The Aug. 12 editorial "Swift Boat Smears" said, "Mr. Kerry's four-plus months in Vietnam made for an unusually short tour. "Mr. Kerry served in Vietnam from November 1968 to April 1969. He had already served a 12-month combat tour and was due to rotate home when he volunteered for a second 12-month combat tour on Swift boats, so the four months referred to in the editorial were part of the second tour. For confirmation, one need only to refer to John Kerry's Statement of Service, which indicates his service was one year, seven months.
CORINNE A. MARASCO
|
_____Correction_____
Kristinn Taylor's Aug. 13 letter gave an incorrect date for a speech Sen. John F. Kerry gave on the Senate floor regarding his military service during the Vietnam War. He made the speech on March 27, 1986.
|
|
|
|
|
Kingstowne
•
The Aug. 12 editorial did not mention one charge that gives credence to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth: that Sen. John F. Kerry lied when he repeatedly stated that he was on a mission in Cambodia on Christmas Day, 1968. In a floor speech in the Senate on March 17, 1986, Mr. Kerry said the memory of being in Cambodia that day was "seared" in him.
Now that he has been challenged on that by his fellow officers, Mr. Kerry, through a spokesman, says his seared memory is now a "mistaken recollection" and he's not sure where he was that day. His fellow officers say that they and he were 50 miles away at Sa Dec on the Mekong River. Mr. Kerry has been proven to have spoken falsely about one major aspect of his service that he has used to score political points. Rather than pointing an accusatory finger at Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, The Post should give Mr. Kerry's record the thorough vetting Americans need before they decide this year's presidential contest.
KRISTINN TAYLOR
Washington
