With a Tear in My Eye
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| Mon, 10-18-2004 - 1:54am |
With A Tear In My Eye
This is a letter that I hoped I would never write.
I just finished watching the latest so called “Swift Boat Veterans For Truth†TV commercial. I felt I could no longer remain silent.
My name is Joe Muharsky. I served on the U.S.S. Brister (Destroyer Escort #327) in the Vietnam War, 1967 as a 3rd class Petty Officer in the United States Navy in “Operation Market Timeâ€. I also served as a Petty Officer 2nd class as “Forward Machine Gunner, manning an M60 machine gun on PCF (Swift Boat) #78 in Coastal Division 12, DaNang, Vietnam in 1968. From there I served as Forward Machine Gunner on PCF (Swift Boat) #94, An Thoi Vietnam, Jan 69-April 69. I would like to point out that I, like Senator Kerry, volunteered for all of these missions. I still have the original Navy document that states, “Your request for duty in Vietnam has been acceptedâ€, so if you think “I†am not telling the truth, just e-mail me and I will send you a copy.
Just to set the record straight, I was not part of Senator Kerry’s crew. We shared the 94 boat, but in reality, we took whatever boat was not in for repairs on any given day.
Did I know Senator Kerry in Vietnam? I knew who he was but did not know him personally. I have met and talked to him more than once sense Vietnam.
I am a member of “The Swift Boat Sailors Associationâ€. I “WAS†also a member of “The Swift Boat Sailor’s Chat Network.†I no longer am a member of that because all of the members were asked to not discuss politics, or Senator Kerry, on there. I had no problem with that. Many who were against Senator Kerry could not bring themselves to adhere to that. That chat network was created so those of us that fought together as “Brothers in Arms†could link up and talk about our experiences on Swift Boats. When it became a political tool for those against Senator Kerry, I just said, “I love you all, Goodbye.†The very Swift Boat Sailor that founded the “Chat Network†left it in disgust.
One of the pledges I made to myself an others was that I would never knock another Swift Boat Sailor. After watching The ads, I now have to break that pledge. I do so with sadness in my heart and a tear in my eye.
Mr. John O'Neill is the spokesman for the SBVT.
Here are a few of Mr. O’Neill’s statements: They were quoted from the website
Swiftvets.ariposte
I do not know the man who put this website together but the statements attributed to the SBVT are not rumors, they are quotes.
What Mr. O’Neill says now:
"I was never in Cambodia, and Kerry lied when he said he was in Cambodia."
1971: O'NEILL: I was in Cambodia, sir. I worked along the border on the water.
NIXON: In a swift boat?
O'NEILL: Yes, sir.
Some more quotes from O’Neill:
"In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, O'Neill did not dispute what he said to Nixon, but insisted he was never actually in Cambodia.
If you don’t dispute that you said it, yet insist you were not in Cambodia Mr. O’Neill, I am not sure what you would call that but where I come from it is called a Lie.
More from Mr. O’Neill:
"How do I know he's not in Cambodia? I was on the same river, George. I was there two months after him. Our patrol area ran to Sedek, it was 50 miles from Cambodia. There isn't any watery border. The Mekong River's like the Mississippi. There were gunboats stationed right up there to stop people from coming. And our boats didn't go north of, only slightly north of Sedek. So it was a made-up story."
And then he said this:
"I think I made it very clear that I was on the border, which is exactly where I was for three months. I was about 100 yards from Cambodia," O'Neill said in clarifying the June 16, 1971, conversation with Nixon."
OK, Which is it Mr. O’Neill, 50 miles, or 100 yards? Maybe it will be 10 miles when you speak tomorrow! I am sure some voters would like to know.
O'Neill: "The account in our book is very similar to Bill Roods article except that Bill Rood's article makes the Vietcong killed by John Kerry into an adult clothed in pajamas whereas our book describes him as a young Vietcong in a loincloth...Mr. Larry Lee on Bill Rood's boat confirmed our description."
Larry Clayton: "...Lee said he didn't see Kerry chase a soldier behind a hooch — a thatched hut — and kill him, but he said he doesn't question the account. "I was too busyâ€
I ask you again Mr. O’Neill, Which statement is true?
Another SBVT:
Alfred French: " I am able to swear, as I do hereby swear, that all facts and statements contained in this affidavit are true and correct and within my personal knowledge and belief."
Alfred French:" I served with John Kerry. . . . He is lying about his record."
Alfred French: " I was not a witness to these events but my friends were."
I ask you Mr. French, Which is it?
And More SBVT:
Larry Thurlow: "...there was no hostile enemy fire directed at my boat or at any of the five boats operating on the river that day."
Van O'Dell: "There was no enemy fire from either bank."
Larry Thurlow’s Bronze Star citation in 1969 for the same raid says, "...all units began receiving enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire from the river banks."
Did you protest then and return your Bronze Star because it was a lie, Mr. Thurlow? Have you ever returned it?
