Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2004 10:47 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Official response to Billings Gazette:

From:
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
Post Office Box 26184
Alexandria, Virginia 22313

Billings Gazette
Via Email

To the Editors:

We read with concern “Columbus Swift Boat Vet Angry About Letter” (September 1), and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SwiftVets) wanted to set the record straight.

On April 27, 2004, Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann, U.S. Navy (Ret.), founder and chairman of SwiftVets, wrote an email appeal to many former officers and enlisted men who served in Swift boats and related commands and staffs.

His proposed letter to Senator John Kerry was attached. The Admiral concluded the email with this appeal: "We want you to join us, by lending your name to the letter to Senator Kerry...You need to let us know...[if] we can use your name. You can do so by replying to this email, with a ‘yes’…”

In addition, the Admiral added: "If you have other Swift sailors that you know of who might be interested in this, please forward this email to them..."

Many did forward the Admiral's email to other former Swift boat veterans, and the requested emails with “Yes” rolled in.

On Tuesday, April 27 at 9:43 p.m., an individual who identified himself as Robert Wedge said “yes” in the following email to the Admiral:

"Robert T. Wedge jr.
QM1 USN/Ret.
LST-848
PCF-3,64,67
1967,68,69
YES to Letter"

An individual who identified himself as Robert Andersen said “Yes” in this email to the Admiral May 6:

"Yes; I was on swifts July 1, 1969 to June 23, 1970…bob anderson EN2"

Admiral Hoffmann will endeavor to contact former Petty Officers Anderson and Wedge personally to confirm their desire to be removed from the letter.

If and when confirmed, we will remove their names. In the meantime, we wanted your readers to be aware of the the emails we received.

Additionally, we would ask all journalists to file inquiries with SwiftVets when their stories concern us. Channels for media and public inquiries can be found at www.swiftvets.com.

Sincerely,

Thomas C. Wyld
Communications Coordinator
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

The text of the "Tom Pyle" e-mail:

From: "Tom Pyle"
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Subject: going after Kerry to lift up Bush

Dear Mr. Shirley,

I am writing, as a private citizen, to remind you that
your name is signed to a letter that John O' Neill
routinely cites in his battle to bring down John
Kerry. If you mean to stand by what the letter said,
then I ask that you push O' Neill to demand a full
accounting of the President's service as well

--------

Sincerely,
Tom Pyle

Most of the veterans involved received this, or other similar e-mails. Nobody has a clue who Tom Pyle, Private Citizen, is.

Other than the testimony of the mysterious Tom Pyle, there is absolutely no evidence that any names were fraudulently added to the list. Given that this story has been around for months, and that the mainstream media would give anything to punch holes in the Swift Boats, it's odd that this is the only thing that's come up so far.