ot Not So Swift Boat Veterans - wrp
Fred
Not So Swift Boat Veterans
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Analysis
Saturday 21 August 2004
Ever hear the old story of the lady and the snake?
A lady finds a snake injured in the road. She takes it home, cares for it,
helps it heal, and the two become friends. One day, the lady is in her
garden with the snake, and the snake suddenly bites her in the throat. The
lady lays dying and gasps, "Why did you bite me? I was your friend?" The
snake replies, "Lady, you knew I was a snake when you picked me up."
This is a parable the Bush/Cheney campaign is getting to know with
suddenness and venom. They apparently picked up a snake named the Swift Boat
Veterans for Truth, and that snake just took a mighty big chomp out of them.
It started at the end of July with the Democratic National Convention. The
central theme was Kerry's Vietnam service record, and the convention brought
out so many Generals and Admirals to vouch for Kerry, you thought the Fleet
Center was hosting a brass festival. Couple that with Kerry's "Band of
Brothers," the men who served with him and are now campaigning with him, and
at the end of the thing you had the Democratic candidate packaged as a
genuine American hero. After 9/11, after Afghanistan, after Iraq and all the
casualties, having a blooded veteran standing forth was an image many
Americans could get behind.
The polls started to move in Kerry's favor. Bush, who had been depending
on an overwhelming military vote come November, saw Kerry gathering the
approval of 50% of veterans. Karl Rove and the Bush election team smelled
bad juju in the wind. They could not campaign on the administration's record
regarding health care, education, environmental protections, justice or
national defense, because Bush's record on these issues is startlingly
abominable. The Bush campaign pursued the only option left to them, the
option Lee Atwater taught Karl Rove how to use in the 'Willie Horton'
episode. They went negative.
Or, rather, they had someone else go negative for them.
Not long after the convention, a commercial came out from the Swift Boat
Veterans for Truth, an independent political group under section 527 of the
Internal Revenue Code. The commercial showed several Vietnam veterans who
claimed they knew Kerry had exaggerated his service in the war, that he did
not deserve the Bronze Star, Silver Star and three Purple Hearts he earned
in the war, and that the wound that got him his first purple heart was
self-inflicted. The ads ran in several battleground states, and pretty much
wall-to-wall on the Fox News Channel.
It didn't take long for the charges, and resulting hullaballo, to descend
into the realm of farce. One Kerry accuser, George Elliott, was the man who
signed the recommendation for Kerry's Bronze Star and who defended Kerry in
1996 when others raised the claim that he didn't deserve his Silver Star.
Elliot, writing Kerry's fitness report in 1969, stated, "In a combat
environment often requiring independent decisive action, Lt. j.g. Kerry was
unsurpassed."
It was quite a flip-flop, then, when Elliott came out with the Swift Boat
Vets to attack Kerry after the convention, stating Kerry lied about his
service. He even signed an affidavit on the matter. When the Boston Globe
confronted Elliott about his prior remarks and written statements clashing
with his new description of events, Elliott beat a rapid retreat, stating
that signing the affidavit was "a terrible mistake."
There is also the strange tale of Larry Thurlow, a leader of the Swift
Boat Vets, who is claiming Kerry doesn't deserve his Bronze Star. Kerry
earned that citation when he maneuvered his swift boat through enemy fire to
save First Lieut. Jim Rassmann, who had been blown off Kerry's boat by an
explosion and was about to die. Raussmann was saved, but Thurlow, who was in
his own boat at the scene during the incident, now claims there was no enemy
fire at all, and so Kerry should have gotten no medal.
Here's the weird bit, though. Three men got a Bronze Star citation for
bravery in action that day: Kerry, Thurlow, and radarman first class Robert
Lambert, a petty officer in the boat captained by Thurlow. The citation for
Thurlow's Bronze Star states that "all units came under small arms and
automatic weapons fire from the river banks." According to the citation,
Thurlow "directed accurate suppressing fire at the enemy," and lauds
Thurlow's "coolness, professionalism and courage under fire."
This begs the question: If there was no enemy fire, as Thurlow claims,
doesn't that mean that he does not deserve his Bronze Star any more than
Kerry does? Shouldn't Thurlow give his medal back? And what of radarman
first class Robert Lambert? Did Kerry somehow fake Lambert's claim to the
award?
With the predictable exception of the Fox News Channel, most of the
mainstream cable news shows began poking holes in the Swift Vets' unlikely
tale. Even so, the commercials began to do damage to Kerry. After the
convention, Bush and Kerry enjoyed an even split of the veteran vote. Once
the Swift Boat ad did a few rotations, however, those numbers moved. A
recent CBS poll showed Bush getting 55% of the veteran vote to Kerry's 37%.
The Kerry campaign had been holding fire on the issue, believing Bush
would publicly distance himself from the ad. Bush didn't. Kerry, who to this
point had been working hard to maintain a relentlessly upbeat and
non-negative tone, saw the writing on the wall. His people realized that
sometimes you have to wrestle the alligator where you find him, be it up on
the high road or down in the scum vats. They strapped on helmets and hip
waders, and got to work.
What followed was a marvelous bit of political theater. In rapidfire
succession over the last 100 hours, the Kerry campaign revealed:
* Funding for the Swift Boat Vets activities came from men with umbilical
financial ties to the Bush family, and to Karl Rove specifically.
* The team that made the anti-Kerry commercial was the same group that
made commercials for Bush Sr. against Dukakis in 1988.
* The group that got the whole ball rolling were the same fellows who
engineered the despicable smearing of John McCain in the 2000 South Carolina
primary, on behalf of George W. Bush.
