Tour of Duty : John Kerry and the Vietnam War

Rating:
Summary: Kerry loves himself
Review: i hope kerry gave brinkley a reach around. its a love fest. does anyone remember bob doles service. we were told it had nothing to do with his ability to be pres. hillary in 08 dean for chairman dnc. in the words of loyd benson "mr kerry your no jack kennedy" amen

Rating:
Summary: Book'c content not supported by Kerry's military records
Review: This book is more a work of fiction than reality. As a historian Brinkley's book contributes nothing to the history of Vietnam and it is inaccurate in it's portrayal of Kerry's exploits. It relies too much on Kerry's diary and not enough on the recollections of the 200 plus men who served with Kerry. As a retired naval officer and a collector of navy medals for over 40 years, I found major holes in Kerry's records indicating conflict between the book and reality. Regretfully, Kerry has not released numerous pages of his record thus the truth of the matter will not be resolved. One would expect that if the records indeed supported Kerry, that he would have proudly shown them to the world. In the end, Brinkley's scholarship is lacking through a failure to pursue readily available sources. The result is an unbalanced view of Kerry and his service in the Navy.

Rating:
Summary: John Kerry is a real war hero!
Review: I find who is really John Kerry. He is a real war hero. John Kerry is very patriotic and loves this country so much... He is FIT to be the "Commander in Chief" of the United States of America.



Rating:
Summary: Nothing but fiction
Review: This book should be in the fiction category. I'm sure Kerry stayed up late every night and dreamed up what would sound good for a person with political aspirations before he wrote up the days 'After Action Reports'. I just wonder why the author didn't talk about Kerry's three deferments he applied for and received. When he applied for his fourth to study in France he was turned down so he rushed down to join the Navy where he thought he would be far from action. What a shock it must've been when after a few months he was assigned to somewhere where there was real danger. This is probably when he dreamed up his plan to get three purple hearts so he could leave after only four months. How can he talk about his 'Tour of Duty' when he was only there for four months?

Rating:
Summary: Professional Work Prior to Propaganda
Review: 1. Factcheck.org looked into the Swift Boat Vet controversy and summarized their ad like this: "[It] features vets who claim Kerry `lied' to get Vietnam medals. But other witnesses disagree-and so do Navy records."

Factcheck.org notes that one of the key vets who signed a statement against Kerry wound up retracting it, saying to The Boston Globe: "It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with those words. I'm the one in trouble here.... I knew it was wrong... In a hurry I signed it and faxed it back. That was a mistake."

2. Jim Rassman, the army lieutenant saved by Kerry during a firefight, directly contradicted many of the claims made by the Swift Boat Vets. Rassman supported Kerry's Bronze Star and has always backed up Kerry's version of the story.

3. The Swift Boat Vets are politically funded by a major GOP donor, and are going after Kerry decades after the action in order to help their candidate-George W. Bush-retain control of the White House.

4. Nightline went to Vietnam to research the facts of Kerry's Silver Star firefight disputed by the Swift Boat Vets, talking to local villagers who had witnessed the battle. Nightline discovered that Kerry's version of the story was correct.

Present author has admitted he has some corrections to make and is working on a revision; no such comment from O'Neil who is proven to be false on many accounts. Brinkley is a professional who tries to get it right.

Rating:
Summary: Tour of Duty
Review: The book reads very well, but the analysis is pure political puff. As a Vietnam Vet, I can tell you that atrocities were few and far between. Brinkley ignored most of the Swift Boat charges against Kerry. He presented most of the Winter Soldier "Investigation" as fact when much of it has been discredited.

It is interesting to read this book in conjunction with Unfit for Command. You get a totally different interpretation of what went on. And it appears to me the numerous officers who contributed to Unfit for Command have it right.

One of the interesting things is that Brinkley never even bothered to delve into Kerry's admission on the Cavette and Russert shows that he committed war crimes, including the burning of civilian homes. Hard to believe he did not ask that question. A glaring ommission.

Rating:
Summary: As A Vet, This Book is Questionable in the least
Review: This book is filled with so many distortions and questionable facts that I find it amazing that more Vets have not totally discredited it.

This makes me really wonder what kind of man John Kerry really is. A very disturbing read considering I was there and know the facts.

Rating:
Summary: To see the real Vietnam try Naked In Da Nang
Review: I don't care what you think of John Kerry -- war hero or traitor -- all you are going to get prior to November 2 is a pile of political mumbo jumbo targeted to the undecided voter. NOW, if you are interested in the REAL human perspective on the men who served in Vietnam, then Naked In Da Nang is the book you need to read. I have heard the authors speak and I have read the book -- twice. It is very simple in its presentation -- and very complex in all the images and emotions it stirs (especially for veterans.) You can read it and decide if it represents John Kerry's Vietnam or you can read Tour of Duty and contrast it with "Naked." Between these two men, I'd rather see Mike Jackson running for President -- but methinks he's a tad too smart for that! If you're interested in the TRUTH about the guys who fought and died in Vietnam, John Kerry is not the guy to consult.

Rating:
Summary: Half the Story
Review: I'm afraid that Dr. Brinkley missed the boat on this one. By ignoring the Swift Boat Vets, he lost any claim to having written an honest biography of Kerry's war months. Kerry's unwillingness to release his military file would have signaled to any true biographer that there is more to this story than just Kerry's diary.


Rating:
Summary: Garbage
Review: Nothing but a whitewash of Kerry's military "career" intended as propaganda for support of Kerry's political ambitions.
John Kerry's entire life is a lie. This book takes from Kerry's writings the false biography of his Vietnam experiences. It is nothing but a rehash of Kerry's false reports and self-glorifying phony biography.