www.washtimes.com/national/20041011-123955-3725r.htm
Past the rice paddies and shacks, small fires are burning by the shoreline as Lt. John H Davi s' 50-foot aluminum swift boat PCF 19 makes its routine patrol throu gh the reeds. In a split second, rocket fire shatters the silence, and through a pl ume of oily smoke, the boat sinks to the river's bottom.
But the scars of war are nothing compared to the demons that wak e him from his sleep, leaving him drenched in sweat and trembling with f ear. "My latest nightmare was that I was pulling my crew out of the water. Davis has come to Washington at his own expense, along with 89 ot her Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, to tape the eighth 60-second TV spot questioning Sen. Others, former prisoners of war, walk stiffly, a result of being bound and tortured. Snow-haired Bud Day, a 79-year-old former POW, stands at attention. H e is wearing a brown leather flight jacket befitting an Air Force major, complemented by the Medal of Honor around his neck. The silver-haired men in natty ties, navy blazers and spit-shined s hoes, their faces bronzed with Ben Nye matte foundation ("tan suede") line up under the hot lights in the cavernous soundstage at Atlantic Vid eo on Massachusetts Avenue. One by one, they share their stories with the cameras and defend thei r honor. These Swiftees, at times jocular (breaking into "Row, row, row your b oat") and at other times on the verge of tears, are angry and frustrated . Not only because they say Mr Kerry has lied about his service and ref uses to sign the form that releases his military records to the public, but because 30 years ago, the candidate threw away his medals and called his fellow servicemen murderers, rapists, baby killers and cowards. The weekend began with a dinner at the Key Bridge Marriott on Friday night, attended by a wealthy backer from Texas, T Boone Pickens. So far, they have raised more than $13 million more than $4 million of which was contributed through their Internet site and plan to step up their assault on the Democratic presidential candidate in the final weeks of the campaign. They raised an additional $25 million over the w eekend and plan to spend $5 million more by Election Day. The weekend shoot produced enough footage for two or three more ads, which the Swiftees plan to run starting Thursday in Pennsylvania and Ohi o and in a few heavily military areas of Florida. Campaign analysts say the Swiftees have been highly effective in planting doubts about Mr Ker ry's fitness for office. Vernon Smith, a 74-year-old Swiftee from Virginia Beach, didn't see a ny reason to come forward before, but when he read "Tour of Duty," Mr K erry's account of his Vietnam service as written by historian Douglas Br inkley, he got angry. Their beef with Mr Kerry has driven them to action, the Swiftees say , as they search their collective memories for the truth. Many say they felt shame before, but now they are a band of brothers. "Unfit for Comma nd," which was co-authored by a leader of the group, is a best seller. "In more than one firefight, Kerry actually pulled our boat out of it and ran out of the canal. He was very aloof an d disdainful of people under him," he said. Chris LaCivita stands behind the monitor, as the men rehearse th eir lines. He is producing the spot, with help from Republican media con sultant Rick Reed. LaCivita, a tall energetic former Marine who received a Purple H eart after he was shot in the face in the first Persian Gulf war, defend s the TV spots against critics who say what happened 30 years ago should n't matter. "Character has always been and will always be a major focus on every candidate running," he said. "So many of the men who were there have leg itimate questions about whether he deserved his citations. But the group has become a lightning rod in recent weeks. In late Aug ust, Benjamin Ginsberg resigned his post as legal counsel for the Bush c ampaign when it became known that he was advising the Swiftees as well. Under scrutiny, several statements made by former "crewmates" of Mr Ker ry have been recanted. One serious misstatement on Mr Kerry's part, they say, was his claim that he was ordered to go to Cambodia in December 1968, an illegal act. Not true, says Mr Gardner, who was on the boat with Mr Kerry at the t ime. Some question Mr Kerry's discharge from the Navy, information about which is still under wraps. "If he's a war hero, why not release the missing information?" "Everybody in this group wants to find out the truth about his service record. Shot down over North Vietnam in 1967, Maj Day suffered numerous inju ries, managed to escape from his prison, walked for two weeks through th e jungle eating live frogs before he was recaptured. He then spent the next six years as a prison cellmate of John McCain, who would become a Republican senator, at the prison the Americans call ed, with bitter irony, the "Hanoi Hilton." Even in a group of decorated war veterans, he stands out as a living legend. The others sheepishly introduce themselves and are honored just to sh ake his still-firm hand. "Kerry betrayed us by telling the people we were committing atrocitie s," Maj Day says. It's impossi ble to let this man masquerade as a war hero and someone who has leaders hip. To imagine this guy who betrayed us becoming president and him bein g the leader of our armed forces is just unthinkable." "He was an arrogant snob," said Mr Hoffman, an engineman 2nd class o n the swift boats, adding that he felt afraid and alone for many years, but now feels buoyed by his Swiftee peers and their mission. Mr Gardner says Mr Kerry used to boast to his fellow servicemen tha t he would be the next JFK.
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