The Alston variations
Over at NRO Byron York adds some spadework of his own to the digging by Captain Ed on the David Alston story: "Kerry's brief brotherhood." In the meantime, Captain Ed continues his work on the story himself: "The Alston story goes back further than first thought."
HINDROCKET adds: This story is heating up fast. Captain Ed has co-authored a piece with Tom Mortenson, who runs a web site for Swift Boat veterans, which concludes: "Kerry and Alston began two years ago to publicly perpetrate a fraud on the people of America to further Kerry’s aspirations to become the commander-in-chief of our Armed Forces. It’s time for Americans to know what they’ve done."
Byron York, meanwhile, has interviewed David Alston (briefly), and concludes that Alston did serve under Kerry for a week or two in March 1969. As I read York's piece, this is based entirely on Alston's statements, and there is not yet any documentary evidence indicating that Kerry and Alston were ever crewmates.
Even assuming that what Alston told York is true, the following conclusions are now indisputable:
1) Kerry falsely claimed to have been in command of PCF-94 prior to January 30,1969, and has claimed credit for engagements that were fought when he was not aboard. Prior to January 30, the boat was commanded by Ted Peck, and Kerry stopped lying about his pre-January 30 involvement only when Peck complained.
2) Kerry has falsely claimed to have been in command of PCF-94 when Alston was wounded, which was on January 29.
3) Alston has falsely claimed to have been present for the engagement on February 28, 1969, when Kerry beached his boat to pursue a fleeing Viet Cong--the engagement for which Kerry was awarded the Silver Star.
Clearly, Kerry and Alston have collaborated in an effort to deceive the American people. That conclusion doesn't hinge on whether Alston served a week or, at the most, two weeks under Kerry, although the story is obviously more dramatic if Alston never served under Kerry at all.
The ultimate question, I guess, is why Kerry went to the trouble of lying so consistently about his service record. Why did he have to claim credit for engagements fought by Ted Peck? Why did he have to claim that he carried out secret missions in Cambodia, which led to his disillusionment with the American government? The real issue, I think, is not Kerry's veracity. It is his mental health.
UPDATE: Check out Captain Ed's comment on York: "NRO picks up the Alston story, clarifies time line."
