[harpseal]

Typically a swift boat commander was a PO 1st class not a commissioned officer. Yes there were commissioned officers who commanded some of the swift boats but typically they were in command of a whole unit of swift boats. Yes, some swift boats were used for insertion extraction of Seal boat crews but this whole thing stinks.

[river rat]

Being a Jarhead, I've never served aboard either a Swift or PBR....

BUT --- in our earlier positions, we relied heavily upon the small PRBs for control, interdiction and cover on the narrowest waterways... and to practice capitalism in the boonies by trading with their crews from time to time with "unmentionable tradegoods"... We interfaced routinly with a couple of specific crews and came to know them and their tactics in the VERY close quarters they operated within....when they worked in our immediate area..

I would bet my mother's farm --- and my grandmother's rum producing cow - that they would never BEACH their craft during a firefight or while under attack.... unless it was necessary to evacuate their crew to a safe haven...

I would love to hear from anyone that could defend the actions of Kerry - to have beached his craft in a hot zone - to pursue a wounded charlie...

Our gunny would have called Kerry's action a dumb assed John Wayne stunt - and "I'll shoot the next sonofabitch that pulls a stunt like that on my watch"....

Kerry put his entire crew and ship at risk, to conduct a worthless stunt, and stage a political career bragging point....

Just one old man's opinion....


Semper Fi