Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

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The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (German about: speed boat veterans for truth ) were a group of former American soldiers in action in Vietnam were and in advance of the 2004 presidential election against the presidential candidate of the Democrats , John Kerry , spoke out . The members of Veterans for Truth are his own words such Vietnam - veterans , with Kerry together in his Swift boat have served unit (with a light patrol boat) and einstuften him as unsuitable, President of the United States to become. Many observers assumed that the supposedly independent group was in fact an initiative of his opponent George W. Bush 's campaign team. Therefore, the term swiftboating has entered the American language as a synonym for a kind of secret political smear campaign .

The formation of the group was aimed at the offensive handling of the candidate Kerry with his army time in Vietnam, with which he wanted to prove his ability to lead the American troops. The three-time award of the Purple Heart (wounded badge) also played a central role . In connection with the Veterans for Truth campaign , for example, there were allegations against Kerry that there were doubts about the reasons for his military awards. During the 2004 election campaign, the book Unfit for Command was published in her name .

Critics of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth argued that the group is not directed against Kerry's suitability as a military leader, but against the activities of the later presidential candidate in the antiwar movement immediately after his deployment in Vietnam, in which he accused the US Army of war crimes in Vietnam. In addition, the view is widespread that the group, which presents itself as an independent group, was funded and initiated by Kerry's opponent George W. Bush through intermediaries from the Republicans and the campaign organization. The conservative Texas millionaire Bob Perry supported the campaign with US $ 4.5 million. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth worked with the Prisoners of War for Truth , a group of ex-US prisoners of war who accuse Kerry of worsening the situation of American prisoners in Vietnam by testifying that the Army had committed war crimes. On September 29, 2004, the two groups announced their union as Swift Vets and POWs For Truth .

The politician and future presidential candidate, Senator John McCain , a Bush supporter and Vietnam veteran, said of the campaign: “ I condemn the [SBVT] ad. It is dishonest and dishonorable. I think it is very, very wrong ”(German:“ I condemn the [SBVT] advertising. It is dishonest and dishonorable. I think it is very, very wrong. ”)

As of May 31, 2008, all activities ceased and the group formally dissolved.

literature

  • Roland Leikauf: "Welcome to My Bunker" - Vietnam War experience on the Internet . Dissertation at the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Siegen. Transcript Verlag, Bielefeld 2016, ISBN 978-3-8376-3342-9 .
  • John E. O'Neill, Jerome R. Corsi: Unfit For Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry . Regnery Publishing, Washington DC 2004, ISBN 978-0-89526-017-8 (English).
  • Scott Swett, Tim Ziegler: To Set The Record Straight: How Swift Boat Veterans, POWs and the New Media Defeated John Kerry . New American Media Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-0-9799841-0-5 (English).
  • G. Mitchell Reyes: The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the Politics of Realism, and the Manipulation of Vietnam Remembrance in the 2004 Presidential Election . In: Rhetoric & Public Affairs . Volume 9, No. 4 , 2006, ISSN  1094-8392 , p. 571-600 (English).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Aaron Blake: 'Swift Boat' donor gives $ 3 million to pro-Romney super PAC . In: The Washington Post . March 20, 2012 (English, washingtonpost.com [accessed February 23, 2020]).
  2. ^ Swift Boat Veterans Join Forces with POWs. In: swift4.he.net. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, September 29, 2004, archived from the original on October 24, 2004 ; accessed on February 23, 2020 (English).
  3. ↑ Mark Halperin, Lisa Todorovich, Marc Ambinder, Karen Travers, Brooke Brower, Mary Hood, Annie Chiappetta, Teddy Davis, Jan Simmonds, Alexandra Avnet, Faryl Ury, Jonathan Greenberger: Broken Heroes on a Last Chance Power Drive. But there's no Place Left to Hide. In: www.abcnews.go.com. ABC News , Aug 6, 2004, archived from the original on April 17, 2005 ; accessed on February 23, 2020 (English).
  4. ↑ Swift Vets and POWs for Truth formally disbanded and ceased all operations on May 31, 2008. In: swiftvets.com. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, accessed February 23, 2020 .