George Elliott’s statement on Thurlow’s Bronze Star:
"All of these actions by LTJG THURLOW took place under constant enemy small arms fire which LTJG Thurlow completely ignored in providing immediate assistance to the boat and crew."
Thurlow claims he thought his Bronze Star was for a rescue he attempted even though there was no enemy fire - and felt he deserved it (until this "recent revelation" of enemy fire). He is critical, at the same time of Kerry having received a Bronze Star for a rescue Kerry did in the supposed absence of enemy fire! So, what is it Mr. Thurlow? Do you deserve a Bronze Star even if there was no enemy fire? Or do you not?
You have included in your ad Mr. O’Neill that Senator Kerry’s former gunner Stephen Gardner has signed on with you to discredit Senator Kerry’s service.
What you do not mention is the Mr. Gardner was never on PCF 94 as part of Senator Kerry’s crew and in fact was never present for any of the actions that Senator Kerry received his awards for.
Gardner did serve under Kerry's command on PCF (Patrol Craft Fast) 44, he has admitted that he -- just like the rest of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth claiming that Kerry is lying about his medals -- was not present for the incidents leading to Kerry's receipt of any medals or any of Kerry's three Purple Hearts.
Gardner said that of Kerry's three Purple Hearts, he could only attest to the first; Gardner later admitted to that he was "not on the boat with him " when that injury occurred.
What about the real members of Senator Kerry’s crew Mr. O’Neill? Gene Thorson, David Alston, Thomas Belodeau, Del Sandusky, Fred Short. To a man they all back Senator Kerry and his accounts of what really happened. What about JIM RASSMANN, The Green Beret whose life was saved by senator Kerry? Is he a liar too Mr. O’Neill?
You and your people claimed to have “Served†with Senator Kerry. You claim to be the expert on Senator Kerry’s service even though you did not arrive there until Senator Kerry had left. I guess by your standards I must have served with him also. I was happy to see Ted Kopple expose you Mr. O’Neill. I hope others saw that too.
Have you ever gone to Factcheck.org to see just what a fool and a liar you are Mr. O’Neill. I would be ashamed if that is what Factcheck had to say about me. I hope they check me out too to see if I am lying.
Every official Navy Document discredits what you say to be “The Truth†Mr. O’Neill.
You Mr. O’Neill are a disgrace to every man that ever wore a uniform, and the United States Navy. By your judgment , do we have to look into every man’s record that ever received a medal or just Senator Kerry’s.
Now former POW Paul Galanti, has decided to join the SBVT.
Galanti does not remember hearing Kerry's name at the Hanoi Hilton, but he does remember the voice.
Part of the new Swift Vet ad has Kerry explaining the military atrocities he says he saw in Vietnam. Kerry said that American soldiers "... razed villages in the fashion of Genghis Khan."
With all due respect Mr. Galanti, let me correct you and the ads the SBVT have put out. Senator Kerry did not say that. What he said was, “They told stories that at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Ghengis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country." He was quoting what other Veterans had related to him.
I guess it was convenient for the North Vietnamese and the SBVT to leave out “They told stories that at times they hadâ€. And just put …(three dots) in front of a part of a sentence so it would benefit them. Check Senator Kerry’s testimony yourself and again we will see who is telling the truth.
Kerry's Testimony
Also Mr. Galanti you stated, "I'd been there five years. The peace talks had been going on two years. There was no end in sight. The Vietnamese are telling us, 'we're never going home because we're war criminals.' And here comes a guy purporting to be an American Naval officer saying, 'Yeah, we did commit war crimes,' saying exactly what they said. It was just devastating. Terribly demoralizing."
I hope you notice that I did not put … in front of your quote. I printed it all. In it you said, “There was no end in sightâ€. The war had been going on for 7 years with 40,000 dead when Senator Kerry made his statement and no one had a plan to win. How long do you think you would have been in that prison camp if people like Senator Kerry did not speak up and say, “This war is wrong?†How many more POW’s did you want to join you in the “Hanoi Hilton for a Policy gone wrong. Would all of you be happy if the whole county supported this war and we were still fighting it today. How many more POW’s did we need and how man more names on that wall before you said, Something is wrong here?
I was never a POW Mr. Galanti so you will have to answer this question? You became a POW in 1966. Was your treatment at the hands of the North Vietnamese good in the 5 years before Senator Kerry spoke out? Was there no torture� If Senator Kerry had not spoken out would your treatment have improved?
Your wife Phyllis said, "It just demoralized us beyond comprehension. How can this be, while our men are being tortured and locked up in an enemy prison camp? How can he be saying these things in this country?"
Again, take note I printed the whole sentence.
I would have thought that the wives of the POW’s would be demoralized by a government that would send our pilots into harms way and put targets “Off Limitsâ€, including the very Anti-Aircraft guns that shot our pilots down?
I could go on and on but it would make this statement too long. You are welcome to go here and check the facts on who said what from the SBVT. It is not my website.
Swiftvets.eriposte
Speaking of my website you can view it here if you like.
