Records Counter a Critic of Kerry

Washington Post ^ | 8/19/04 | Michael Dobbs

[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."

[italianquaker]

All news is good because it keeps talkin about the swift boat vets do you know how much these ads would of cost otherwise.People can read and they no know something smells fishy W2004

[Viet-Boat-Rider]

I got notified by Amizon that my book shipped today.

[Callahan]

Has not seen the citation before? How do you get a medal and not know what it's for. He had to know this existed?

[carl in alaska]

No, I think the language in Thurlow's military records is consistent with all prior statements from the Swift Vets. One of John O'Neill's strongest accusations against Kerry is that he lied to get his medals: he deliberately provided false after-action reports to his commanding officers on a number of occasions. This story by the Post will probably get Kerry into even more trouble, because it will focus attention on the false reports he provided to his superior officers. Not to worry about this. What a tangled web we weave....

[NavySEAL F-16]

NONE OF THE BOATS HAD ANY BULLET HOLES!

[1066AD]

It also keeps the story alive...

[Steven W.]

yes this is a hit from the Kerry campaign - they gave reporter the doc they wanted him to find (and which Kerry had written the officer up for, behind his back & unbeknownst to him)

Listen here - half way down the page on the right

Gardner came back from DC with a situation report (SITREP) from the Navy archives for the incident with the sampan. Kerry declared there were 4 enemy who "jumped off the boat and ran ashore" in addition to those KIA. He also declared the small boat (30' long canoe like) had 5500 LBS of contraband (meaning the weight of a good size automobile).

Some enterprising blogger might follow the Compost example and file for other relevant docs via FOIA:

The Post filed an independent request for the documents with the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, which is the central repository for veterans' records. The documents were faxed to The Post by officials at the records center yesterday.

[Lawgvr1955]

Further proof of the media bias is the great silence about Kerry's own diary stating that he had yet to have faced hostile fire written after his first supposed Purple Heart.

[DaveMSmith]

This isn't a hit - it's a score: 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.

The confusion was when the PCF3 hit the mine, SOP called for the other boats to open fire to the banks - which they did... there was no enemy return fire. It probably sounded like they were under attack. John Kerry, meanwhile, was running away.

Thurlow admitted the fraud - will JFK? What will be the Kerry campaign response to this? I can't wait!

[FairOpinion]

The more I read it, the more it appears to be misdirection by the MSM.

There could be a very logical explanation, consistent with the story of the SwiftVets:

A mine hits one boat, the flotilla is fired upon, KERRY RUNS, then the firs stops, KERRY RETURNS and fishes the guy out of water, who fell in, precisely, because Kerry was running away so fast.

[arasina]

Ping for you to get your ammunition ready.

[NavySEAL F-16]

You generally don't read your "atta boys".

[Numbers Guy]

No, I think the language in Thurlow's military records is consistent with all prior statements from the Swift Vets

I agree that it is. But it's not being spun that way. I hope that I'm dead wrong, but I fear that the press will take this one issue and use it to undermine the credibility of the entire Swift Boat Vets' argument. The media will definitely try; hopefully they won't succeed.

[Rokke]

Excellent point.

[tobyhill]

It sounds as though Kerry wrote the after action report and attributed Thurlows name to it as a co-commander and then it was placed in Thurlows files. Let's see who wrote the report? Let's see the maintenance reports of the boats and see if any had bullet fragments were embedded in them?

[Intolerant in NJ]

It shows the hypocrisy of the media, they are going after the records of others, instead of demanding that Kerry release his records...I doubt that they have to go after the Swiftvets records - the 'rats put together their little "Brown Books" of personal information on all the Swifties, so the press doesn't even have to break a sweat to dig up questionnable information on them.....

[Henk]

Unless he wrote the after action report

The are NOT talking about an after action report. They are talking about a bronze star citation which could have easily been embellished as it went up chain of command.

[CedarDave]

For much of the episode, Kerry was not in a position to know firsthand what was happening on Thurlow's boat, as Kerry's boat had sped down the river after the mine exploded under another boat. He later returned to provide assistance to the stricken boat.

This statement also supports what the Swifties have been saying: Kerry fled the scene only to return later to pick up Rassmann. He wasn't around when the other boats came to the aid of the mined boat.

[doug from upland]

This shows once again that Kerry turned in a phony report.

[Steven W.]

DON'T LIE - READ THE ARTICLE!

This account SUPPORTS THE SWIFTVETS!

They have always claimed Kerry misrepresented reports about these incidents

Has not seen the citation before? How do you get a medal and not know what it's for. He had to know this existed?

Read the article! It says he was under the impression it was solely awarded for his actions that day picking up the guys out of the water (while Kerry had run away). He never knew Kerry had written up the extra stuff about enemy fire (5000 yards - that's 2-1/2 miles!). He says if he'd known the award was issued fraudulently - as he now believes it was given the LIEs incorporated by John Kerry, then he no longer wants it!