Interview with Troy Jenkins
I recently had the pleasure to discuss the newly found Vietnam documents with Chief Petty Officer Troy Jenkins, a researcher for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth who personally found the documents within The Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech University. As a former student of Texas Tech University and one who has visited the Archive, I can attest that Chief Petty Officer Jenkins finding these documents was no small task.
Troy Jenkins Bio:
I recently retired from the US Navy as a CTIC (Cryptologic Technician Interpretive Chief Petty Officer). For short: A Chief. Navy Linguist with Russian and Spanish background. I personally served with Senator Kerry on the US/Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs from 1994 to 1998. Senator Kerry was MIA during my whole tour with the POW/MIA office to let you know some of my motivation in getting involved.
Evans: First off, what are your affiliations? Are you a member of the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth?
Jenkins: I Joined the Swift Vets site in August of this year after being disgusted by the media’s ignorance of “Official Navy Documents” and the speech given by former President Clinton at the DNC. At the time I did the research in the Vietnam Archives, I was a consultant for the Swift Vets. They paid my Hotel, Airfare, rental car and copying fees. I am too young to actually be a member of the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, however I am obviously a supporter.
Evans: Are you working for any type of political campaign? Are you a registered Republican, Independent or Democrat? Who have you casted your last five presidential ballots for?
Jenkins: I do not work for any political campaign, but consider myself a lifelong Republican. I voted for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and Bush senior.
Evans: When you entered The Vietnam Archive, what exactly were you looking for? Did you know where to find it? How long did it take you to find the information?
Jenkins: I had wanted to go to the Vietnam Archives back in early September to look into Admiral Zumwalt’s personal files but didn’t have the appropriate time or finances to do so. My original intent was to see if Admiral Zumwalt had the mysterious missing paperwork for John Kerry’s Silver Star. The online working aids had a match for John Kerry and Silver Star but it turned out to be someone else. While I was there I came across a box full of anti-war material and began rummaging through it to amuse my curiosity. One thing that constantly side tracks me is more info. It’s in my nature because of my 20 years in Intelligence work. I flew down to Lubbock on a Tuesday and planned to stay until Thursday to complete my search. However, finding the volumes and volumes of material in the Douglas Pike collection made me stay a couple of days more. I had to call the Swift Vets to ask for additional help in going through the files and they sent an additional person on Thursday. He left on Saturday morning and I left in the afternoon. We were going through the material quickly and copying files of interest.
Evans: What was your reaction when you found these three documents? Did you expect to find something similar based on previous beliefs or pre-existing ideas or were you surprised?
Jenkins: What initially caught my attention to the captured documents was the cover page. It was from the CDEC – Document Exploitation Cell. Most of the material in the box was old newspaper clippings and brochures. But this was totally different. As I began to read the document, I got a gut feeling that this was serious. I began to put my analytical tools to use and carefully read the documents attached. Once I had determined this to be valid intell, I had the material copied. This was not my original intent to find this information but I brought it to the attention of the Swift Vets as an important accidental find.
Evans: In your opinion, what is the most important revelation that has already been or should be made concerning the documents?
Jenkins: The fact that this material was from the VC and had been captured “in country” was the most important to me. The details to which the Communists were directing U.S. protests and anti-war movements was absolutely astonishing. This wasn’t something I was reading in a history book – this was their own words.
Evans: Were there other documents that you found that have not been revealed by any member of the media thus far? If so, which ones and what do they contain?
Jenkins: I have a stack of approximately 175 papers that are all relevant to the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and closely associated anti-war groups. Many of these papers are complimentary to the previously released documents, some are unique – my secret 
Evans: Was there anything else you were looking for specifically that you were unable to find?
Jenkins: I was disappointed in not finding the still missing Silver Star paperwork. We have searched the Naval Archives in Washington D.C. and the Vietnam Archives in Lubbock with no luck so far. My guess would be that Senator Kerry has a copy which has not been released to date.
