John O'Neill (Vietnam veteran)
Encyclopedia
John Ellis O'Neill is a Vietnam War
veteran, lawyer
, and the spokesman for Swift Vets and POWs for Truth
(SBVT).
and grew up in San Antonio
, Texas
where he attended Central Catholic Marianist High School
. He has stated that his grandfather taught at the United States Naval Academy
, that his father was an admiral
and a Navy pilot who fought at Iwo Jima
, and that he followed his two brothers into the Naval Academy, graduating in 1967.
is dedicated to her. She died in February 2006.
, USS Woodpecker, about three months of which were spent in Vietnamese waters; he served in Vietnam on Swift Boats as part of Coastal Division 13 (3.5 months) and Coastal Division 11 (8 months) from 1969 to 1970, during which time he was awarded two Bronze Star
s.
He also spent some time in a military hospital with a damaged knee and leg upon returning home,. According to O’neill he "took over [Kerry's boat] after he requested early departure,"
in Detroit. O'Neill stated that he believed the committee hearings were creating a false impression of popular opinion about Vietnam veterans, and that he contacted the committee, offering to provide additional testimony he believed would contradict Kerry’s, but that his request was denied.
Richard Nixon
's former special counsel Charles Colson
has stated that he recruited O'Neill to be a "counterfoil" to John Kerry. Kerry had come to prominence as part of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War
, and had become a particular target for the White House
since his appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
O'Neill was at the center of the new organization, Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace, and he became a media figure defending the Vietnam war and criticizing opponents of the war. O'Neill first met Kerry during a debate on the Dick Cavett
Show on June 20, 1971. O'Neill strongly defended American incursions in Laos
and Cambodia
, and opposed anti-war veterans. He was particularly critical of Kerry's claims regarding the commission of war crimes by U.S. military personnel in Vietnam.
, graduating first in his class in 1973 and being admitted to the bar in 1974. Appointed to the President's National Advisory Counsel on Supplemental Services and Centers, he served from 1973 to 1974. He was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William H. Rehnquist from 1974 to 1975.
O’Neill subsequently returned to Texas to practice law, specializing in commercial litigation. He later co-founded the law firm Clements, O’Neill, Pierce, Wilson, and Fulkerson in Houston. His partners at that firm included, among others, Margaret Wilson, who once served as general counsel for George W. Bush
during his time as governor of Texas
, and the late Tex Lazar, who once ran for lieutenant governor on the same ticket with Bush and who died in 2003. The firm was recently subsumed into the larger Howrey LLP
.
According to his most recent firm resume, in addition to practicing oil and gas litigation, O’Neill obtained one of the largest securities arbitration judgments in history representing a small-time investor who had been defrauded by a large securities company, and also successfully represented a class of immigrants in a suit against Fiesta, allowing them to recover their money when the savings and loan went under.
The Texas Lawyer magazine reported on February 19 and 26, 1990, that O'Neill, who was representing the plaintiffs in a securities fraud class action underlying a malpractice suit, and two other lawyers, were threatened with sanctions for allegedly violating the Texas Code of Professional Responsibility by the judge in the case, United States District Judge David Hittner, who declined to pursue the matter after the trial was completed.
In 1991, O'Neill was considered by President George H. W. Bush
for nomination as a federal judge in Texas, but was passed over.
, and is listed as the coauthor with Jerome Corsi
of the book Unfit For Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry. O'Neill stated that his main reason for resuming these activities was that Kerry was running for the office of President of the United States
, i.e. Commander in Chief of the US armed forces. After Kerry lost the election, O'Neill stated that he planned to return to private life. However, he continues to make some public appearances and give public interviews.
in 2000, and Ross Perot
in 1996 and also in 1992, although records indicate he donated to the 1992 Bush-Quayle primary campaign. He has stated that he admired Democrat John Edwards during the 2004 Democratic primary but did not claim to have voted for him in that primary. However, with the exception of the 2000 election, he has not claimed to have voted for any Democratic presidential candidate since Hubert Humphrey in 1968. While he told Richard Nixon in 1971 that he had not voted for him in the 1968 election, he seconded Nixon's nomination at the 1972 Republican national convention. Available records indicate he voted in the Republican state primary in 1998 and has regularly contributed to the Texas Republican Party and to Republican candidates for federal office. None of the available records indicate donations to the state Democratic Party or to any Democratic candidate for federal office. However, O'Neill has claimed to have made large contributions to local Democratic candidates and supported Bill White and Ron Green for the nonpartisan positions of mayor and city councilmember, respectively, of the City of Houston. In this connection, O'Neill's name appears on an endorsement for Bill White.