More interesting, perhaps, were the Kerry accusations:
* Citing "overwhelming evidence" that the Swift Boat group is
"coordinating its expenditures on advertising and other activities designed
to influence the presidential election with the Bush-Cheney Campaign,"
Kerry's campaign filed an FEC complaint against the Bush campaign. The Swift
Boat group is a 527, and if they got funding or assistance for their work
from the Bush campaign, it would be a clear-cut violation of the law.
* On the same day these accusations were made, Bush campaign officials in
Florida were caught handing out Swift Boat Vets promotional flyers at
Bush/Cheney headquarters.
* Adding to the weight of evidence that the Swift Boat Vets were working
fist-in-glove with the Bush campaign, an enterprising blogger named digby
revealed that a member of the Swift Boat Vets steering committee, Ken
Cordier, was listed on the Bush campaign website as a member of the campaign
team until August 19th. His name has since been removed, but as digby points
out, you can still see it there if you visit the cached version of the site.
If Kerry's people do indeed have "overwhelming evidence" of collusion
between the Swifties and Bush, they have proof of a criminal conspiracy. Tie
this in with the fact that none of the accusations leveled by the Swifties
are borne out by any evidence whatsoever, and that many of the accusers are
contradicted by their own words.
The ugliest aspect of this episode is two-fold. You have a sitting
President of the United States allowing a decorated veteran to be slandered
in public in order to advance his political aspirations. While Bush may
denounce the spending rules that allow 527s to operate this way, he did
nothing to stop them, and if the evidence bears out, he in fact went out of
his way to promote them.
Worse, you have an entire administration filled with men who had "other
priorities" and important family connections when the call to service in
Vietnam came. These are the same men, now, who have sent almost 1,000
American soldiers home in steel coffins in the name of lies and
profiteering. If ever one needed evidence of the ruthless and utterly
shameless nature of the Bush crew, they have it here before them.
In a just world, the final word on this disgraceful episode would come
from William Rood, a Swift Boat officer who was part of one of the disputed
Vietnam battles being flogged by these Swift Boat Vets. Rood has written an
account of February 28, 1969 for the Chicago Tribune titled 'Anti-Kerry Vets
Not There That Day.' Rood writes:
"There were three swift boats on the river that day in Vietnam more than
35 years ago - three officers and 15 crew members. Only two of those
officers remain to talk about what happened on February 28, 1969. One is
John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate who won a Silver Star for
what happened on that date. I am the other. For years, no one asked about
those events. But now they are the focus of skirmishing in a presidential
election with a group of swift boat veterans and others contending that
Kerry didn't deserve the Silver Star for what he did on that day, or the
Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts he was awarded for other actions."
"Many of us wanted to put it all behind us," continues Rood, "the rivers,
the ambushes, the killing. Ever since that time, I have refused all requests
for interviews about Kerry's service - even those from reporters at the
Chicago Tribune, where I work. But Kerry's critics, armed with stories I
know to be untrue, have charged that the accounts of what happened were
overblown. The critics have taken pains to say they're not trying to cast
doubts on the merit of what others did, but their version of events has
splashed doubt on all of us. It's gotten harder and harder for those of us
who were there to listen to accounts we know to be untrue, especially when
they come from people who were not there."
From people who were not there. One hopes Mr. Bush pays some attention to
that last line. He picked up this snake, and now must deal with the poison.
-------
Jump to TO Features for Sunday August 22, 2004
Today's TO Features -------------- William Rivers Pitt | Not So Swift Boat
Veterans UN Staff Call for Afghan Pullout Job Losses Hurt Bush Oil Cost,
Anxiety Are Both Rising Eleanor Clift | Fighting a Phony War Transcript:
John Kerry's 1971 Senate Testimony Bush Blasts Kerry on Environment Tom
Hayden | Dissent Must Come Alive in New York Top Israeli Sees Backlash on
Wall Ehsan Ahrari | Iran: The Babble and the Bomb Fraud Claims by Chavez
Critics Rejected Journalists Face Jail for Refusing to Reveal Sources
Clashes Resume in Najaf, Handover Talks Hit Snag U.S. Doctors Tied to
Prisoner Abuse Swift Boat Skipper: Anti-Kerry Vets Not There that Day Inside
the Imam Ali Shrine t r u t h o u t Home
© Copyright 2004 by TruthOut.org
Michael-NC
"Fred" <freelo...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:BiVVc.2647$TT4....@newssvr31.news.prodigy.com...
>
> Not So Swift Boat Veterans
> By William Rivers Pitt
> t r u t h o u t | Analysis
>
> Saturday 21 August 2004
>
> Ever hear the old story of the lady and the snake?
To paraphrase Kerry, the media not telling us who George Soros is and how
his activities make the Swift Boaters look like pikers is all you need to
know.
Get over it, Kerry is a fraud. Stick a fork in him, he's done.
Kerry: I have a plaaan, a secret plaaan...
Vic Romano
news:DZ5Wc.182028$wH4.12...@twister.southeast.rr.com:
Good god, not another "George Soros is taking over America through John
Kerry" twit. I thought it was a joke when I got that e-mail. Apparently
some people believe anyshit they are fed. Before the Iowa caucus, I got
an e-mail from "GOPTeamLeader.com" claiming that Dean was in bed with
Soros. He's just the "boogieman of the moment" for GOP smear machine.
I'll tell you what Mikey, when the media tells us about Richard Mellon
Scaife and his vendetta for Teresa Kerry, then you can complain about
George Soros.
"The president has confidence in the senator and believes he's doing a
good job as senator... The president believes the senator is an
inclusive man. And that's what he believes."
- Ari Fleischer, describing George W. Bush's views on Rick "Homoes are
damned to hell" Santorum, April 24, 2003.
--
Don't Get Eliminated!!
Michael-NC
"Vic Romano" <VicRMX...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns954D9A87A5...@130.133.1.4...
