"Kerry & Rassmann swift boat stories collide" CARTOON...

IowaPresidentialWatch.com ^ | 8/10/2004 | IPWGOP

[IPWGOP]

Kerry/Rassmann swift boat stories collide

In a major gaffe, Camp Kerry was caught today with colliding stories concerning Kerry’s Vietnam heroics. [see FreeRepublic thread] In a much touted tale, Kerry is credited with saving the life of Green Beret veteran Jim Rassmann while they were on a 5-boat patrol during the Vietnam War. The group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth vehemently denies Kerry’s story and has supplied proof that Kerry lied about the circumstances behind his pulling Rassmann out of the river.

In an Aug. 10, 2004, editorial published in the Wall Street Journal, Green Beret veteran Jim Rassmann defends Kerry’s heroics and includes this statement:

"While returning from a SEA LORDS operation along the Bay Hap River, a mine detonated under another swift boat. 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."

Now, compare this statement by Rassmann in his Wall Street Journal editorial with a Kerry campaign press release, still on Kerry’s website as of 8/10/2004:

"On March 13, 1969, Rassmann, a Green Beret, was traveling down the Bay Hap river in a boat behind Kerry’s when both were ambushed by exploding land mines and enemy fire coming from the shore. Kerry was hit in the arm, while a mine blew Rassmann’s boat out of the water. With enemy fire coming from both sides of the river and swift boats evacuating from the area, Kerry’s crew chose to turn their boat toward the ambush to save Rassmann."

Rassmann says he was on Kerry’s swift boat; Kerry says Rassmann was on another boat behind his. Who’s telling the truth, and who is not?

[Grampa Dave]

This has been mentioned a couple of times, and it keeps disappearing.

I have a younger relative who has a fishing boat that is very much like the Swift Boats. He put a couple of people in the water by gunning the boat from a dead stop or moving along slowly and then gunning the motor, before he learned. Now, he warns everyone to sit down and so does he before hits the full throttle.

This type of boat all most leaves paint on the water when gunned. This young man believes that happened to the Green Beret. He was in the boat standing up with his M16, and the mine went off. Kerry hit full prop and the momenteum threw the Green Beret in the water.

When it was all clear, the guys in Kerry's boat probably told him to get his butt back and pull the green beret out of the water.

[NormsRevenge]

Mine went boom, Kerry hit the throttle hard and Rassman was in the drink.

That's the version I heard as well on one of the talking head shows, there are so many swifties coming forward about McKerry's Navy escapades... God bless those brave souls.

[DCPatriot]

Can you say OPPS?

Hilarious under certain conditions.

[Grampa Dave]

You forgot, he fired a grenade too close and ended up with rice in his butt. A self inflicted rice butt.

[TomasUSMC]

The most damning evidence is that Kerry himself is not saying anything. He is not defending himself of these charges. Why? Well lets keep slapping him then because people are going to see this as an admition of guilt.

[dila813]

He is pissing his pants, covering his ears, and saying to himself their not worthy and they will go away.

[patriciamary]

Watching? O.K, Kerry you are a traitor, a liar who will never be elected President and to top it off you'll UGLY!

[NormsRevenge]

Expect him to go on MTP w/ Timmy or ABC Sunday with Georgy Boy for a fluffjob and new 'do(over).. or maybe not.

How umbarassing can it get. Stay Tuned. ;-)

[Grampa Dave]

"Cause I can't see VC running down Swift boats."

The suicidal VC were basically history by then. Those Swift boats packed a lot of firepower on a little boat. Wasn't there 5 in this situation?

No battlewise VC would be running along the river bank play furkaquari with that many Swift Boats.

[Ajnin]

I think this election is going to be a landslide in W's favor.

[notforhire]

I skipped out on you guys for a bit.

Can you explain how this is done?

[henbane]

Here's the cached version.

Compare also Rassman's description of enemy fire coming from both sides of the river with Hoffmann's report that there was no enemy fire.

I think it was Odell who said that--when the mine exploded, the swiftboats reacted by laying down supressing fire to both shores.

It's this supressive fire from the swifties' gun tubs that Rassman--emerging from his underwater cover for some oxygen--mistook for enemy fire.

It's obvious that Kerry tossed Rassman into the water when he throttled-up to get the hell away from the action.