O'Neill is a director of the conservative David Horowitz Freedom Center
(formerly the Center for the Study of Popular Culture
), co-founded by David Horowitz; the center also publishes the online FrontPage Magazine.
O'Neill sent a letter supporting Greg Parke
, an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2006 race for the Senate seat for Vermont. He has also endorsed the Presidential campaign of Duncan Hunter
.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, and the spokesman for Swift Vets and POWs for Truth
Swift Vets and POWs for Truth
Swift Vets and POWs for Truth, formerly known as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth , was a political group of United States Swift boat veterans and former prisoners of war of the Vietnam War, formed during the 2004 presidential election campaign for the purpose of opposing John Kerry's candidacy...
(SBVT).
Background
John O'Neill was born in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
and grew up in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
where he attended Central Catholic Marianist High School
Central Catholic Marianist High School
Central Catholic High School, is a Catholic, all-male, non-boarding college preparatory school located in downtown San Antonio, Texas, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio.-History:...
. He has stated that his grandfather taught at the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, that his father was an admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
and a Navy pilot who fought at Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, and that he followed his two brothers into the Naval Academy, graduating in 1967.
Family
O'Neill married the former Anne Bradley (October 24, 1947-February 11, 2006) in 1976, and has two grown children. He donated a kidney to Anne in February 2004, shortly before becoming involved with SBVT; the book Unfit for CommandUnfit for Command
Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry is a 2004 book about then U.S. Presidential candidate John Kerry by John O'Neill and Jerome Corsi published by Regnery Publishing, a conservative publishing house. It was a New York Times Bestseller upon its release in August 2004...
is dedicated to her. She died in February 2006.
Vietnam
O'Neill spent 15 months aboard a minesweeperMinesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
, USS Woodpecker, about three months of which were spent in Vietnamese waters; he served in Vietnam on Swift Boats as part of Coastal Division 13 (3.5 months) and Coastal Division 11 (8 months) from 1969 to 1970, during which time he was awarded two Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
s.
He also spent some time in a military hospital with a damaged knee and leg upon returning home,. According to O’neill he "took over [Kerry's boat] after he requested early departure,"
Recruitment by Nixon White House
O’Neill has stated that he deeply resented Kerry’s 1971 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which, among other things, related controversial testimony about American atrocities given by Vietnam veterans at the earlier Winter Soldier InvestigationWinter Soldier Investigation
The "Winter Soldier Investigation" was a media event sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War from January 31, 1971 – February 2, 1971. It was intended to publicize war crimes and atrocities by the United States Armed Forces and their allies in the Vietnam War...
in Detroit. O'Neill stated that he believed the committee hearings were creating a false impression of popular opinion about Vietnam veterans, and that he contacted the committee, offering to provide additional testimony he believed would contradict Kerry’s, but that his request was denied.
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's former special counsel Charles Colson
Charles Colson
Charles Wendell "Chuck" Colson is a Christian leader, cultural commentator, and former Special Counsel for President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973....
has stated that he recruited O'Neill to be a "counterfoil" to John Kerry. Kerry had come to prominence as part of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vietnam Veterans Against the War is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation, originally created to oppose the Vietnam War. VVAW describes itself as a national veterans' organization that campaigns for peace, justice, and the rights of all United States military veterans...
, and had become a particular target for the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
since his appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
O'Neill was at the center of the new organization, Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace, and he became a media figure defending the Vietnam war and criticizing opponents of the war. O'Neill first met Kerry during a debate on the Dick Cavett
Dick Cavett
Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett is a former American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues...
Show on June 20, 1971. O'Neill strongly defended American incursions in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, and opposed anti-war veterans. He was particularly critical of Kerry's claims regarding the commission of war crimes by U.S. military personnel in Vietnam.
Legal career
After 1971, O'Neill moved out of the media spotlight. He studied law at the University of TexasUniversity of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, graduating first in his class in 1973 and being admitted to the bar in 1974. Appointed to the President's National Advisory Counsel on Supplemental Services and Centers, he served from 1973 to 1974. He was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William H. Rehnquist from 1974 to 1975.