> "Michael-NC" <NoAd...@desolate.com> wrote in
> news:DZ5Wc.182028$wH4.12...@twister.southeast.rr.com:
>
> >
> > "Fred" <freelo...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:BiVVc.2647$TT4....@newssvr31.news.prodigy.com...
> >>
> >> Not So Swift Boat Veterans
> >> By William Rivers Pitt
> >> t r u t h o u t | Analysis
> >>
> >> Saturday 21 August 2004
> >>
> >> Ever hear the old story of the lady and the snake?
> >
> > To paraphrase Kerry, the media not telling us who George Soros is and
> > how his activities make the Swift Boaters look like pikers is all you
> > need to know.
> >
> > Get over it, Kerry is a fraud. Stick a fork in him, he's done.
> >
> >
> > Kerry: I have a plaaan, a secret plaaan...
> >
> >
>
> Good god, not another "George Soros is taking over America through John
> Kerry" twit. I thought it was a joke when I got that e-mail. Apparently
> some people believe anyshit they are fed. Before the Iowa caucus, I got
> an e-mail from "GOPTeamLeader.com" claiming that Dean was in bed with
> Soros. He's just the "boogieman of the moment" for GOP smear machine.
> I'll tell you what Mikey, when the media tells us about Richard Mellon
> Scaife and his vendetta for Teresa Kerry, then you can complain about
> George Soros.
I'm not bitching about Soros but Kerry sure has his underwear in a bunch
over the Swift Boaters. The Democratic Parties answer to the decorated vets
telling the truth about Kerry is to unleash a bunch of lawyers and try to
ban their book. Nice...
It's over.
Teresa Kerry: The lost Gabor sister...
Fred
"Michael-NC" <NoAd...@Desolate.Com> wrote
> Teresa Kerry: The lost Gabor sister...
Michael-NC, Gomer Pyle's retarded brother
Vic Romano
news:CacWc.21019$rP2....@hydra.nntpserver.com:
"decorated vets telling the truth"? You mean like Rassmussen (a
registered republican) and Bill Rood?
I find it terribly funny that Bush supporters choose to believe a pack of
liars all of whom have been completely discredited by official military
documents while simultaneously chanting that Bush was "honorably
discharged." But then, it takes a special person to support Bush.
>
> Teresa Kerry: The lost Gabor sister...
>
Is this supposed to be an insult of some sort?
Michael-NC
No ones been discredited except Kerry. All he has to do is release his
medical records, which he won't do because it will prove he's a fraud. That
piece of shrapnel is a really a grain of rice. Why doesn't Kerry release his
service records? Why is his _entire_ chain of command signed on to the Swift
Boaters? Face it, the guy had an agenda going in to war, he's a cold,
calculating elitist and will never be elected.
> > Teresa Kerry: The lost Gabor sister...
> >
> Is this supposed to be an insult of some sort?
No, it just struck me funny. I love Zsa Zsa.
Swillabrew
news:q4vWc.28317$rP2....@hydra.nntpserver.com...
Do you & others actually believe Kerry volunteered to go to Nam & pilot one
of those boats up & down the rivers while getting shot at so he could one
day use the experience to help him politically? If so, you're still saying
he was willing to risk his life for something, another thing that separates
him from Dubya (unless you count potential drug &/or alcohol ODs).
Quit watching FauxNews & give your gray matter a break.
Go Blazers !
Michael-NC
"Swillabrew" <don'ts...@any.net> wrote in message
news:uKudnSdT3_y...@scnresearch.com...
To me, that's an established fact. News broke today that Kerry sought a
deferment as well... When he did choose to pilot a swift boat, they were
only doing costal patrol but that changed when they were sent up rivers to
interdict the VC. Kerry didn't know that would happen but he still had his
daily diary and super 8 movie camera at the ready. How many other vets
reenacted events and filmed them? It's clear Kerry was a medal hunter and
IMO, he played the system. At the time, he got his medals because no one
knew he would betray his fellow veterans in the most despicable fashion that
Kerry did after his 4 months of service. No one had the inclination to stop
him then because they didn't know he would bug out after getting his third
dubious Purple Heart, run before congress and accuse his fellow servicemen
of atrocities. The North Vietnamese used his remarks to justify the
continued torture of POW's. POW's were shown his remarks and were told,
"you're never going home, you're not a POW, you're a war criminal and a
Naval Officer has testified that you are a criminal" That was what Naval
Officer Kerry did, offered aid and comfort to the enemy and betrayed and
lied about the men he served with. No doubt that it's resonating soundly
with vets. Kerry's actions are repugnant to most all servicemen, active and
retired and that's why the swift boat ads will be his demise and that's why
he's howling like a wolf with his paw caught in a trap.
>If so, you're still saying
> he was willing to risk his life for something, another thing that
separates
> him from Dubya (unless you count potential drug &/or alcohol ODs).
>
> Quit watching FauxNews & give your gray matter a break.
I watch, read and listen to many news sources. The most amusing of which was
Aaron Brown last night on CNN when he put forth an idea to his guest last
night. Almost trembling with anticipation, with a plaintive, pleading look
on his face, he asked his guest, "is it crumbling," "what" she asked? "The
swift boat accusations" he begged, "isn't it crumbling?" I didn't catch most
of her answer as I was laughing too hard. Kerry has already apologized for
his testimony before congress, as portrayed in the swift boat ad, admitted
he was not in Cambodia, after being exposed by the Swift Boaters, and now
admits to making what he called a "wide turn" after the Swift Boaters told
us that he fled down river after the 3 boat hit a mine, most likely knocking
Rasman off the stern of the boat where he was eating cookie when Kerry
firewalled the throttle in panic. There is now reports that his first Purple
Heart, _may_ have been the result the an "unintentional, self-inflicted
wound," as portrayed by the Swift Boaters.
