(2004-08-05) — To preempt the release of a new book questioning John Forbes Kerry’s account of his service in Vietnam, the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign announced it had received the endorsement of yet another military veterans group.

Viet Cong Veterans for Kerry (VCVFK), an ad hoc group of North Vietnamese soldiers who served in the early 1970s, said their support is “payback for all Mr. Kerry did for us in his 1971 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He almost single-handedly put an end to U.S. atrocities against innocent Viet Cong soldiers and their families.”

The Viet Cong veterans’ support comes at a crucial time for the Kerry-Edwards campaign, just days before the release of Unfit for Command : Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry.

“Despite what the American swiftboat veterans claim, we know that John Kerry is a true leader who lifted our morale at a time when we were concerned that we might lose the war,” said an unnamed spokesman for VCVFK. “He is not a narrow nationalist who believes that America is always right. He’s willing-even eager-to admit his own nation’s shortcomings. This is the kind of man we need in the White House.”