by john oneill and jerome corsi, the swift boat veterans for truth sbvt, a 527 group later known as the swift vets and pows for truth, questioned details of. As for his bronze star, one of the swift boat veteran for truth leaders questioning kerrys medal was larry thurlow, who served alongside kerry the day that he got his bronze star. Dec 14, 2006 the federal election commission says swift boat veterans for truth, and two other 527 organizations, broke the law during the 2004 bushkerry race and now must pay fines. Swift boats at war in vietnam by guy gugliotta, hardcover. What he learned convinced himand convinced the majority of veterans who served directly with kerrythat john kerry was and is unfit for command at the lowliest rank in the navy, let alone as commander in chief of the united states. The book a sort of companion piece to the political attack ads placed by oneills group, swift boat veterans for truth is a furious assault on kerrys character and service in vietnam. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry, and lt. The election of 2004 swift boat veterans for truth. William rood is an editor with the chicago tribune and a former commander of one of the swift boats with kerry on that day on the dong cung river.
The federal election commission says swift boat veterans for truth, and two other 527 organizations, broke the law during the 2004 bushkerry race. From the veterans memoirs of swift boats at war in vietnam by the time i got to cat lo in mid1970 the navy was turning over all the american swift boats to the vietnamese. The published swiftboat coastal squadron one swift boat. Adapted from a civilian crew boat used to transport workers to and from offshore oil rigs in the gulf of mexico, this twin. Congressman, i dont need any lessons from you about who i represent. These attacks succeeded, in part, because they resonated deeply with longheld american divisions over the vietnam war, and with longstanding suspicions that the democratic party was weak on national security issues. Aug 25, 2004 democratic presidential nominee john kerry, you may have heard, commanded a swift boat during the war in vietnam. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry first printing by john e. On may 4, 2004, the swift boat veterans for truth went public at a news conference organized by merrie spaeth at the national press club. The stories in this book cover the swift boats early years, which saw searchandinspect operations in vietnams coastal waters, and their later years, when the swift boats mission shifted to the mekong deltas labyrinth of 3,000 miles of rivers, streams, and canals. More than 250 swift boat veterans contacted by the group have agreed to sign an open letter to senator john f. The swifties, as they became known, produced an antikerry television ad, promoted the antikerry statements of several veterans who also served on swift boat crews in vietnam, and became the springboard for a book about kerry titled unfit for command and coauthored by john e.
His campaign jets a handful of veterans around the country, and trots them out at public appearances to sing his praises. Swiftboat veterans for truth ad on john kerry sellout. The swift boat veterans for truth and its effective television advertisements the most memorable of the campaign became one of the most important elements of the 2004 election. Vets say billionaire is going back on his word abc news. The swift boat veterans for truth had set out to host a single press conference to voice their opposition to kerry and his bid for the white house. The swift boat veterans for truth emerged as a legend of presidential campaign politics in the summer of 2004 when, with the backing of allies of george w. Despite kerrys official honorable military record, the organization contended that kerry had conducted himself dishonorably during his vietnam service, and was therefore unfit for command. It is available from amazon and the casemate publishers website. Swift boat veterans for the truth, an organization composed of former naval officers who served as peers or superiors to john kerry in vietnam, has sponsored a tv ad sharply critical of kerry. Swift boat veterans for truth was a 527 political advocacy organization that strongly opposed democrat john kerry in the 2004 campaign. Presidential candidate john kerry by john oneill and. During the vietnam war i was task force commander at an thoi, and my tour of duty was months, from. Oct 15, 2004 swift boat lieslike most bloggers, i have my beefs with the mainstream media. To my fellow vietnam veterans, i join in a hearty welcome home.
The group disbanded and ceased operations on may 31, 2008. The ny times also put together this handy graphic to track all the bush and rove connections in their slimy glory, as well as several of the swift boat veterans lies. Provides swiftboatpatrol craft fast pcf background, call signs, command lists, lists. Swift boat sailors association has two levels of membership available, active and associate memberships. The real story of the sinking of pcf19, by james steffes, enc retired we served in silence, by glenn k. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry from regnery publishing. It has since become a popular term with leftist journalists. Accusations against john kerry from former navy swift boat. Mar 17, 2015 after the swift boat veterans released their criticisms of kerry, two of kerrys former navy colleagues went public in support of him. The book is wellresearched, welldocumented, and full of personal accounts from people who were actually there.
Swiftboating dictionary definition swiftboating defined. A book party was held for john oneill, coauthor of unfit for command. Adapted from a civilian crew boat used to transport workers to and from offshore oil. Swiftboat birtherman jerome corsi might see time in the. Swift boat veterans offer opinions about john kerry. Coined from the 2004 us presidential campaign, where the the conservative group swift boat veterans for truth aired a commercial criticizing democrat john kerrys reputation as a war hero in vietnam. Setting the record straight on the swift boat veterans. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry john e. The term is derived from the name of the organization swift boat veterans for truth sbvt, later the swift vets and pows for truth because of their widely publicizedand later discreditedcampaign against 2004 u. Corsi and the conservative talk radio hosts were hoping for another knockout blow with this book in 2008.
Bush, they revived attacks on kerrys opposition to the vietnam war and suggested that he was lying about details of his military service. Unofficial site supportive of swift boat veterans for truth and their book. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading unfit for command. To veterans everywhere, thank you for your service. This book is a serious work discussing kerrys less than 4month tour in vietnam and his antiwar, antiamerican activities after the war. The book was released at the time that ads by swift vets and pows for truth, a group founded by oneill to oppose kerrys campaign, were being aired on u. Jerome corsi is largely responsible for the two most egregious republican attacks of the last fifteen years. The act of discrediting a political opponent by making exaggurated or outrightly false claims about hisher character and past actions. The book is comprised two sections, the first concerned with john f. Swift boat veterans for truth was launched on may 4, 2004 at a press conference at the national press club in washington. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry the thesis of the book is that john f. The campaign inspired the widely used political pejorative swiftboating.
The last known command control boat ccb18 has arrived in san diego and is displayed at the vietnam navy unit memorial monument site on the coronado naval amphibious base. Vietnam swift boat veteran john oneill has picked up just where he left. A memoir of invincible youth, by virgil erwin swift boat down. Dan daly is the author of white water red hot lead, a memoir about his swift boat experiences in vietnam. The campaign inspired the widely used political pejorative swiftboating, to describe an unfair or untrue political attack. Kerry in viet nam and the second concerned with john f. Swift boat veterans speak out against john kerry by john e oneill and jerome r. Oneill one of the authors of the forthcoming regnery book unfit for command. In television advertisements and a book called unfit for command, coauthored by john oneill and jerome corsi, the swift boat veterans for truth sbvt, a 527 group later known as the swift vets and pows for truth, questioned details of his military service record and circumstances relating to the awarding of his combat medals. Senator john kerry has made his 4month combat tour in vietnam the centerpiece of his bid for the presidency. Unfit for command swift boat veterans speak out against. According to the whois database, it was registered on august 6th 2004 by william e.
990 427 864 369 1052 511 1190 809 92 843 1205 944 392 765 197 1381 1441 760 1401 164 224 354 1153 941 703 1318 231 931 1356 209 856 1013 546 737 409 181 199 1129