Posted on 08/18/2004 8:24:34 PM PDT by Callahan
Newly obtained military records of one of Sen. John F. Kerry's most vocal critics, who has accused the Democratic presidential candidate of lying about his wartime record to win medals, contradict his own version of events.
In newspaper interviews and a best-selling book, Larry Thurlow, who commanded a Navy Swift boat alongside Kerry in Vietnam, has strongly disputed Kerry's claim that the Massachusetts Democrat's boat came under fire during a mission in Viet Cong-controlled territory on March 13, 1969. Kerry won a Bronze Star for his actions that day.
But Thurlow's military records, portions of which were released yesterday to The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act, contain several references to "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" directed at "all units" of the five-boat flotilla. Thurlow won his own Bronze Star that day, and the citation praises him for providing assistance to a damaged Swift boat "despite enemy bullets flying about him."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Of course, this only concerns one allegation. When they do bother to cover this stuff, the media has a habit of conflating everything the Swifties say instead of taking their charges one by one.
How can they Thurlow's records and not be able to get Kerry's?
The Kerry campaign just got a new talking point.
Or gave.
Not good, and the mainstream press will leap all over this. Even though it's not fair and we know the bulk of the story is accruate, they're going to pound away at this forever. It's likely everyone will eventually have to move on to other issues related to Kerry.
I thought Kerry's own after-action report did not mention enemy fire?
More proof of the media bias. Its a chink in the armor, but not fatal to the point of the UFC book in my opinion.
Why would Thurlow lie about something that denigrates his own medal. There has to be more to this.
From the article:
Thurlow said he would consider his award "fraudulent" if coming under enemy fire was the basis for it. "I am here to state that we weren't under fire," he said. He speculated that Kerry could have been the source of at least some of the language used in the citation.
Read article at Yahoo, no registration:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/washpost/20040819/pl_washpost/a13267_2004aug18
It shows the hypocrisy of the media, they are going after the records of others, instead of demanding that Kerry release his records.
"Thurlow's military records, portions of which were released yesterday to The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act"
Why doesn't the FOIA apply to Kerry's records?
THis isn't so bad, Kerry's lies went everywhere. See the hurt that he has caused again>
"It's like a Hollywood presentation here, which wasn't the case," Thurlow said last night after being read the full text of his Bronze Star citation. "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." Thurlow said he would consider his award "fraudulent" if coming under enemy fire was the basis for it. "I am here to state that we weren't under fire," he said. He speculated that Kerry could have been the source of at least some of the language used in the citation."
This is actually very minor, the WP is just blowing it totally out of proportion and obfuscating the events.
Military people fill me in. Would he see the citation before hand? Who writes it?
Kerry suggests that the word of Vietnam Vet is, by that fact alone, is something special.OK, I'll accept that, to some degree. But doesn't that make all Vietnam veterans and their claims of equal dignity? I would think so.
"It's like a Hollywood presentation here, which wasn't the case," Thurlow said last night after being read the full text of his Bronze Star citation. "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."
Thurlow said he would consider his award "fraudulent" if coming under enemy fire was the basis for it. "I am here to state that we weren't under fire," he said. He speculated that Kerry could have been the source of at least some of the language used in the citation.
I agree completely, but the problem is that how we react to it will be far different from how the mainstream press reacts to it. Now that they have a talking point to discredit the story, they'll ram it down everyone's throats for the next few days.
No, this is good.
Instead of the MSM hiding it, they will go on the attack. The SBVTs are organized. They have pulled all the FOI documents they could before going after Kerry. They will have also put all their records together.
Several of these guys went to Annapolis. They think deeper than the MSM. They were getting ignored, so now the WaPo is talking about them.
Sort of like a trap for Charlie.
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