John Kerry At The 2003 Swift Boat Veterans Reunion

From the best-selling book, Unfit For Command:

Kerry had made a cameo appearance accompanied by a film crew and a corps of directors and assistants at an earlier outdoor event. Pushing aside various Swiftees, Kerry positioned himself dockside so he could be filmed on the restored PCF that was the centerpiece of the reunion. As was his habit, Kerry ignored many of his fellow Swiftees. He placed himself front and center for the camera shot, pushing aside Swiftees like Jack Chenoweth, an oficer and one of the true heroes of the "Rassman" incident -- which we will discuss in due course, and which Kerry later lied about in a $50 million ad campaign.

One of Kerry's political aides singled out some Swiftees to participate in his video. Most declined. After filming the cameo and allowing one or two snapshots to be taken dockside, Kerry and his entourage disappeared, not bothering to attend a memorial service for the Swiftees who had died in Vietnam. To many, Kerry's conduct at the 2003 reunion seemed exactly in character. Kerry's service in Vietnam had been devoted largely to his own self-interest at the cost of comradeship, honor, and tradition.

Comments

[itsme]

John O'Neill is lying per usual. Or repeating someone else's lie without bothering to check the facts. Same thing.

If he had bothered to read the Boston Globe article about Kerry's visit to the reunion, he would know that Kerry spent more than five hours at the reunion, staying through lunch and the screening of the documentary made by Don Droz's daughter:

http://orphansofwar.org/press.html#top
(Globe article reprinted at filmmaker's page)

He'd also know that the memorial Kerry "couldn't be bothered" to attend was the NEXT DAY. As the US was busy invading Iraq that weekend, maybe Kerry has an excuse for not spending the night and the next day. What excuse do any of the others who didn't "bother" to attend have?

[Tom McMahon]

Thanks for responding on behalf of the Kerry Campaign!