New at SwiftVets.com (re: enemy fire during Rassmann incident)

SwiftVets.com ^ | 08/19/2004 | Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

[Interesting Times]

August 19, 2004 -- Posted Swift Veteran statements in response to today's Washington Post article by Michael Dobbs, Records Counter a Critic of Kerry. Dobbs attempts to make a case that there was enemy small-arms fire during the Rassmann incident for which John Kerry obtained a Bronze Star, based on the writeup for Larry Thurlow's own Bronze Star. But who wrote the action report for the event? And why no bullet holes in any of the boats?

Statement By Swift Boat Veterans for Truth member Larry Thurlow

Statement By Swift Boat Veterans for Truth member Van Odell

Statement By Swift Boat Veterans for Truth member Jack Chenoweth

Statement By Swift Boat Veterans for Truth member John O'Neill

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[prairiebreeze]

Holy crap! Cleland now says Kerry was SHOT 3 times?? Oh FGS!! I read the description of one of Kerry's wounds in Unfit. It was a metal fragment (the military called it shrapnel) that measured about 1 centimeter long by 3 to 4 millimeters wide. It was in the skin no more than 3 or 4 millimeters. It was easily extracted by a forceps and required no anesthesia for the extraction. No suturing was required and a small dressing (probably a band-aid) was applied.

FGS!

[mass55th]

"Rassman was eating a cookie on the back of the boat and fell off when Kerry fled the scene after #3 hit the mine."

That's been my theory of what happened. He fell off after Kerry sped away. It's tough to eat a cookie and hold on at the same time.

Had Rassman been on PCF #3, he more than likely would have been knocked unconscious or suffered a concussion from the mine explosion, like most of the crew of #3 did.

[My2Cents]

I've heard one.

[Mo1]

Holy crap! Cleland now says Kerry was SHOT 3 times??

Yep .. Max was REALLY slinging the BS tonight

[Bob]

Thank god for the Internet. Hallelujah baby.

Thank you, Al Gore, from the bottom of my heart, for inventing it. :=)

[yhwhsman]

Democrats think these guys are going to fold and wither. They're wrong. These guys are actual warriors

And 35 years later, they're still standing strong facing enemy fire, defending our great nation.

[Cableguy]

I just gave some money to the Swift Vets. I encourage everyone to do the same at swiftvets.com

[WorkingClassFilth]

"I love this. Closest thing to pure citizen participation. Not like the faux populism of Soros outfits like MoveOn.Org."

Me too.

I've been driving around for awhile now with the question: 'Do you still believe the mainstream media news?' and the invitation: 'Check out: www.swiftvets.com' in the rear window of my truck cab. I also included a Kerry/Lurch morph picture warning readers not read about his 'Me Lie' cover-up.

Informal road poll results are good. Some smiles, honks a few scowls, but no shouted obscenites or fingers - yet. This entire media end run has got to be making alot of RATs feel pretty low. Oh well, as FReepers say...

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

[cake_crumb]

"Swift vets respond to today's attempt by the Washington Post to patch up John Kerry's leaking credibility."

Heck, that Compost ad, which I read, had at the bottom of it a "Sponsored Google" box that contained a link to the hedgefundgirl site. The other two in the ad were links to buy Kerry books. I wound up not sleeping all stinking night.

[Bob]

Just out of curiosity, how can they remember if their were bullet holes in the boats? 1. would bullets have penetrated anyway and 2. why would somebody remember that (unless their was a record of such).

If they had been in the sort of firefight that kerry described, there would have been a great many bullet holes in all of the boats. The Swift boats may have been tough but they weren't very heavily armored.

Any bullet holes would have appeared on a damage report filed after the action. If the brown-water Navy operates anything like the tin-can Navy does, there should have been a separate damage report submitted for each boat involved in the incident. (They may have been combined and included as part of the after-action report.) In all likelihood, there would have been additional repair paperwork written up as well.

The U.S. Navy may float on water but it thrives on paperwork. :=)

[Bob]

1) Kerry was terribly wounded and bleeding heavily (that can be verified and is not in the realm of he said-he said, let's call it a draw.

It's no draw.

The medical report from the incident listed kerry's arm injury as "contusion (minor)". Contusions (aka bruises) don't bleed at all, let alone heavily. Had he been so terribly wounded, wouldn't some hospital time be expected? There was none.

[Bob]

If you recall Steve was fired from his job within hours of outing kerry.

Steve Gardner?? This is the first time that I've heard that. Do you have a link to the story?

[Intolerant in NJ]

In the Marine Corps, all units have what is called the "UNIT DIARY" which is the official daily record of all that occurs in that company...Col. Bill Cowen on Fox News Special Report tonight mentioned this to Brit Hume - each branch has its own format, but it is a daily log of incident by incident what happended to all units that day - Cowen was not sure exactly where they were all kept, but said this was another way to get a detailed look at what went on in questionable circumstances - let's hope someone from the Swiftvets side of the fight gets to them first, so they don't disappear down somebody's pants......

[Intolerant in NJ]

Yes, the information about no bullet holes on the SwiftBoats and nobody else getting shot is crucial...also the allegation in Kerry's report that the Swift Boats had to travel through almost three miles of shooting from both banks of the river before they escaped - it's beyond belief that they would have survived this without at least major injuries and damage to their craft..........

[Intolerant in NJ]

I was listening to the local news radio station (in Buffalo) this morning. They have never mentioned the Swift Boat Vets in any story prior to today. But low and behold, they led off with the Wash Post story which (supposedly) challenged the credibility of Thurlow. Amazing...ditto in Philadelphia, and thoroughly despicable.......

[arasina]

Tell me if I'm not understanding this correctly.

• One of the boats hits a mine and explodes.
• Brave F'n hightails it out of there to save his sorry butt. This action by Skerrdycat causes Rasmussen to fall off F'n's boat.
• The other Swifties are busy rounding up those men from the mined boat who are in the water.
• F'n sees that Rasmussen is in the water as a result of his cowardice and that other sailors will possibly rescue Rasmussen.
• F'n knows the other Swifties will wonder why Rasmussen is in the water when he wasn't aboard the mined boat.
• F'n rescues the poor fellow who wouldn't even have needed rescuing if he hadn't been for Skerrdy's own skedaddling.
• Conniver and opportunist that he is, he comes up with the story about getting fired upon and turns in his own recommendation for a medal.
• F'n has to have corroboration for that citation so he says another Swiftie was fired upon as well.

  I haven't read the book yet so this is just my reasoning from what has emerged so far. I'm darned curious about the TRUTH and wish some award-hungry journalists were too.

[Niks]

Do they repeat Lehrer? Would love to see it.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the ping.

[oblomov]

I don't even watch the TV news anymore. And when I read an actual "news"paper now, I just laugh at the little tricks and distortions. I listen to NPR a bit on the way to work, but I think, "now that was a interesting story. I wonder if it's true? Maybe I should check a few blogs and find out."

[fhayek]

I think you just about nailed it.