Of Swift Boats and Christmas

Beau and I are currently debating the whole Kerry's Christmas trip to Cambodia thing brought up by the Swiftboat Vets for Truth.

Update: Atrios has a brief timeline of events, taken from the New York Times, regarding American military activities in Cambodia.

Here's my latest reply:

Okay. I took my time replying because I wanted to give an informed reply. Your comments area doesn't allow formatting, so links will be explicit, and normally blockquoted sections will be quoted. Here you go:

1. Do explain how Mr. Kerry was purportedly in Cambodia, listening to President Nixon telling the nation he wasn't there? When multiple witnesses, and Mr Kerry HIMSELF on many occasions, place him nearly 60 miles away in Vietnam at the time (oh, and uh, Nixon wasn't President at the time).

I don't think you got this quite right. First, let's examine John O'Neill's letter. In it, it quotes a speech that Kerry gave on the Senate floor:

"Mr. President, I remember Christmas of 1968 sitting on a gunboat in Cambodia. I remember what it was like to be shot at by Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge and Cambodians, and have the President of the United States telling the American people that I was not there; the troops were not in Cambodia."

And it quotes Kerry in an article in the Boston Globe in 1979:

"I remember spending Christmas Eve of 1968 five miles across the Cambodian border being shot at by our South Vietnamese allies who were drunk and celebrating Christmas. The absurdity of almost killed by our own allies in a country in which President Nixon claimed there were no American troops was very real."

Now, let's consider the context in which these things were said. Nixon officially denied -- in 1969 -- that there were US forces in Cambodia. Kerry is not so stupid as to forget who was the sitting President in 1968, and he knew which President made the denial and when. Years later, Kerry refers to Nixon's 1969 statement and then disputes it by saying he (Kerry) was in Cambodia in 1968, less than a year before the Nixon denial was made. This is not the order of how it was said in his remarks, but it is clear that that was the intent. This is a case of taking a quote out of context.

Next, as for Kerry's actual location on Christmas, 1968, I don't know. A couple of his crewmates have denied going into Cambodia at the time, and Kerry has mentioned it himself (most notable in his biography by Douglas Brinkley). However, let's consider a couple of things. First, we know that Kerry's boat patrolled rivers along the borders of Cambodia. We also know that in March 1969, Nixon ordered the secret bombings of Cambodia, three months after the Christmas in question. I'm not too clear on the history of when Cambodia became an "official" target, but Nixon did deny there were US military forces and/or activity there. And many books have been written how there were plenty of "unsanctioned" or illegal U.S. operations in the Vietam war. Isn't it plausible, then, that Kerry's Swift boat -- as well as others -- would have been operating in Cambodia, under orders, though not officially sanctioned? According to Kerry, among his operations, he and his crew ferried weapons to sympathetic Cambodians. Other boats (perhaps even Kerry's) ferried special forces and CIA operatives to locations within Cambodia. And after all, you need to do some recon before a bombing run can be made (if Johnson was still in office at the time, I'm sure he would have ordered the bombing). You need people on the ground at your targets to pinpoint them. Like I said, it isn't clear exactly where he was on Christmas, 1968. Maybe he was in Cambodia at the time, or maybe he was taking dramatic license. Or maybe he was offering up a lame denial of doing something "illegal" there. I mean, politics aside, his superiors among the Swift Boat group would probably the first to deny such operations since they were the ones to order those boats in there. If the official line of the Nixon administration was to deny such activities, why not continue that statement down the line of command? I just went on a little tangent. It may be a stretch, but it is valid. Regardless of where Kerry actually was on Christmas, 1968, it's a minor point. It is still more than likely that he and his crew operated in Cambodia at least once during that tour of duty.


2. Why won't he release his medical records from the time? Could it be that one of his Purple Hearts came from a *cough*self-inflicted*cough* wound that was treated with a BAND-AID?

I don't know why. However, the Kerry Campaign did release medical records to the non-partisan group, FactCheck.org (This group analyzes statements from both major political parties for accuracy). Here's their analysis of the Swift Boat group. In it, it says:

"...The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth further says Kerry didn't deserve his third purple heart, which was received for shrapnel wounds in left buttocks and contusions on right forearm..."

"...And according to a Navy casualty report released by the Kerry campaign, the third purple heart was received for "shrapnel wounds in left buttocks and contusions on his right forearm when a mine detonated close aboard PCF-94..."

This second statement refers to two separate events. The first, the self-inflicted wound in the butt, caused by shrapnel when Kerry was too close to rice bin explosions caused by a grenade (or grenades) that he threw. This wound by itself would qualify for a Purple Heart because of a "friendly fire" rule:

"...In any case, even a 'friendly fire' injury can qualify for a purple heart 'as long as the friendly projectile or agent was released with the full intent of inflicting damage or destroying enemy troops or equipment,' according to the website of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. All agree that rice was being destroyed that day on the assumption that it otherwise might feed Viet Cong fighters..."

Kerry's arm injury was not caused by the rice/grenade incident. It was caused by a mine that damaged his boat:

"...And according to a Navy casualty report released by the Kerry campaign, the third purple heart was received for 'shrapnel wounds in left buttocks and contusions on his right forearm when a mine detonated close aboard PCF-94,' Kerry's boat. As a matter of strict grammar, the report doesn't state that both injuries were received as a result of the mine explosion, only the arm injury..."

Kerry's diary seems to match up with the official reports of both incidents. And as for the "superficial wound" that accounted for Kerry's first Purple Heart:

"Two who appear in the ad say Kerry didn't deserve his first purple heart. Louis Letson, a medical officer and Lieutenant Commander, says in the ad that he knows Kerry is lying about his first purple heart because 'I treated him for that.' However, medical records provided by the Kerry campaign to FactCheck.org do not list Letson as the 'person administering treatment' for Kerry’s injury on December 3, 1968 . The medical officer who signed this sick call report is J.C. Carreon, who is listed as treating Kerry for shrapnel to the left arm."

"In his affidavit, Letson says Kerry's wound was self-inflicted and does not merit a purple heart. But that's based on hearsay, and disputed hearsay at that. Letson says 'the crewman with Kerry told me there was no hostile fire, and that Kerry had inadvertently wounded himself with an M-79 grenade.' But the Kerry campaign says the two crewmen with Kerry that day deny ever talking to Letson."

"Also appearing in the ad is Grant Hibbard, Kerry’s commanding officer at the time. Hibbard’s affidavit says that he 'turned down the Purple Heart request,' and recalled Kerry's injury as a 'tiny scratch less than from a rose thorn.'"

"That doesn't quite square with Letson's affidavit, which describes shrapnel 'lodged in Kerry's arm' (though 'barely.')"

"Hibbard also told the Boston Globe in an interview in April 2004 that he eventually acquiesced about granting Kerry the purple heart."

"Hibbard: 'I do remember some questions on it. . .I finally said, OK if that's what happened. . . do whatever you want'"

"Kerry got the first purple heart after Hibbard left to return to the US ."

3. The inconsistencies of Kerry's 4-month stay in Vietnam abound.

Yes, I'm sure there are -- for BOTH John Kerry, as well as his detractors. And let's not forget that Kerry's stay in Vietnam was not four months. The events that are being disputed happened on Kerry's second tour of duty in Vietnam.