"It
is our time to speak out"
2004 Democratic National Convention
Speech By David Alston
Good
evening.
My name is David Alston, and I am a minister from Columbia,
South Carolina. I join you here tonight in Boston-birthplace
of the American Revolution-to celebrate the bedrock ideals
on which our nation was founded-freedom, equality, and
democracy.
I also come here tonight to honor a friend of mine,
a man of courage and conviction who has fought for these
ideals his entire life: John Kerry. Many of you in this
hall already know John Kerry well. Others across this
land are still learning about his long and distinguished
record of public service.
I know him from a small boat in Vietnam, where we fought
and bled together, serving our country. There were six
of us aboard PCF-94, a 50-foot, twin-engine craft known
as a "Swift Boat." We all came from different walks of
life, but all of us-including our skipper, John Kerry-volunteered
for combat duty. And combat is what we got.
We usually patrolled the narrow waterways of the Mekong
delta, flanked on both sides by thick jungle. As our
crewmate Gene Thorson put it, we were a traveling bulls-eye.
And we often came under sudden attack from the enemy,
hidden in the shadows. Machine-gun fire, rocket-propelled
grenades, it all came fast and furious, and Lieutenant
Kerry had to make quick, life-or-death decisions for
the entire boat.
You have to realize, a Swift Boat isn't armored. The
hull is aluminum, about as thick as two nickels. And
in the middle of a narrow river or canal, with no cover
at all, even small-caliber bullets could punch right
through it-and often did.
Manning the deck guns, most of us got wounded sooner
or later, including Lieutenant Kerry. It would have been
easiest, in an ambush, to simply rake the shore with
return fire and roar on down the river to safety. But
Lieutenant Kerry was known for taking the fight straight
to the enemy. I can still see him now, standing in the
doorway of the pilothouse, firing his M-16, shouting
orders through the smoke and chaos.
Once, he even directed the helmsman to beach the boat,
right into the teeth of an ambush, and pursued our attackers
on foot, into the jungle. In the toughest of situations,
Lieutenant Kerry showed judgment, loyalty and courage.
Even wounded, or confronting sights no man should ever
have to see, he never lost his cool.
And when the shooting stopped, he was always there too,
with a caring hand on my shoulder asking, "Gunner, are
you OK?" I was only 21, running on fear and adrenaline.
Lieutenant Kerry always took the time to calm us down,
to bring us back to reality, to give us hope, to show
us what we truly had within ourselves. I came to love
and respect him as a man I could trust with life itself.
I am a man of faith, and I did not come here tonight
to glorify what we did. I came here to share my personal
knowledge of a young naval officer who rose to the challenges
and responsibilities of leadership, and who has always
shown the courage to speak truth to power.
The 27th Psalm tells us, "Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear. Though war break out against
me, even then I will be confident" I stand before you
tonight alive, while many of our brothers never made
it home. I am grateful to have lived to enjoy my children,
to see them grow up. But I stand here before you only
because almighty God saw our boat safely through those
rivers of death and destruction, by giving us a brave,
wise, and decisive leader named John Kerry.
Today, 30 years after Vietnam, American soldiers are
once again fighting and dying on distant battlefields,
at war with an elusive enemy. We pray for these brave
men and women. They are our friends, our neighbors,
our loved ones. Their loss brings all of us sadness beyond
measure.
In a few short months, we will choose our next President.
I believe we need to elect a man of faith, experience,
and wisdom. A man who knows that defending America means
defending our most fundamental rights. A man who knows
that leadership is not just about telling others what
to do, but inspiring them to do it. A man who knows the
true meaning of freedom, equality, and democracy. And
that man is my former skipper, my friend, and our next
commander-in-chief, John Kerry.
Friends, here in this city more than two centuries ago,
patriots launched a revolution that changed history.
Generations since have marched, fought, and died to defend
the sacred ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness-and to make these ideals a reality for every
American.
It is now our turn to defend these ideals. It is our
time to speak out. It is our duty to exercise our most
precious right as Americans: the right to vote.
So come November 2nd, join me in casting your ballot
for a new, principled, and courageous leader-America's
next president-John Kerry.
Thank you.
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