No Aaron Brown and CNN, the only thing that has crumbled is your own and
CNN's credibility. Imagine if Bush had admitted to "atrocities" in Vietnam!
The leftist media in this country, with the exception of Fox, plays to the
politically agnostic, hammering home soundbite after soundbite and planting
their biased opinions in their "reporting" but America will not be fooled
this time. Kerry is going down in flames.
Swillabrew
I agree with you that Fox can be excepted from the "leftist media", but
that's about all. That's one of the things that makes this a great country,
though.
Go Blazers !
Vic Romano
news:q4vWc.28317$rP2....@hydra.nntpserver.com:
BZZZT! Wrong.
Larry Thurlow was cited and commended for the same operation that Kerry
was. Thurlow's citation refers specifically to "enemy fire." Thurlow
claims there was no enemy fire that day. Thurlow has not returned his
medal. Thurlow is a liar.
John O'Neill says "I served with John Kerry. I witnessed his actions"
O'Neill's military records show he did go to Vietnam until the end of
March, 1969. Kerry went off active duty March 13, 1969. If O'Neill wasn't
even in Vietnam until 10 or more days later, how did he "witness"
anything Kerry did?
Van Odell claims he was present on Bay Hop River when Kerry saved Jim
Rassmussen's life. He claims there was no enemy fire and Kerry did not
pull Rassmussen from the river. Kerry received a Bronze star. 24 other
veterans who were present that day confirm Kerry's version of events
including Rassmussen himself. Odell also received a citation for that day
and it reads "courage under enemy fire." Odell has not repudiated his own
medal or returned it.
Not that you really care who's telling the truth. But read this:
http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=231
August 6, 2004
Modified:August 22, 2004
Summary
A group funded by the biggest Republican campaign donor in Texas began
running an attack ad Aug. 5 in which former Swift Boat veterans claim
Kerry lied to get one of his two decorations for bravery and two of his
three purple hearts.
But the veterans who accuse Kerry are contradicted by Kerry's former
crewmen, and by Navy records.
One of the accusers says he was on another boat "a few yards" away during
the incident which won Kerry the Bronze Star, but the former Army
lieutenant whom Kerry plucked from the water that day backs Kerry's
account. In an Aug. 10 opinion piece in the conservative Wall Street
Journal , Rassmann (a Republican himself) wrote that the ad was "launched
by people without decency" who are "lying" and "should hang their heads
in shame."
And on Aug. 19, Navy records came to light also contradicting the
accusers. One of the veterans who says Kerry wasn't under fire was
himself awarded a Bronze Star for aiding others "in the face of enemy
fire" during the same incident.
Analysis
"Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" is a group formed March 23 after Kerry
wrapped up the Democratic nomination. It held a news conference May 4
denigrating Kerry's military record and his later anti-war pronouncements
during the 1970's. The group began running an attack ad Aug. 5 in which
13 veterans variously say Kerry is "not being honest" and "is lying about
his record."
Where the Money Comes From
Although the word "Republican" does not appear in the ad, the group's
financing is highly partisan. The source of the Swift Boat group's money
wasn't known when it first surfaced, but a report filed July 15 with the
Internal Revenue Services now shows its initial funding came mainly from
a Houston home builder, Bob R. Perry, who has also given millions to the
Republican party and Republican candidates, mostly in Texas, including
President Bush and Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay, whose district
is near Houston
Perry gave $100,000 of the $158,750 received by the Swift Boat group
through the end of June, according to its disclosure report .
Perry and his wife Doylene also gave more than $3 million to Texas
Republicans during the 2002 elections, according to a database maintained
by the Institute on Money in State Politics . The Perrys also were among
the largest Republican donors in neighboring Louisiana, where they gave
$200,000, and New Mexico, where they gave $183,000, according to the
database
At the federal level the Perrys have given $359,825 since 1999, including
$6,000 to Bush's campaigns and $27,325 to DeLay and his political action
committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, according to a database
maintained by the Center for Responsive Politics .
The Silver Star
Several of those who appear in the ad have signed brief affidavits, and
we have posted some of them in the "supporting documents" section to the
right for our visitors to evaluate for themselves.
One of those affidavits, signed by George Elliott, quickly became
controversial. Elliott is the retired Navy captain who had recommended
Kerry for his highest decoration for valor, the Silver Star, which was
awarded for events of Feb. 28, 1969, when Kerry beached his boat in the
face of an enemy ambush and then pursued and killed an enemy soldier on
the shore.
Elliott, who had been Kerry's commanding officer, was quoted by the
Boston Globe Aug 6 as saying he had made a "terrible mistake" in signing
the affidavit against Kerry, in which Elliott suggested Kerry hadn't told
him the truth about how he killed the enemy soldier. Later Elliott signed
a second affidavit saying he still stands by the words in the TV ad. But
Elliott also made what he called an "immaterial clarification" - saying
he has no first-hand information that Kerry was less than forthright
about what he did to win the Silver Star.
What Elliott said in the ad is that Kerry "has not been honest about what
happened in Viet Nam." In his original affidavit Elliott said Kerry had
not been "forthright" in Vietnam. The only example he offered of Kerry
not being "honest" or "forthright" was this: "For example, in connection
with his Silver Star, I was never informed that he had simply shot a
wounded, fleeing Viet Cong in the back.
In the Globe story, Elliott is quoted as saying it was a "terrible
mistake" to sign that statement:
George Elliott (Globe account): It was a terrible mistake probably for me
to sign the affidavit with those words. I'm the one in trouble here. . .
. I knew it was wrong . . . In a hurry I signed it and faxed it back.
That was a mistake.
In his second affidavit, however, Elliott downgraded that "terrible
mistake" to an "immaterial clarification." He said in the second
affidavit:
Elliott (second affidavit): I do not claim to have personal knowledge as
to how Kerry shot the wounded, fleeing Viet Cong.
