Black Vets Say Swift Boat Ads Are Suspect

[Nicholas_J]

Black Vets Say Swift Boat Ads Are Suspect
By Christine Phillip, BET.com Staff Writer

Posted August 27, 2004 – A number of Black veterans say that a series of TV ads casting doubt on John Kerry’s claims of bravery in Vietnam are nothing more than Republican attempts to distract the nation from pressing national issues.Advertisement


“As far as I’m concerned, Kerry served, and if anyone served in the zone, on the boat as he did and made it out, he ought to be commended,” says Joe Wynn, a Vietnam-era vet.

“We have so many other important issues to deal with,” he adds. “There is the war in Iraq, high rates of unemployment, especially among African Americans, and high numbers of people who do not have health insurance, and we are debating about someone’s Vietnam records. It’s ridiculous. I think as the election nears, they won’t make a difference.”

http://www.bet.com/articles/0,,c1gb10498-11622,00.html

[Richardo]

1. Thank you, Mr Wynn...you are so right.

...and thanks for your service. :thumbsup:

[Maat]

2. Here! Here!

n/t

[wicket]

3. Wow, this is a great article!

Thanks for posting it :)

[Nicholas_J]

6. Okey Dokey

N/T

[skip fox]

4. Resource file on Swift Boat Liars for Hire!! Here at DU.

A solid overview of the Swift Boat Story including

I. Introduction and History of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (hereafter SBVT)

II. Recent Accounts of Other Swift Boat Vets and Others
--a. Vets who Were Kerry Contradicting the SBVT
--b. People with Special Information Contradicting SBVT
--c. New Vets Contradicting Kerry

III. New Charges against Kerry About his Service

IV. Changes or Qualifications in Stories of Individual SBVT

V. Points of Collusion Between Republicans and the SBVT

Broken into separate posts (for ease of jumping) and all with easy-to-use hot links:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x70318

Please inform me of new stories and links as they occur and I'll up-date this on Monday or Tuesday. (Sooner if some SBVT stories break over the weekend.

[markses]

5. Anyone who hasn't read Wallace terry's collection "Bloods:

An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans" should do so immediately, if not sooner. Terrific stuff. What is markedly interesting about it is its transformation of the Vietnam "oral history genre," a genere started by Al Santoli's awful "Everything we Had" and "To Bear any Burden," both rank works of Reagan reconstruction propaganda. "Bloods" is much more - well - brutal and bloody; it's all in the perception. The homecoming stories are also incredibly wrenching: thrown back into the ghettoes, often with drug problems stemming directly from military service. Just disgraceful treatment of black vets (and all vets, really) by the Johnson and Nixon administrations.