[arasina]

Tell me if I'm not understanding this correctly.

• One of the boats hits a mine and explodes.
• Brave F'n hightails it out of there to save his sorry butt. This action by Skerrdycat causes Rasmussen to fall off F'n's boat.
• The other Swifties are busy rounding up those men from the mined boat who are in the water.
• F'n sees that Rasmussen is in the water as a result of his cowardice and that other sailors will possibly rescue Rasmussen.
• F'n knows the other Swifties will wonder why Rasmussen is in the water when he wasn't aboard the mined boat.
• F'n rescues the poor fellow who wouldn't even have needed rescuing if he hadn't been for Skerrdy's own skedaddling.
• Conniver and opportunist that he is, he comes up with the story about getting fired upon and turns in his own recommendation for a medal.
• F'n has to have corroboration for that citation so he says another Swiftie was fired upon as well.

  I haven't read the book yet so this is just my reasoning from what has emerged so far. I'm darned curious about the TRUTH and wish some award-hungry journalists were too.

[fhayek]

I think you just about nailed it.

[Interesting Times]

Pretty close, I think. Add that the Swifts fired at both banks to suppress possible enemy fire as Kerry accelerated down yon river. When it was clear that nobody was shooting back, it got quiet and Kerry apparently decided it would be a good time to go back and see how his "brothers" were getting along...