Elliott also said he now believes Kerry shot the man in the back, based
on other accounts including a book in which Kerry is quoted as saying of
the soldier, "He was running away with a live B-40 (rocket launcher) and,
I thought, poised to turn around and fire it." (The book quoted by
Elliott is John F. Kerry, The Complete Biography, By The Reporters Who
Know Him Best.)
Elliott also says in that second affidavit, "Had I known the facts, I
would not have recommended Kerry for the Silver Star for simply pursuing
and dispatching a single, wounded, fleeing Viet Cong." That statement is
misleading, however. It mischaracterizes the actual basis on which Kerry
received his decoration.
The official citations show Kerry was not awarded the Silver Star "for
simply pursuing and dispatching" the Viet Cong. In fact, the killing is
not even mentioned in two of the three versions of the official citation
(see "supporting documents" at right.) The citations - based on what
Elliott wrote up at the time - dwell mostly on Kerry's decision to attack
rather than flee from two ambushes, including one in which he led a
landing party.
The longest of the citations, signed by Vice Admiral Elmo Zumwalt,
commander of U.S. naval forces in Vietnam, describes Kerry as killing a
fleeing Viet Cong with a loaded rocket launcher. It says that as Kerry
beached his boat to attack his second set of ambushers, "an enemy soldier
sprang up from his position not ten feet from Patrol Craft Fast 94 and
fled. Without hesitation, Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY leaped ashore,
pursued the man behind a hooch, and killed him, capturing a B-40 rocket
launcher with a round in the chamber."
Two other citations omit any mention of the killing. One was signed by
Admiral John J. Hyland, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet, and the
other was signed by the Secretary of the Navy. Both those citations say
Kerry attacked his first set of ambushers and that "this daring and
courageous tactic surprised the enemy and succeeded in routing a score of
enemy soldiers." Later, 800 yards away, Kerry's boat encountered a second
ambush and a B-40 rocket exploded "close aboard" Kerry's boat. "With
utter disregard for his own safety, and the enemy rockets, he again
ordered a charge on the enemy, beached his boat only ten feet away from
the VC rocket position, and personally led a landing party ashore in
pursuit of the enemy." In these citations there is no mention of enemy
casualties at all. Kerry was cited for "extraordinary daring and personal
courage . . . in attacking a numerically superior force in the face of
intense fire."
Elliott had previously defended Kerry on that score when his record was
questioned during his 1996 Senate campaign. At that time Elliott came to
Boston and said Kerry acted properly and deserved the Silver Star. And as
recently as June, 2003, Elliott called Kerry's Silver Star "well
deserved" and his action "courageous" for beaching his boat in the face
of an ambush:
Elliott (Boston Globe, June 2003): I ended up writing it up for a Silver
Star, which is well deserved, and I have no regrets or second thoughts at
all about that. . . . (It) was pretty courageous to turn into an ambush
even though you usually find no more than two or three people there.
Elliott now feels differently, and says he has come to believe Kerry
didn't deserve his second award for valor, either, based only on what the
other anti-Kerry veterans have told him. He told the Globe Aug. 6:
Elliott: I have chosen to believe the other men. I absolutely do not know
first hand.
On Aug. 22 an officer who was present supported Kerry's version, breaking
a 35-year silence. William B. Rood commanded another Swift Boat during
the same operation and was awarded the Bronze Star himself for his role
in attacking the Viet Cong ambushers. He said Kerry and he went ashore at
the same time after being attacked by several Viet Cong onshore.
Rood said he was the only other officer present. Rood is now an editor on
the metropolitan desk of the Chicago Tribune, which published his first-
person account of the incident in its Sunday edition. Rood said he had
refused all interviews about Kerry's war record, even from reporters for
his own paper, until motivated to speak up because Kerry's critics are
telling "stories I know to be untrue" and "their version of events has
splashed doubt on all of us."
Rood described two Viet Cong ambushes, both of them routed using a
tactic devised by Kerry who was in tactical command of a three-boat
operation. At the second ambush only the Rood and Kerry boats were
attacked.
Rood: Kerry, followed by one member of his crew, jumped ashore and chased
a VC behind a hooch--a thatched hut--maybe 15 yards inland from the
ambush site. Some who were there that day recall the man being wounded as
he ran. Neither I nor Jerry Leeds, our boat's leading petty officer with
whom I've checked my recollection of all these events, recalls that,
which is no surprise. Recollections of those who go through experiences
like that frequently differ.
With our troops involved in the sweep of the first ambush site, Richard
Lamberson, a member of my crew, and I also went ashore to search the
area. I was checking out the inside of the hooch when I heard gunfire
nearby.
Not long after that, Kerry returned, reporting that he had killed the man
he chased behind the hooch. He also had picked up a loaded B-40 rocket
launcher, which we took back to our base in An Thoi after the operation.
Rood disputed an account of the incident given by John O'Neill in his
book "Unfit for Command," which describes the man Kerry chased as a
"teenager" in a "loincloth." Rood said, "I have no idea how old the
gunner Kerry chased that day was, but both Leeds and I recall that he was
a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the VC usually wore."
The Bronze Star
The most serious allegation in the ad is that Kerry received both the
Bronze Star, his second-highest decoration, and his third purple heart,
which allowed him to be sent home early, under false pretenses. But that
account is flatly contradicted by Jim Rassmann, the former Army
Lieutenant whom Kerry rescued that day.
Van O'Dell, a former Navy enlisted man who says he was the gunner on
another Swift Boat, states in his affidavit that he was "a few yards
away" from Kerry's boat on March 13, 1969 when Kerry pulled Rassman from
the water. According to the official medal citations, Kerry's boat was
under enemy fire at the time, and Kerry had been wounded when an enemy
mine exploded near his own boat. O'Dell insists "there was no fire" at
the time, adding: "I did not hear any shots, nor did any hostile fire hit
any boats" other than his own, PCF-3.