Realizing there was no enemy fire coming in and seeing his Green Beret buddy floundering in the water because Kerry himself had dumped him there--the embarrassed warrior finally came back and joined the rescue operation.

That's my version from eye-witness details gleaned so far.

It would be very interesting to compare the Kerry's sit-rep on this action with the sit-reps written by the other swiftboat skippers involved in this mine explosion.

All records on this action should be released ASAP.

Get Informed
John Kerry
Teresa Heinz Kerry
John Edwards
Elizabeth Edwards
Press Room
Official Blog
Rapid Response
Communities
En Español

Plan for America
National Security
Economy & Jobs
Health Care
Energy Independence
Homeland Security
Education
Environment
More Issues...

Take Action
Contribute to DNC
Be a Volunteer
Volunteer Center
Recruit Friends
Voter Outreach
Contact Media
Raise Money
Plan/Attend Events
Kerry Core

Multimedia
Videos
TV Spots
Photo Gallery
Downloads

Resources
Kerry Gear
Contact Us
Register to Vote
My Profile

Search

HomePress RoomPress Releases

January 17, 2004

Kerry Reunites with Fellow Veteran in Iowa

Veteran says Kerry saved his life in combat; has not seen him since 1969

For Immediate Release

Des Moines, IA - Former Lieutenant John Kerry was reunited today with fellow Vietnam veteran Jim Rassmann, who says Kerry saved his life during combat.

On March 13, 1969, Rassmann, a Green Beret, was traveling down the Bay Hap river in a boat behind Kerry’s when both were ambushed by exploding land mines and enemy fire coming from the shore.  Kerry was hit in the arm, while a mine blew Rassmann’s boat out of the water. With enemy fire coming from both sides of the river and swift boats evacuating from the area, Kerry’s crew chose to turn their boat toward the ambush to save Rassmann.

“We were still under fire, and he was wounded at the time…,” recalled Rassmann. And with his boat’s gunners providing suppressing fire, Kerry extended his wounded arm into the water and the two lieutenants locked arms.

Kerry and Rassmann have not seen each other since 1969.  Yesterday, Jim Rassmann called John Kerry’s campaign headquarters and said:  “I saw that John is in another tough fight, and I want to lend a hand.”

Rassmann, a retired Los Angeles county sheriff who now lives in Florence, Oregon, flew to Iowa this morning to reunite with Kerry. Kerry, with fellow veterans around him, said he was moved by Rassmann’s decision to come to Iowa.

“I remember the day and the moment we last met; the lingering bond between us comes from the shared experience of our service,” Kerry said. “I told Jim what I tell the thousands of veterans I have met in Iowa: As president, I will never—ever—forget your service.” Kerry added.

For Kerry’s bravery, Rassmann recommended that he be recognized, and Kerry was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V.  The citation that followed the award read as follows:

“The man was receiving sniper fire from both banks. Lt. Kerry directed his gunners to provide suppressing fire, while from an exposed position on the bow, his arm bleeding and in pain, with disregard for his personal safety, he pulled the man aboard.

Lt. Kerry then directed his boat to return and assist the other damaged craft and towed the boat to safety. Lt. Kerry's calmness, professionalism and great personal courage under fire were in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Naval Service.”

Paid for and authorized by Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.	Financial Data   Privacy Policy

[NonValueAdded]

Here are the transcripts I made from the various appearances of the SBV on 8/5 and 8/6:

Adm. Hoffmann, Van O'Dell, Scott Swett on Sean Hannity's radio show, 8/5/2004:

transcript, part 1 of 4

transcript, part 2 of 4

transcript, part 3 of 4

transcript, part 4 of 4

Steve Gardner (gunner ON Kerry's boat) on Michael Savage's radio show 8/6/2004 transcript

[NonValueAdded]

The cover fire quote you need is in the part 3 transcript above:

Van: I was there. I was there. I laid down the first cover fire and I quit firing because we weren't receiving any fire.

[Wolverine]

But wait, there's more. According to the Swift Boat Veterans, Kerry's boat was the only one to bug out after the explosion and the other two boats stayed to aid the 3 boat and pick up 3 from the water. proof The Kerry press release you show has Kerry making it look like everyone else panicked and "there he was to save the day."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1185726/posts?page=204#204

Adm. Hoffman: Alright ... I think that Van O'Dell told you that there was one explosion - a controlled mine under PCF3.  No other boats were damaged.  There was only ONE explosion [verbal emphasis].  Kerry breaks out of the fire zone and goes downstream.  He's the only one that left the scene, the rest of them are trying to save the boat number 3 and pick the men up out of the water and so forth.  Kerry didn't come back until he was sure there wasn't any shore fire - and there wasn't, there never was any shore fire.

