John O'Neil.(Live with TAE)(Interview)

He inherited John Kerry's Swift Boat in Vietnam, earned two Bronze Stars, and debated Kerry's charge that American soldiers were war criminals. Then he entered into a quiet and non-political private life--until Election 2004, when he became a leading refuter of John Kerry's campaign claims.

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One of the most dramatic stories of Election 2004 was the coalescence of a large group of Vietnam veterans dedicated to the idea that John Kerry was not fit to become America's Commander in Chief. Many of those who joined Swift Boat Veterans for Truth had served with Kerry in Vietnam. And his behavior there--and, even more, upon his return-convinced them that Kerry could not be trusted to lead our nation in wartime.

To their great surprise, the testimony of the Swift Boat veterans was simply ignored by a hostile media establishment. The veterans were tenacious, however, and eventually captured the attention of the alternate media, then finally the nation as a whole. That's when the media elites attacked them with icy ferocity.

In the end, the Swift Boat vets raised more than $26 million and took their message directly to the public with a grassroots advertising and personal testimony campaign. Their first ads appeared in early, August when Kerry was leading the Presidential race. They were widely credited with reversing that lead, which Kerry never won back.

John O'Neill first became aware of John Kerry's accusations that American soldiers in Vietnam acted in a "fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan" back in 1971. He felt compelled to speak out, and debated Kerry, on "The Dick Cavett Show."

O'Neill then disappeared into private life, only appearing again in 2004 to debunk John Kerry's revisions of his Vietnam record during his pursuit of the White House. O'Neill became a spokesman for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.