Others in the ad back up that account. Jack Chenoweth, who was a
Lieutenant (junior grade) commanding PCF-3, said Kerry's boat "fled the
scene" after a mine blast disabled PCF-3, and returned only later "when
it was apparent that there was no return fire." And Larry Thurlow, who
says he commanded a third Swift Boat that day, says "Kerry fled while we
stayed to fight," and returned only later "after no return fire
occurred."
A serious discrepancy in the account of Kerry's accusers came to light
Aug. 19, when the Washington Post reported that Navy records describe
Thurlow himself as dodging enemy bullets during the same incident, for
which Thurlow also was awarded the Bronze Star.
Thurlow's citation - which the Post said it obtained under the Freedom of
Information Act - says that "all units began receiving enemy small arms
and automatic weapons fire from the river banks" after the first
explosion. The citation describes Thurlow as leaping aboard the damaged
PCF-3 and rendering aid "while still under enemy fire," and adds: "His
actions and courage in the face of enemy fire . . . were in keeping with
the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."
A separate document that recommended Thurlow for that decoration states
that all Thurlow's actions "took place under constant enemy small arms
fire." It was signed by Elliott.
The Post quoted Thurlow as saying he had lost his citation years earlier
and had been under the impression that he received the award for aiding
the damaged boat and its crew, and that his own award would be
"fraudulent" if based on his facing enemy fire. The Post reported that,
after hearing the citation read to him, Thurlow said: "It's like a
Hollywood presentation here, which wasn't the case. . . My personal
feeling was always that I got the award for coming to the rescue of the
boat that was mined. This casts doubt on anybody's awards. It is
sickening and disgusting. . . . I am here to state that we weren't under
fire."
None of those in the attack ad by the Swift Boat group actually served on
Kerry's boat. And their statements are contrary to the accounts of Kerry
and those who served under him.
Jim Rassmann was the Army Special Forces lieutenant whom Kerry plucked
from the water. Rassmann has said all along that he was under sniper fire
from both banks of the river when Kerry, wounded, helped him aboard.
Rassmann is featured in an earlier Kerry ad, in fact, (see script at
left) saying "he (Kerry) risked his life to save mine."
On Aug. 10, Rassmann wrote a vivid account of the rescue in the Wall
Street Journal that contradicts the Kerry accusers. Rassmann said that
after the first explosion that disabled PCF-3:
Rassmann: Machine-gun fire erupted from both banks of the river and a
second explosion followed moments later. The second blast blew me off
John's swift boat, PCF-94, throwing me into the river. Fearing that the
other boats would run me over, I swam to the bottom of the river and
stayed there as long as I could hold my breath.
When I surfaced, all the swift boats had left, and I was alone taking
fire from both banks. To avoid the incoming fire I repeatedly swam under
water as long as I could hold my breath, attempting to make it to the
north bank of the river. I thought I would die right there. The odds were
against me avoiding the incoming fire and, even if I made it out of the
river, I thought I thought I'd be captured and executed. Kerry must have
seen me in the water and directed his driver, Del Sandusky, to turn the
boat around. Kerry's boat ran up to me in the water, bow on, and I was
able to climb up a cargo net to the lip of the deck. But, because I was
nearly upside down, I couldn't make it over the edge of the deck. This
left me hanging out in the open, a perfect target. John, already wounded
by the explosion that threw me off his boat, came out onto the bow,
exposing himself to the fire directed at us from the jungle, and pulled
me aboard.
Rassmann said he recommended Kerry for the Silver Star for that action,
and learned only later that the Bronze Star had been awarded instead. "To
this day I still believe he deserved the Silver Star for his courage," he
wrote. Rassmann described himself as a retired lieutenant with the Los
Angeles County Sheriff's Department. "I am a Republican, and for more
than 30 years I have largely voted for Republicans," Rassmann said. But
he said Kerry "will be a great commander in chief."
"This smear campaign has been launched by people without decency,"
Rassmann said. "Their new charges are false; their stories are
fabricated, made up by people who did not serve with Kerry in Vietnam."
On Aug. 22 the Washington Post quoted a new eyewitness in support of
Kerry's version. The Post said it had independently contacted Wayne D.
Langhofer, who manned a machine gun aboard PCF-43, the boat directly
behind Kerry's, and that Langhofer said he distinctly remembered the
"clack, clack, clack" of enemy AK-47 assault rifles.
Langhofer: There was a lot of firing going on, and it came from both
sides of the river.
The Third Purple Heart
The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth further says Kerry didn't deserve his
third purple heart, which was received for shrapnel wounds in left
buttocks and contusions on right forearm. The Swift Boat group's
affidavits state that the wound in Kerry's backside happened earlier that
day in an accident. "Kerry inadvertently wounded himself in the fanny,"
Thurlow said in his affidavit, "by throwing a grenade too close (to
destroy a rice supply) and suffered minor shrapnel wounds."
The grenade incident is actually supported by Kerry's own account, but
the shrapnel wound was only part of the basis for Kerry's third purple
heart according to official documents. The evidence here is
contradictory.
Kerry's account is in the book Tour of Duty by Douglas Brinkley, who
based it largely on Kerry's own Vietnam diaries and 12 hours of
interviews with Kerry. "I got a piece of small grenade in my ass from one
of the rice-bin explosions and then we started to move back to the
boats," Kerry is quoted as saying on page 313. In that account, Kerry
says his arm was hurt later, after the mine blast that disabled PCF-3,
when a second explosion rocked his own boat. "The concussion threw me
violently against the bulkhead on the door and I smashed my arm," Kerry
says on page 314.
