Former Senator Bob Kerrey Coming to Santa Barbara

Over the course of his life, Bob Kerrey has worn many hats. He’s served as a governor of Nebraska, a United States senator, and a Navy SEAL in the Vietnam War. He’s also been a close friend and strong supporter of the political ambitions of the Capps family and was one of the first people to push Walter Capps to run for Congress. Earlier, he was a featured lecturer for a class taught by Walter Capps about Vietnam. The class was one of the first in the nation to discuss the healing that members of the military go through after returning home as they seek to grapple with the trauma that they’ve witnessed, both as victims and inflictors of pain and violence. 

It’s a topic that is especially applicable to Kerrey, who was accused of committing war crimes during his time as a SEAL in Vietnam. In 2016, then-Secretary of State John Kerry, himself a Vietnam veteran, announced that Kerrey would be the chair of the Board of Trustees for the newly opened Fulbright University Vietnam. Substantial backlash ensued over allegations, unearthed by the The New York Times Magazine and 60 Minutes in 2001, that Kerrey and his SEAL team, known as “Kerrey’s Raiders,” rounded up and massacred around two dozen civilians, including women and children, in the small village of Thanh Phong in 1969. Kerrey disputes the allegations, insisting his team was initially fired upon and that the killing of civilians was unintentional.

Kerrey will be visiting Santa Barbara to attend an event this Saturday, December 7, in support of the Capps Project, which focuses on bridging gaps between people with different views and backgrounds. Ahead of his appearance, he spoke with the Santa Barbara Independent about America’s role in the world, political polarization, and impeachment. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.