Is John Kerry the best candidate for the job of commander in chief? One criteria has to be his war record, which by anyone’s standards is impressive: three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, a Silver Star, a dramatic rescue of a crew member under fire, etc.

But recently a group calling themselves “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” has launched a campaign attacking Kerry and denigrating his combat service. They have produced an expensive ad campaign and a slick Web site. One member, John O’Neill, has even written an anti-Kerry book called “Unfit to Serve.” Unlike John O’Neill, and many others in his group, I actually served with John Kerry in the Mekong Delta. And I found John Kerry to be one of the most reliable, and honorable, officers I ever knew.

I was a Swift Boat officer in Vietnam for 11-and-a-half months in 1968 and 1969. Our unit, Coastal Division 11, was considered the most dangerous of assignments for sailors in that arena, with a 75 percent chance of being killed or wounded, according to the late Admiral Elmo Zumalt. The high casualty rate meant we had a lot of replacements transferring in from other parts of Vietnam. One of these was Lt. (JG) John Kerry. I gave Kerry his first orientation to the area, and for the next two-and-a-half months we often patrolled the rivers together.

When two boats head into enemy territory alone, you learn pretty quickly who can be counted on to be there for you when things get rough. I always knew that John Kerry was someone who wouldn’t let me down. He was not the type to shirk responsibility; he didn’t refuse to go up certain rivers; and he didn’t turn tail and run leaving you stranded under fire. He was known in the unit as a tough, honorable and aggressive officer.

It was, therefore, a great surprise to me when I saw the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” questioning Kerry’s war record and the decorations he received. I was especially surprised to see that two of the men in that group were the very officers who recommended Kerry for some of those medals. Apparently, they considered him fit, even admirable, at the time; in fact, I clearly remember one of these officers urging us all to be “more like John Kerry,” and praising his aggressive action against the enemy. I don’t know why, 35 years later, these men have suddenly seen fit to reverse their opinion.

Some of the individuals in “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” are men I respect and have always considered to be friends and genuine heroes. But let’s be realistic. When you are engaged with the enemy and bullets are flying, you are fully preoccupied with protecting yourself and your crew; not many people would take time out to make detailed observations of what another officer is doing on a boat 100 yards away. The only true eyewitnesses to Kerry’s behavior, his own crew members, clearly hold him in great esteem.

I realize that many veterans are upset with Kerry, not for what he did in Vietnam but because later, as a private citizen, he voiced his opposition to the war. But apparently some of the men took his testimony personally.

Kerry’s decision to protest the war was a legitimate exercise of freedom of speech – one of those Constitutional liberties so many generations of Americans have fought and died to protect. He does not deserve to have his service record, or his character, maligned because he objected to a war he considered a doomed mistake.

These are the same types of attacks that war heroes like John McCain and Max Cleland have endured in politics; men of honor, who like John, heeded a call to service, and don’t deserve treatment like this decades later. Sen. McCain has even called on President Bush to criticize these attacks, he has yet to do so.

John Kerry’s war record was forged 35 years ago in Vietnam; this is not the time to re-edit it to serve a political or personal agenda. Perhaps in the end, what it really comes down to is this: If I were back on a river in enemy territory today, the person I would still want to be covering my back would be John Kerry.

Richard McCann served on a swift boat in Vietnam from 1968-1969, and was with John Kerry on several missions. He lives in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, with his wife, and is retired. Regular columnist Leonard Pitts was unavailable today.