And according to a Navy casualty report released by the Kerry campaign,
the third purple heart was received for "shrapnel wounds in left buttocks
and contusions on his right forearm when a mine detonated close aboard
PCF-94," Kerry's boat. As a matter of strict grammar, the report doesn't
state that both injuries were received as a result of the mine explosion,
only the arm injury.
The official citation for Kerry's Bronze Star refers only to his arm
injury, not to the shrapnel wound to his rear. It says he performed the
rescue "from an exposed position on the bow, his arm bleeding and in
pain." The description of Kerry's arm "bleeding" isn't consistent with
the description of a "contusion," or bruise.
Rassmann's Aug. 10 Wall Street Journal article states that Kerry's arm
was "wounded by the explosion that threw me off his boat," which would
make that wound clearly enemy-inflicted.
In any case, even a "friendly fire" injury can qualify for a purple heart
"as long as the 'friendly' projectile or agent was released with the full
intent of inflicting damage or destroying enemy troops or equipment,"
according to the website of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. All
agree that rice was being destroyed that day on the assumption that it
otherwise might feed Viet Cong fighters.
Another major discrepancy raises a question of how close Kerry's accusers
actually were to the rescue of Rassmann. Tour of Duty describes
Rassmann's rescue (and the sniper fire) as happening "several hundred
yards back" from where the crippled PCF-3 was lying, not "a few yards
away," the distance from which the anti-Kerry veterans claim to have
witnessed the incident.
First Purple Heart
Two who appear in the ad say Kerry didn't deserve his first purple heart.
Louis Letson, a medical officer and Lieutenant Commander, says in the ad
that he knows Kerry is lying about his first purple heart because “I
treated him for that.” However, medical records provided by the Kerry
campaign to FactCheck.org do not list Letson as the “person administering
treatment” for Kerry’s injury on December 3, 1968 . The person who
signed this sick call report is J.C. Carreon, who is listed as treating
Kerry for shrapnel to the left arm.
In his affidavit, Letson says Kerry's wound was self-inflicted and does
not merit a purple heart. But that's based on hearsay, and disputed
hearsay at that. Letson says “the crewman with Kerry told me there was no
hostile fire, and that Kerry had inadvertently wounded himself with an M-
79 grenade.” But the Kerry campaign says the two crewmen with Kerry that
day deny ever talking to Letson.
On Aug. 17 the Los Angeles Times quoted Letson as giving a slightly
different account than the one in his affidavit. The Times quotes him as
saying he heard only third-hand that there had been no enemy fire.
According to the Times, Letson said that what he heard about Kerry's
wounding came not from other crewmen directly, but through some of his
own subordinates. Letson was quoted as saying the information came from
crewmen who were "just talking to my guys … There was not a firefight --
that's what the guys related. They didn't remember any firing from
shore."
Letson also insisted to the Times that he was the one who treated Kerry,
removing a tiny shard of shrapnel from Kerry's arm using a pair of
tweezers. Letson said Carreon, whose signature appears on Kerry's medical
record, was an enlisted man who routinely made record entries on his
behalf. Carreon signed as "HM1," indicating he held the enlisted rank of
Hospital Corpsman First Class.
Also appearing in the ad is Grant Hibbard, Kerry’s commanding officer at
the time. Hibbard’s affidavit says that he “turned down the Purple Heart
request,” and recalled Kerry's injury as a "tiny scratch less than from a
rose thorn."
That doesn't quite square with Letson's affidavit, which describes
shrapnel "lodged in Kerry's arm" (though "barely.")
Hibbard also told the Boston Globe in an interview in April 2004 that he
eventually acquiesced about granting Kerry the purple heart.
Hibbard: I do remember some questions on it. . .I finally said, OK if
that's what happened. . . do whatever you want
Kerry got the first purple heart after Hibbard left to return to the US .
McCain Speaks Up
Sen. John McCain -- who has publicly endorsed Bush and even appealed for
donations to the President's campaign -- came to Kerry's defense on this.
McCain didn't witness the events in question, of course. But he told the
Associated Press in an August 5 interview:
McCain : I think the ad is dishonest and dishonorable. As it is none of
these individuals served on the boat (Kerry) commanded. Many of his
crewmates have testified to his courage under fire. I think John Kerry
served honorably in Vietnam.
At this point, 35 years later and half a world away, we see no way to
resolve which of these versions of reality is closer to the truth.
Sources
Michael Kranish,“Veteran Retracts Criticism of Kerry ,” The Boston Globe,
6 August 2004 .
Jodi Wilgoren, "Vietnam Veterans Buy Ads to Attack Kerry," The New York
Times, 5 August 2004.
Douglas Brinkley, Tour of Duty, (NY, HarperCollins, 2004).
Jim Rassmann, "Shame on the Swift Boat Veterans for Bush," Wall Street
Journal, 10 Aug 2004: A10.
Ron Fournier, "McCain Condemns Anti-Kerry Ad," Associated Press, 5 August
2004.
Michael Kranish, "Kerry Faces Questions Over Purple Heart," The Boston
Globe , 14 April 2004: A1.
Michael Kranish, "Heroism, and growing concern about war," The Boston
Globe, 16 June 2003.
Maria L. La Ganga and Stephen Braun, "Race to the White House: Veterans
Battle Over Truth; An ad calls Kerry a liar. His Vietnam crew sees a
hero. Memories, and agendas, are in conflict." Los Angeles Times 17 Aug
2004: A1.
Michael Dobbs, "Records Counter A Critic Of Kerry; Fellow Skipper's
Citation Refers To Enemy Fire" Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2004: A1.
William B. Rood, "FEB. 28, 1969: ON THE DONG CUNG RIVER
`This is what I saw that day'" Chicago Tribune 22 Aug 2004.
Michael Dobbs, "Swift Boat Accounts Incomplete: Critics Fail to Disprove
Kerry's Version of Vietnam War Episode," Washington Post 22 Aug 2004: A1.
