Posted on 08/19/2004 12:50:52 PM PDT by crushkerry
Clearly Jim Rassmann's account of being under fire when he was in the water differs from that of the Swift Boat Vets. But after reading this statment from Swift Boat Vet Van O'Dell is it possible that what Rassmann thought was enemy fire was really the suppression fire laid down by all the Swiftboats? Given O'Dell's description of the "black billowing smoke" from the blown up swiftboat, and Rassmann's understandable disorientation from having been blown out of a ship, it seems possible he could have been mistaken.
Read Rassmann's initial account for the LA Times and how embellished it was compared to what is coming out now.
(Please see:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-vietnamvet13mar13,1,4247569.story?coll=la-headlines-nation )
I think, as has been suggested in this blog, Rassmann (only 21 at the time) was thrown into the water. He says he was on Kerry's boat, where as, the Kerry camp say he was on the boat behind Kerry's, (please see http://www.iowapresidentialwatch.com/cartoonarc/Collide.htm ) In the heat of the moment I think the swiftboats expected an ambush and they responded by shooting the shoreline. Rassmann misstook the fire for unfriendly fire.
nick
I agree, we need to find out who Jim Rassmann is. We know that he is 57 and retired from LA Sherif's office, a republican and raises orchids. Where are the people who knew him when he was in the milatary.
nick
indexing
I thought a few weeks ago as the swiftboat vets story was starting to come out, that Rassmann had said he went under water to avoide being run over by the swift boats engines. But, whether it was that or perception of fire, he was underwater thru most of the action.
The swiftees are being led in their campaign against Kerry by an experienced, savvy lawyerwho has meticulously documented their case. The dimocraps have been digging for dirt on this for what - a month or so? And they've not even landed a single punch on the whole bunch of them. I wouldn't count on the Swiftees to have inflated their charges - they're not that stupid.
Bush has already done all that he can without getting into this thing deeper. If he appeals to the SwiftVets to cease their ads, Kerry's people will point to that act as an admission that the Republican Campaign was behind these "attacks" all along.
If you are new to fightfights, all sounds appear "dangerous", even outgoing rifle fire, especially rounds possing nearby or overhead. It takes a while, or some special excercises (like being fired "near to" by your own team in a field excercise" when you have nothing better to do) before you really start to distinguish incoming, "near", and "aimed" rounds. Depending upon Rassman's previous experience in firefights he would or would not be able to tell if the fire was incoming and if it was "directed" at himself.
A really experienced man (several fights) can literally "feel" the aiming of a weapon at himnself, even before the enemy pulls the trigger.
The White House yesterday distanced itself from a political ad that questions John Kerry's Vietnam service and called on the Democratic presidential nominee to join President Bush in demanding an "immediate cessation" of all advertisements by outside groups. "We have not and will not question Senator Kerry's service in Vietnam," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters aboard Air Force One. "The president is calling for an immediate cessation to all the unregulated soft money activity." He added: "We hope the Kerry campaign will join us."They also filed a complaint...which resulted in this opinion...June 23, 2004 - In a major shift in fundraising strategy, President Bush’s finance team has begun asking wealthy Republicans to cut checks as large as $1 million to GOP state parties in key election battlegrounds rather than steering their funds to independent groups created in recent months to support Republican candidates this fall.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Federal Election Commission Thursday rejected a proposal to rein in the unlimited fundraising and spending power of independent political groups attempting to influence the outcome of this year's presidential race. Bush-Cheney campaign chairman Marc Racicot and Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie called the FEC decision "irresponsible" in a joint statement.And in a pure case of the pot calling the kettle black...
Kerry hires online chief from MoveOn (collusion with 527 org alert)
That's been my thinking for some time
As for Rassman what Rassman really saw?? .. Who knows .. his story seems to keep changing
Now he's saying he was the only man in the water
Couple of things:
1. Some of the damaged boat's crew were injured/overboard. So dispersal would not have been the appropriate response, even if it were the procedure under other circumstances.
2. With lightly armed vehicle/boats/choppers, the typical formation would be to stay together. This allows for massing of firepower, covering fire for each other, etc.
3. Fleeing the scene with men in the water, even if one is startled, does not represent leadership or courage.
Most likely Rassman "The Remington Ranger",(That is what military clerks called themselves),is the one that actually wrote and typed the citations. See below.