Evans: What type of contact was made with The New York Sun and World Net Daily?
Jenkins: Jerome Corsi received a copy of the documents (as he would be an expert on the time period) and authored the articles in World Net Daily. I called Thomas Lipscomb (New York Sun), who had worked with me in the past on other articles – “Did Kerry Write Own Report of Disputed Clash?” and “Mystery Surrounds Kerry’s Navy Discharge". I had known that Lipscomb was very demanding and accurate in his reporting. He is well respected as a journalist.
Evans: Why were these two media organizations/newspapers contacted over other higher profile publications? Was there an effort made to contact higher profile publications? If so, what was the response?
Jenkins: I really can’t answer the question as to why other media didn’t pick up the stories (above my paygrade), other than to say I went with respectable writers, Corsi and Lipscomb.
Evans: Assuming you have publicized your efforts to try to show that there was at minimal some collusion between the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, what is your main reason for doing this?
Jenkins: I’ll revert to my revulsion of the media and Clinton’s speech at the DNC (specifically the SEND ME). I know, I was there when Kerry was suppose to be working on the POW/MIA issue. I don’t like it when I hear incompetency by the media or outright lies by public figures. My whole role in this was to set the record straight through the documentation. Whether this fell out on the Swifties side or Kerry’s side, I’ve always maintained that when I reached my conclusion – it was coming out.
Evans: What is your main purpose for wanting to expose the otherwise hidden truths from the Vietnam War?
Jenkins: I don’t really have other purposes except that I’ve met so many Vietnam Veterans now that I want to help set the record straight; as many of us have been given a one-sided story through history books and public figures.
Evans: Will you and other Vietnam Veterans ever be able to forgive John Kerry for his 1971 Senate Testimony?
Jenkins: I couldn’t possibly speak for the Vietnam Veterans, but my own experiences with the Senator leave me no doubt that he is unfortunately a hollow person. He could be many things as a President, but I’m convinced none would be good for our country.
Evans: Why is this presidential election the first time that such a large group of Vietnam Veterans have banded together to strike out against a candidate?
Jenkins: The obvious answer is that this is the first candidate to run on his Vietnam record. At least he did until the Swift Vets challenged his record.
Evans: Do you and your fellow [ed. the] Vietnam Veterans have anything to gain by getting this information out in the open?
Jenkins: I know that the truth will be gained. So much of John Kerry has been hidden and manipulated from the American public. I don’t believe any of us can yet say we know what John Kerry is about. What does he truly believe? I think it unfair to the voters that John Kerry hasn’t been given the same scrutiny as the current President. Yet, if I found information about Bush – I would publicize that as well.
Evans: Is there anything you would like to add?
Jenkins: Thanks for the opportunity to address your fans.
There you have it. I learned much from this brief interview with Chief Petty Officer Jenkins and found him to be very helpful in trying to decipher how the documents were found and what his intentions were. Through several emails, I found Jenkins to be extremely personable and it was a pleasure in interviewing him.
It is my personal opinion that the best thing that has come out not only with the recent documents but with the advertisements and documentaries concerning the Vietnam War in this election cycle is that it gives Americans another side to what is written in our textbooks. As someone who considers himself a closet historian, I had neglected the Vietnam War era and believed the portrayals found in the movies and just glossed over by history professors.
While the Vietnam War tends to be a sore subject for this nation, we must not forget the heroic deeds as well as the lives that were given by so many. We must also begin to think for ourselves and do our own research to find the truths of an era that has shaped our nation. Thankfully, people like Troy Jenkins and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth have shared their stories with all of us and I hope they continue to. We must learn from history and the truth must be shed in order to both move on as well as not repeat mistakes, for we all make them.
Again, I thank Chief Petty Officer Jenkins for his time and his candor. Much can be learned from people willing to do the grunt work of research. I await word as to what was in the other documents Jenkins copied, but until that happens, it will just be his secret.