Adm. Hoffman: Now ... in his own report he said that he had a minor contusion on his right arm and he had shrapnel in his butt.  Now ... when, an underwater mine does not have any shrapnel.  So, where did the shrapnel come from?  I'll tell you where it came from.  Before that operation when he was up the river, he and Rassmun tossed a concussion grenade into a sampan with loaded rice [sic].  He didn't duck fast enough and he got some of the rice up his rear end.  And that was the wound that he had.  But he made his after-action report, he reported that as shrapnel and that is an outright ...

[Grampa Dave]

I certain hope and pray that you are right.

[Grampa Dave]

Great Job.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks.

We are ending up with a book just on his miss or unadventures in Nam.

[henbane]

Thanks Grandpa.

Here's another page that should be cached. It's the Kerry Campaign's version of his service record as currently posted on the Kerry/Edwards website.

The way things are going as new eyewitness details emerge hourly, it looks like KerryVietnam V.2, V.3, etc. may be posted on the ever-changing Dem website as the con-men try to dodge the incoming.

Get Informed
John Kerry
Teresa Heinz Kerry
John Edwards
Elizabeth Edwards
Press Room
Official Blog
Rapid Response
Communities
En Español

Plan for America
National Security
Economy & Jobs
Health Care
Energy Independence
Homeland Security
Education
Environment
More Issues...

Take Action
Contribute to DNC
Be a Volunteer
Volunteer Center
Recruit Friends
Voter Outreach
Contact Media
Raise Money
Plan/Attend Events
Kerry Core

Multimedia
Videos
TV Spots
Photo Gallery
Downloads

Resources
Kerry Gear
Contact Us
Register to Vote
My Profile

Search

HomeJohn KerryService

John Kerry's Vietnam Service Timeline

February 18, 1966	Kerry formally enlists in the U.S. Navy
August 22, 1966	Kerry reports for Naval Officer Candidate School at the U.S. Naval Training Center in Newport, Rhode Island
December 16, 1966	Kerry receives commission as an Ensign

January 3, 1967	Kerry reports for duty at the Naval Schools Command at Treasure Island (CA)-Takes 10 week Officer Damage Control Course
March 22, 1967	Reports to U.S. Fleet Anti-Air Warfare Training Center (CA). Receives training as a Combat Information Center Watch Officer.
June 8, 1967	Kerry reports to USS Gridley-serves in several capacities

February 9, 1968	USS Gridley departs for a Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment, to engage in operations in support of the Vietnam War. Ship spends time in the Gulf of Tonkin off North Vietnam, at Subic Bay in the Philippines and in Wellington, New Zealand
February 10, 1968	Kerry requests duty in Vietnam He lists his first preference for a position as an officer in charge of a Swift Boat (designated PCF for Patrol Craft Fast), his second as an officer in a patrol boat (designated PBR, for Patrol Boat River) squadron
May 27, 1968	USS Gridley sets sail for the US
June 6, 1968	Kerry arrives in Long Beach the day after Senator Robert F. Kennedy is killed in Los Angeles
June 16, 1968	Kerry promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade
July 20, 1968	Kerry leaves Gridley for specialized training at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, CA in preparation for service as commander of a Swift Boat. These unarmored, but heavily armed, fifty foot aluminum hulled patrol boats depended on speed and agility when engaging the enemy.
November 17, 1968	Upon completion of his training, Kerry reports for duty to Coastal Squadron 1, Coastal Division 14, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam.
December 1968 through January 1969	Kerry commands PCF-44
December 2, 1968	Kerry experiences first intense combat; receives first combat related injury.
December 6, 1968	Kerry moved to Coastal Division 11 at An Thoi on Phu Quoc Island
December 13, 1968	Kerry moved to Coastal Division 13, Cam Ranh Bay
December 24, 1968	Kerry involved in combat during the Christmas Eve truce of 1968. The truce was three minutes old when mortar fire exploded around Lieutenant Kerry and his five-man crew. Reacting swiftly, John Kerry and his crew silenced the machine gun nest.