Vic Romano
news:ZpRWc.36507$rP2....@hydra.nntpserver.com:
You are such an obtuse liar. Kerry served 12 months on the USS Gridley
*before* he requested a transfer to Swift boat duty. Why would he ask to
go in country when he already had a relatively safe post on a guided
missile cruiser? Where's your cite for this "news" that "broke today"?
Hmm?
Kerry was born in 1943. He graduated college in 1966. He then
*VOLUNTEERED* for duty in the US Navy. He then served 12 month on the
guided missile cruiser Gridley. After that, he *REQUESTED* a transfer in
country.
Michael-NC
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=kerry+%2Bdeferment&btnG=Google+Search
> Kerry was born in 1943. He graduated college in 1966. He then
> *VOLUNTEERED* for duty in the US Navy. He then served 12 month on the
> guided missile cruiser Gridley. After that, he *REQUESTED* a transfer in
> country.
Nice method of argumentation you have. Ignore the points I made and change
the subject. Gee... that's just what Kerry doing!
The Swift Boaters are _not_ going away. They are a bunch of battle hardened
Veterans and they are not scared of Kerry's panty-waisted lawyers.
Don't take this as an invitation to debate. I'm sure I won't change your
deranged liberal mind and I'm content to wait for the election result. I'll
rub your nose in it then.
Vic Romano
news:%T8Xc.49114$rP2...@hydra.nntpserver.com:
1) Not one link to an news article that "broke today"
2) Not one verifiable source in the bunch. The first link, the Daily
Telegraph (already a questionable source as they routinely lie) cites a
"Harvard University Newspaper". Which one? I searched and couldn't find
any such article in a "Harvard University Newspaper"
3) The second link, to Slate, is an article about *CHENEY'S* deferments.
WHOOPS! Wouldn't want to actually read some of those "sources" would you?
4) The third link is a subscription only article in the Chicago Trib and
I will wager $10 you didn't sign up for an account because it to is about
CHENEY's deferments. WHOOPPS again. (I have a login and password I can
give you if you really want to read it).
5) Fourth link is to a news forum where a user posted a link to the
Telegraph article in (2) above.
6) 5th link takes you to a news talk forum at the Baltimore Sun website.
There are no articles posted about Kerry's alleged deferement request.
WHOOPS. There you go again, not reading your own cites. Kinda makes you
look stupid, no?
7) 6th link is to "fredericksburg.com" and there is nothing at that cite
about a Kerry deferment either.
And so on. Boy, you sure proved something here, didn't you?
>> Kerry was born in 1943. He graduated college in 1966. He then
>> *VOLUNTEERED* for duty in the US Navy. He then served 12 month on the
>> guided missile cruiser Gridley. After that, he *REQUESTED* a transfer
>> in country.
>
> Nice method of argumentation you have. Ignore the points I made and
> change the subject. Gee... that's just what Kerry doing!
>
1) You made no "points" you simply told a lie.
2) You allegedly falsely that Kerry asked for a deferment. I corrected
you with the *fact* that Kerry volunteered for duty.
> The Swift Boaters are _not_ going away. They are a bunch of battle
> hardened Veterans and they are not scared of Kerry's panty-waisted
> lawyers.
>
They are done. They have been so badly discredited that even Bush is
trying to shut them up now because they are reflecting badly on him. And
before you scream "cite" - here you go bubba:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35376-2004Aug26.html
"The White House announced this morning that Bush campaign would take
legal action to force the Federal Election Commission to crack down on
so-called 527 organizations that use a loophole in campaign-finance law
to spend unregulated funds. "
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103
&sid=ayiWCYBBpvVY&refer=us
"President George W. Bush plans to seek a court order to force the U.S.
Federal Election Commission to stop all political advertising by
independent groups, said spokesman Scott McClellan.
"Bush asked Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, to help end
advertising by political organizations known as 527 groups, named for the
section of the Internal Revenue Service code that grants them tax-exempt
status. McCain told the New York Times he disapproves of ads attacking
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry by Swift Boat Veterans for
Truth, one of the 527 groups."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/elections/chi-
040826bush,1,1021216.story?coll=chi-news-hed
[I can give you a username and password if you really want to read
another article showing you what an ass you are]
"President Bush's campaign will file suit in an attempt to regulate what
it calls "shadowy" outside political groups that can receive unlimited
cash and have come under fire for running campaign attack ads, a White
House spokesman said today.
"Scott McClellan said Bush told Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) of his desire
to pursue legal action to prevent the so-called 527 groups from
continuing to run a stream of attack ads."
> Don't take this as an invitation to debate.
A debate would require that you have a clue and the ability to make an
argument. You have neither.
> I'm sure I won't change
> your deranged liberal mind
Yep - I go with facts and truth - you go with lies and smears.
> and I'm content to wait for the election
> result. I'll rub your nose in it then.
>
How 'bout a friendly wager? Kerry wins, you don't post in asbnll for a
year. Bush wins and I won't post for year. You on?
Alson Wong
> > result. I'll rub your nose in it then.
> >
> How 'bout a friendly wager? Kerry wins, you don't post in asbnll for a
> year. Bush wins and I won't post for year. You on?
Remember that he predicted not just that Bush will win, but by a margin of
15% in the popular vote. His response to my offer of a bet based on his
prediction was to propose another bet that he knew would not be accepted. I
turned down his proposal, and explained why. To date, he still has not
directly responded yes or no to my proposal nor has he explained his
reluctance to do so.
Vic Romano
news:10isf3v...@corp.supernews.com:
You just defined "chickenshit"
bozak
"Alson Wong" <ra...@yahoo.com.b_l_o_c_k> wrote in message news:10isf3v...@corp.supernews.com...
might have something to do with him being a moronic bigotted jackass...