On the Senate floor on March 27, 1986 (Congressional Record, page S3594), Sen. Kerry said:

I remember Christmas of 1968 sitting on a gunboat in Cambodia. I remember what is was like to be shot at by Vietnamese and Khme Rouge and Cambodians, and have the President of the United States telling the American people that I was not there; The troops were not in Cambodia…I have that memory which is seared--seared--in me....

In an October 14, 1979, letter to the Boston Herald, Sen. Kerry wrote of his vivid memories of his Christmas Eve spent in Cambodia.

I remember spending Christmas Eve of 1968 five miles across the Cambodian border being shot at by our South Vietnamese allies who were drunk and celebrating Christmas. The absurdity of almost being killed by our own allies in a country in which President Nixon claimed there were no American troops was very real.

After talking with Bill Clinton John Kerry has the following statement

"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'in' is. If the--if he--if 'in' means  and never has been, that is not--that is one thing. If it means I was in there, that was a completely true statement....Now, if someone had asked me on on the day before, that is, asked me a question in the present tense, I would have said no. And it would have been completely true."

"I want to say one thing to the American people, I'm going to say this again. I did not invade  that country, Cambodia. I never told anybody to lie. Not a single time. Never. These allegations are false and I need to go back to work for the American people."

Look at the timeline of Kerry's fantasy claims. His claims about spending Christmas in Cambodia didn't start until AFTER Apocalypse Now was released. As icing on the cake, Kerry also claimed he ferried an intelligence agent into Cambodia.... Shades of Captain Willard!

Kerry came up with that Christmas in Cambodia fantasy. It all started in 1979 (not 1986 as reported previously) when Kerry reviewed Apocalypse Now and merged the movie into his own fantasy. It is now definitely established that Apocalypse Now was the source of Kerry's Cambodian fantasy. Even to the point of transporting an intelligence agent (Capt. Willard?) to Cambodia.

Update: Kerry has very clear memories seared...seared into into his mind of being with Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen in Cambodia. He remembers Martin Sheen very clearly killing Marlon Brando with a machete and the smell of napalm in the morning...He remembers water skiing from the back of his boat and the constant sound of The Doors playing "The End" in the background...