Profile In Outrage

Hanna Rosin from the WaPo writes a profile of SwiftVets/POWs founder Roy Hoffman.

Why did Hoffman do it?

Hoffmann says he didn't look for his name in the index, that he read the bits about the "Chinese hoochie-coochie girls" first. He found the book confusing, and skipped around, but eventually made his way through the description of the military operations Kerry experienced during his four months of combat.

There he discovered "Latch," the Vietnam villain: In mostly anonymous quotes, his men describe him as "hotheaded," "bloodthirsty," "egomaniacal," a "bantam rooster," on account of his height, a man with a "genuine taste for the more unsavory aspects of warfare." He is compared more than once to Kilgore, the unhinged cowboy lieutenant in "Apocalypse Now," who loves the smell of napalm in the morning.

Hoffmann is not a ranter. He didn't yell or throw the book. Still, the descriptions stung. "Before the book, no one knew how he felt," says Mary Linn, meaning how Kerry felt about Hoffmann, although most of the quotes aren't attributed to Kerry. "He'd never been nasty to Roy."

Hoffman has warts, as the story shows. As a commander, he was no Harry Morgan.

Still, very much worth a read. It explains a lot.

Posted by Mitch at October 4, 2004 06:31 AM | TrackBack