January 22, 1969	Kerry and other Swift boat commanders travel to Saigon for meeting with Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, Commander Naval Forces Vietnam (COMNAVFORV), and Gen. Creighton Abrams, Commander United States Military Assistance Command Vietnam (COMUSMACV)
Late January, 1969	Kerry joined his 5 man crew on PCF-94
Late January through Early March, 1969	Starting in late January 1969, this crew completed 18 missions over an intense and dangerous 48 days, almost all of them in the dense jungles of the Mekong Delta. Kerry's crew included engineman Eugene Thorson, later an Iowa cement mason; David Alston, then the crew's only African-American and today a minister in South Carolina; petty officer Del Sandusky of Illinois; rear gunner and quartermaster Michael Medeiros of California; and the late Tom Belodeau, who joined the crew fresh out of Chelmsford High School in Massachusetts. Others rotated in and out of the crew. The most intense action came during an extraordinary eight days of more than 10 firefights, remembered by Kerry's crew as the "days of hell."
February 20, 1969	Kerry and crew involved in combat; Kerry receives second combat injury – Kerry earned his second Purple Heart after sustaining a shrapnel wound in his left thigh.
February 28, 1969	For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with Coastal Division ELEVEN engaged in armed conflict with Viet Cong insurgents in An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 28 February 1969. Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry was serving as Officer in Charge of Patrol Craft Fast 94 and Officer in Tactical Command of a three-boat mission. As the force approached the target area on the narrow Dong Cung River, all units came under intense automatic weapons and small arms fire from an entrenched enemy force less than fifty-feet away. Unhesitatingly, Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry ordered his boat to attack as all units opened fire and beached directly in front of the enemy ambushers. The daring and courageous tactic surprised the enemy and succeeded in routing a score of enemy soldiers. The PCF gunners captured many enemy weapons in the battle that followed. On a request from U.S. Army advisors ashore, Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry ordered PCFs 94 and 23 further up river to suppress enemy sniper fire. After proceeding approximately eight hundred yards, the boats again were taken under fire from a heavily foliated area and B-40 rocket exploded close aboard PCF-94; 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 from the VC rocket position, and personally led a landing party ashore in pursuit of the enemy. Upon sweeping the area an immediate search uncovered an enemy rest and supply area which was destroyed. The extraordinary daring and personal courage of Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry in attacking a numerically superior force in the face of intense fire were responsible for the highly successful mission. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
March 13, 1969	For heroic achievement while serving with Coastal Division ELEVEN engaged in armed conflict with Viet Cong communist aggressors in An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 13 March 1969. Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry was serving as Officer in Charge of Patrol Craft Fast 94, one of five boats conducting a SEA Lords operation in the Bay Hap River. While exiting the river, a mine detonated under another Inshore Patrol Craft and almost simultaneously, another mine detonated wounding Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry in the right arm. In addition, all units began receiving small arms and automatic weapons fire from the river banks. When Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry discovered he had a man overboard, he returned upriver to assist. The man in the water was receiving sniper fire from both banks. Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry directed his gunners to provide suppressing fire, while from an exposed position on the bow, his arm bleeding and in pain and with disregard for his safety, he pulled the man aboard. Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry then directed his boat to return and assist the other damaged boat to safety. Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry’s calmness, professionalism and great personal courage under fire were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry is authorized to wear the Combat “V”.
March 17, 1969	The policy of Coastal Squadron One, the swift boat command, was to send home any individual who is wounded three times in action. After sustaining his third wound from enemy action in Vietnam, Kerry was granted relief under this policy.
Early April, 1969	Kerry departs Vietnam
April 11, 1969	Kerry reports for duty at the Military Sea Transportation Service, U.S. Atlantic Fleet in Brooklyn, NY.

January 1, 1970	Kerry promoted to (full) Lieutenant
January 3, 1970	Kerry requests discharge
March 1, 1970	Kerry’s date of separation from Active Duty
April 29, 1970	Kerry listed as Registrant who has completed service

[Source: Boston Globe, “John Kerry, the Making of a Candidate”, 6/15/03-6/21/03; Tour of Duty by Douglas Brinkley, Published by William Morrow 2003; Selective Service System, National Headquarter]

Paid for and authorized by Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.	Financial Data   Privacy Policy

[BradyLS]

John Kerry was so heroic, that he was able to drive two different boats at once.