This from:
VIETNAM SPECIAL FORCES/ AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS OTHER VIETNAM VETERANS EX-POWS-KIA/MIA FAMILIES AND FRIENDS AND THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY AGAINST KERRY
http://www.vnsfvetakerry.com/
http://www.vnsfvetakerry.com/jim_rassmann.htm
A CQ reader who wishes to remain anonymous sent this over to me this morning. The reader claims that he had Special Forces experience in Viet Nam and has this to say about Rassman:
There are a lot of angles to the Kerry saga. I doubt anyone gets to every question, but some are compelling to me. The question that goes begging today is why was Rassman there at all?
I don't believe SF will take an official position on this, so I'll post what I have heard. I have never bad mouthed fellow SFers before, but I do have these comments from some sources I trust.
Rassman was reportedly the Asst S-1, which means he was the assistant admininistrative officer. Not exactly a key sought after job for an SF officer LOL. In fact I don't recall knowing of any official Asst S-1 officer slots in the field. Jobs like that are created to keep idiots off the teams.
He was supposedly in charge of awards and decorations (A&D) in a field unit. SF didn't issue many, so it was hardly a taxing assignment. The man doing that job at SF HQ RVN was a Sergeant. Giving it to an officer in a field unit as a primary duty is beyond unusual.
He was probably AWOL when he was with Kerry. At best someone may have said, OK go, just to get him out of the way.
My comments and speculation.
If Rassman was an A&D clerk, his knowledge of how to get awards approved was probably very interesting to Kerry. Since reports indicate he wrote the citation for Kerry's SS, I believe this speculation is well-founded.
And how does an SF LT fall out of a 50' boat? I have been through days and weeks of small boat training and drills, we never had anyone fall out.
Rassman says he was under fire. Anytime anyone was shooting within 50 yds of me I always assumed I was the target until I could prove otherwise. Rassman could not do that while in the drink. I will take the word of the other boat crews that there was no enemy fire at all. They had the best view to assess the situation. My mind keeps going back to Rassman's A&D job. He knew if there was no enemy fire there would be no award citations.
This entire operation smells bad to me. Kerry was in command he gets credit for everything his unit did and everything it failed to do. The Swiftvets are getting heavy pressure and questioning. I would like to see a reporter question Rassman in detail.
To me, the Bronze Star story is really the least of Kerry's problems. However, if the official after-action reports ever come out from the other teams there that day, it may prove rather embarrassing for Rassman, regardless of how many times he can say Spaeth Communications and John McCain in a 1500-word essay. And that's really the crux of the matter: we need to see the entire file on John Kerry to determine who's telling the truth. Is it John Kerry and a handful of people, or over 200 combat veterans who were also there and saw him in action?
Until John Kerry releases his complete military records, the credibility of the Swiftvets will continue to grow. As long as Kerry keeps answering their well-documented allegations with nothing but intimidation tactics, his credibility will be completely suspect. Jim Rassman cannot save John Kerry from himself.
Posted by Captain Ed at 09:56 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0) http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/
The crews of the other boats have said that they laid down covering fire after the mine blew 'just in case.' I believe this is what Rassman heard. Remember Rassman was not a sailor, and his horizon was Very Limited when his eyes were 2 inches above the water.
I am sure that he believed for all these years that Kerry was a great hero. Unfortunately his perspective was very tiny.
This is what makes Kerry all the more nasty. He was nasty way back as well. HE MUST HAVE HUNG WITH THE KENNEDYS LONG ENOUGH TO GET THE MESSAGE.
Here's a question: If there was enemy fire from the bank, how is it that NO ONE from any of the boats received a bullet wound of any kind?
The VC couldn't have been that bad shots, those guys who got on PCF3 to keep it from sinking and to help the crew would have been sitting ducks.
I've never been in combat, but I do know this. There is a major difference in hearing gunshots and being shot at. And the latter is hard to mistake.
Have you ever fallen off a boat in full combat gear? It might alter your perspective.
I suspect that Rassman recommended Kerry for the medal that day, so he is sticking with his story.
Kerry seems to be getting nastier with every appearance before a microphone. He will be completely rabid by the middle of October.
Nope. All I am saying is that a bullet passing in close proximity is distinctly different than one fired in another direction.
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