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American Morning

Kerry Makes Shocking Admission

Aired April 26, 2001 - 11:25   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: More than 30 years after an incident in Vietnam prompted the U.S. government to hail Bob Kerrey as a hero, the former senator makes a shocking admission about that encounter. CNN congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl now with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bob Kerrey's wartime heroics have been central to his political biography. But the former senator now says an incident that earned him a bronze star for heroic achievement was actually a tragic mistake that has haunted him for 32 years.

BOB KERREY, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: We expected it to be a very difficult mission. And we met some people that we believed were the outpost, and we killed them and then went on and took fire from the area where we expected this meeting to occur. And we returned very lethal fire. And when the firing was all over, all we have is women and children that are dead.

KARL: Kerrey was talking about an incident that happened in Vietnam in 1969 when a squad of Navy SEALS he commanded came under fire on a moonless light and returned fire into the darkness. The bronze star citation he was awarded reads, quote, "The net result of his patrol was 21 Viet Cong killed, two hootches destroyed, and two enemy weapons captured."

Kerrey now says the bronze star citation was wrong.

KERREY: What matters to me more than anything is to be able to talk publicly about something that produced a great deal of shame and a great deal of guilt.

KARL (on camera): Kerrey decided to come forward with his story when he learned that one of his fellow Navy SEALS in a joint interview with CBS News and the "New York Times" said that Kerrey's squad acting on Kerrey's orders intentionally killed civilians. Kerrey says that account is incorrect.

(voice-over): And John Kerry, a fellow decorated Vietnam veteran, came to the floor of the Senate to defend his longtime friend.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA): Bob Kerrey served with distinction. He feels, obviously, anguish and pain about those events. But I don't believe they should diminish for one moment the full measure of what he has given to his country and what he represents.

KARL: Although Kerrey and his political allies have long touted the Medal of Honor he was awarded for his actions in a different battle, he has rarely, if ever, talked about what he did to earn a bronze star. In fact, nowhere in Kerrey's official biography is the bronze star even mentioned.

Jonathan Karl, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, you heard some words there just moments ago from Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts in defense of Senator Bob Kerrey. We will have Senator John Kerry with us we hope in just a moment. So don't go away.

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