My Webpage
You will note that it is not a political site. I wrote it and dedicated it to fifty-two brave Swift Boat sailors who have their names etched in a black granite wall in Washington D.C. I could have used it for political gain for Senator Kerry. I did not.
I might also add that I am a moderator on Senator Kerry’s “Internet Town forum†and I was known as “Xinloi†on that forum before I was a moderator. Please check all my posts and see if I choose to promote my candidate or put down our President.
When I came home from Vietnam I was in the United States 16 hours after a combat patrol. I thought I was on another planet.
I was engaged to a beautiful Young woman then. I could not communicate with anyone so we broke up and went our separate ways. I could not talk about Vietnam for 18 years. I became older and wiser, educated myself on what happened in Vietnam and was proud of who I was.
I re-met and married that woman in 1995 and it was only then that she found out what I did in Vietnam. Now I am fighting that war all over again.
You Mr. O’Neill have succeeded in turning veteran against veteran and as far as I am concerned are a disgrace to Swift Boat Veterans and all veterans everywhere.
At the republican convention they had ladies wearing “Purple Heart†band-aids on their faces. That was to signify that Senator Kerry did not deserve his Purple Hearts. Where was your outrage over this Mr. O’Neill? My engineman received small shrapnel wound in his arm on March 7, 1969. He is my friend and he is strongly against Senator Kerry. I guess his wound was OK with you though because he is against Senator Kerry. No Band-Aid for him. We had to take a replacement engineman with us the next day because the surgeon on the Coast Guard cutter saw fit to open a wide hole in my engineman arm to retrieve a small piece of shrapnel. The replacement lost a large part of his face and took an AK47 round in the leg. You know as well as me that every time we took a Swift Boat out that it was the luck of the draw as to who came back, who received a small piece of shrapnel in the arm, or eye.
Our VA hospitals have veterans who never even received a scratch. Their wounds are in their minds and will never heal. A band aid for them too?
I am just a common person who has proudly served his country when needed Mr. O’Neill. I do not have your status or money or Republican’s standing in line to give me money to sway this election. I wish I did because I would make an ad and tell the real Truth about all the brave sailors who served on Swift Boats. Not your Bull"expletive deleted". I guess the Right Wing news does not have me on any of their programs because I don’t make good news.
What are you doing to support your country Mr. O’Neill? If you feel that leading the SBVT is serving your country, that is sad.
After September 11, 2001,I decided to serve my country and President Bush by joining the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and became a Coxswain in command of Coast Guard auxiliary boats and Operations Officer for the Flotilla. My wife joined also and became one of my crewmembers. I still work for a living but I have donated over 300 hours of my time including 102 hours in 15 days in August to serving my country. In those 15 days I completed 8 Search and Rescue missions and helped save 8 lives.
One of them was a young boy of 16. He had less than 60 seconds to live when my crew pulled him from the water. He was screaming for help and had gone under 3 times. The United States Coast Guard has recommended our crew for a Medal. That one will not get tucked away in the drawer with the others. Thirty-five years ago, I sadly became good a taking life. It was much more gratifying to save a life. Once again I was proud to be serving my country. I would not be if I were you Mr. O’Neill.
As Far as atrocities and war crimes in Vietnam Mr. O’Neill if you do not think they occurred perhaps you should look up “My Laiâ€, or Operation phoenix in your computers search engine.
I participated in burning down villages as a Swift Boat sailor in Vietnam Mr. O’Neill. I even snapped pictures. They are on my website. I watched soldiers interrogate one of our prisoners by hooking a blasting cap detonator to his ears. I went into rivers and canals shooting ahead of us into the bank from the moment we got there. I had no problem with any of this at the time, I have no problem with it today and I will have none in the future.
I will be willing to take a lie detector test to this Mr. O’Neill. Would you be willing to do the same for your statements?
The fact is though, it did happen. We were not 60-year-old men as the public sees us now. We were 20 year old kids and teenagers just trying to stay alive. We only fought for the man next to us and the man next to him when the going got rough.
I never received a Purple Heart Mr. O’Neill but I have held my brothers in my arms and listend to them scream. I never heard one man scream for liberty, honor, or justice.
Who the hell are you, Mr. O’Neill, to decide whose service was honorable, and who’s was not.
I truly believe that in 16 days when John Kerry becomes president, you will be just another footnote in history and I hope you hang your head in shame.
The Swift boat Sailors Association created an award in 2003. It is called “The Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr. Humanitarian Awardâ€. The first ever award was to be presented to the Swift Boat Sailor they felt was the most deserving of it at our last reunion.
Perhaps that is why it hangs in a place of honor in my home Mr. O’Neill, not yours.
Moderator16
Joe Muharsky
RD2, United States Navy Black Berets Vietnam
Forward Machine Gunner, PCF 78, DaNang, 1968
Forward Machine Gunner, PCF 94, An Thoi, 1969
U.S.S. Brister, Destroyer Escort #327, Vietnam, 1967
Operation Market Time, Operation Seal Lords, Operation Phoenix
Coxswain and flotilla Operations officer, United States Coast Auxilliary 2002-
