Kerry hits back after war record is questioned

John Kerry accused President Bush today of relying on front groups to challenge his record of valour in the Vietnam war, asserting, “He wants them to do his dirty work.”

Defending his record, the Democratic presidential candidate said, “Thirty years ago, official Navy reports documented my service in Vietnam and awarded me the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts.”

“Thirty years ago, this was the plain truth. It still is. And I still carry the shrapnel in my leg from a wound in Vietnam.”

Kerry received five medals for his service in Vietnam a generation ago, but his record has come under campaign challenge in television commercials aired by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, funded by supporters of the president.

Bush and the White House have refused to condemn the adverts, despite calls to do so – from leading Republican Senator John McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, as well as from Democrats.

Senior Democrats, including some inside the presidential campaign, have urged Kerry to respond forcefully to the criticism, fearing that if left unanswered, it could hamper his quest for the White House.

In addition to Kerry’s speech in Boston, his campaign released a new 30-second campaign commercial that features a former Green Beret saying the young Navy lieutenant saved his life under fire.

Recalling when his boat came under attack more than 30 years ago, Jim Rassmann says, “It blew me off the boat. All those Viet Cong were shooting at me. I expected I’d be shot. When he pulled me out of the river, he risked his life to save mine.”