O’Neill subsequently returned to Texas to practice law, specializing in commercial litigation. He later co-founded the law firm Clements, O’Neill, Pierce, Wilson, and Fulkerson in Houston. His partners at that firm included, among others, Margaret Wilson, who once served as general counsel for George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
during his time as governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
, and the late Tex Lazar, who once ran for lieutenant governor on the same ticket with Bush and who died in 2003. The firm was recently subsumed into the larger Howrey LLP
Howrey LLP
Howrey LLP was a global law firm that practiced antitrust, global litigation and intellectual property law. At its peak Howrey had more than 500 attorneys in 16 locations worldwide.-History:...
.
According to his most recent firm resume, in addition to practicing oil and gas litigation, O’Neill obtained one of the largest securities arbitration judgments in history representing a small-time investor who had been defrauded by a large securities company, and also successfully represented a class of immigrants in a suit against Fiesta, allowing them to recover their money when the savings and loan went under.
The Texas Lawyer magazine reported on February 19 and 26, 1990, that O'Neill, who was representing the plaintiffs in a securities fraud class action underlying a malpractice suit, and two other lawyers, were threatened with sanctions for allegedly violating the Texas Code of Professional Responsibility by the judge in the case, United States District Judge David Hittner, who declined to pursue the matter after the trial was completed.
In 1991, O'Neill was considered by President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
for nomination as a federal judge in Texas, but was passed over.
Swift Boat Veterans
O'Neill stated that he turned down several requests over the years, including some from John Kerry's electoral opponents, to resume his attacks upon Kerry. However, he returned to the fore in 2004 as a co-founder of a new organization, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, later known as Swift Vets and POWs for TruthSwift Vets and POWs for Truth
Swift Vets and POWs for Truth, formerly known as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth , was a political group of United States Swift boat veterans and former prisoners of war of the Vietnam War, formed during the 2004 presidential election campaign for the purpose of opposing John Kerry's candidacy...
, and is listed as the coauthor with Jerome Corsi
Jerome Corsi
Jerome Robert Corsi is an American author, political commentator and conspiracy theorist best known for his two New York Times bestselling books: The Obama Nation and Unfit for Command...
of the book Unfit For Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry. O'Neill stated that his main reason for resuming these activities was that Kerry was running for the office of President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, i.e. Commander in Chief of the US armed forces. After Kerry lost the election, O'Neill stated that he planned to return to private life. However, he continues to make some public appearances and give public interviews.
Political contributions and activities
O'Neill has stated that he considers himself a "political independent." He has stated that he voted for Al GoreAl Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
in 2000, and Ross Perot
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
in 1996 and also in 1992, although records indicate he donated to the 1992 Bush-Quayle primary campaign. He has stated that he admired Democrat John Edwards during the 2004 Democratic primary but did not claim to have voted for him in that primary. However, with the exception of the 2000 election, he has not claimed to have voted for any Democratic presidential candidate since Hubert Humphrey in 1968. While he told Richard Nixon in 1971 that he had not voted for him in the 1968 election, he seconded Nixon's nomination at the 1972 Republican national convention. Available records indicate he voted in the Republican state primary in 1998 and has regularly contributed to the Texas Republican Party and to Republican candidates for federal office. None of the available records indicate donations to the state Democratic Party or to any Democratic candidate for federal office. However, O'Neill has claimed to have made large contributions to local Democratic candidates and supported Bill White and Ron Green for the nonpartisan positions of mayor and city councilmember, respectively, of the City of Houston. In this connection, O'Neill's name appears on an endorsement for Bill White.
O'Neill is a director of the conservative David Horowitz Freedom Center
David Horowitz Freedom Center
The David Horowitz Freedom Center is a conservative foundation founded in 1988 by political activist David Horowitz and his long-time collaborator Peter Collier...
(formerly the Center for the Study of Popular Culture
Center for the Study of Popular Culture
Center for the Study of Popular Culture may refer to:*The David Horowitz Freedom Center, founded in the 1980s by political activist David Horowitz; the center changed its name in July 2006....
), co-founded by David Horowitz; the center also publishes the online FrontPage Magazine.
O'Neill sent a letter supporting Greg Parke
Greg Parke (politician)
Gregory Tarl "Greg" Parke is a retired United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who was a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Vermont.-Early life:...
, an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2006 race for the Senate seat for Vermont. He has also endorsed the Presidential campaign of Duncan Hunter
Duncan Hunter
Duncan Lee Hunter is an American politician. He was a Republican member of the House of Representatives from California's 52nd, 45th and 42nd districts from 1981 to 2009....
.