Editing Swift Vets and POWs for Truth (section)

===Third television advertisement===
A third television advertisement<ref>{{cite web|date=2004-10-12|title=Gunner (script)|publisher=SBVT website|url=http://swiftvets.com/gunnerscript.html|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040826235339/http://swiftvets.com/gunnerscript.html |archive-date=August 26, 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2004-11-08|title=Gunner (video)|format=WMV|publisher=SBVT website|url=http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/gunner.wmv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041130023625/http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/gunner.wmv|archive-date=2004-11-30|url-status=dead}}</ref> began airing on August 26, 2004, attacking Kerry's past statements that he was in [[Cambodia]] on [[Christmas Eve]], 1968. This advertisement featured Stephen Gardner stating, "I spent more time on John Kerry's boat than any other crew member. ... John Kerry claims that he spent [[Christmas]] in 1968 in Cambodia and that is categorically a lie. Not in December, not in January. We were never in Cambodia on a secret mission, ever."

However, Gardner was only a member of Kerry's crew for a month and a half, from December 6, 1968, to approximately January 22, 1969; crew directories and first hand accounts indicate that other crewmembers served as long or longer under Kerry's four-month-long command.<ref name="coastalsquadronone">{{cite web|last=Wasikowski|first=Lawrence J.|title=Coastal Squadron One Swift Boat Crew Directory|publisher=self-published|url=http://www.swiftboats.net/|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref><ref name="kranishheroism">{{cite news|last=Kranish|first=Michael|title=Heroism, and growing concern about war|work=Boston Globe|date=2003-06-16|url=https://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061603.shtml|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref>

In addition, Kerry had never said that the Christmas Eve incident was a "secret mission", but happened during a routine patrol;<ref name="kranishheroism"/> furthermore, he stated at least two weeks prior to the ad's appearance that he had been patrolling at or near the border at the time and subsequently ambushed.<ref name="accountchallenged">{{cite news|last=Canon|first=Scott|title=Kerry's Cambodia account challenged by ex-commander|work=Seattle Times|date=2004-08-05|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002005720_cambodia15.html|access-date=2007-03-28}}</ref><ref name="holidayincambodia">{{cite web|last=Kaplan|first=Fred|title=Holiday in Cambodia|work=Slate|date=2004-08-23|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2105529/|access-date=2007-03-28}}</ref> The account of the patrol appears in Douglas Brinkley's ''Tour of Duty'', [pp.&nbsp;209–219] and Cmdr. Elliott noted in Kerry's fitness report that his boat was ambushed during the Christmas truce of 1968.<ref name="fitnessreports">{{cite web|last=Kerry|first=John|title=John Kerry Fitness Reports|publisher=JohnKerry.com|url=http://www.johnkerry.com/about/Fitness_Reports.pdf|access-date=2007-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040716025647/http://www.johnkerry.com/about/Fitness_Reports.pdf|archive-date=2004-07-16}}</ref> Moreover, Kerry's biographer, Douglas Brinkley, has stated that Kerry "went into Cambodian waters three or four times in January and February 1969 on clandestine missions".<ref name="kerrysconfusion">{{cite news|last=Rennie|first=David|title=Kerry's confusion over Cambodia|work=Telegraph|date=2004-08-13|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/13/wus13.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040910200846/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/13/wus13.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-09-10|access-date=2007-04-01|location=London}}</ref><ref name="winterincambodia">{{cite news|last=Barone|first=Michael|title=Winter in Cambodia?|date=2004-08-30|work=U.S. News|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/040830/30barone.htm|access-date=2007-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817234753/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/040830/30barone.htm|archive-date=2007-08-17|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{See also|John Kerry military service controversy#Cambodia mission}}