Has anyone tried to download the after action reports on the Kerry website?
I was able to at work, but now I can't.
I wanted to read it and see if Kerry was the one who wrote it. It would back up Thurlow's story if he did.
Can you really ever trust a democrat with America's national security..?
I had to download first an Acrobat update from Adobe.com, but then could open the recommendation (and the Citation) for Kerry's Bronze Star. I have transcribed the SUMMARY OF ACTION, which is the only "after-action" information I could find. If johnkerry.com had displayed a separate after-action report, it appears they may have removed it.
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AWARD RECOMMENDATION, Bronze Star Medal, 23 March 1969
Para. 27 SUMMARY OF ACTION
On 13 March 1969, LTJG KERRY was serving as Officer-in-Charge of PCF-94 conducting a five boat Sea Lords operation in the Bay Hap river and Dong Cung (Gung?) canal together with ground forces. After sweeping the area for five hours, the boats extracted the ground troops and began exiting the river. Shortly after starting their exit, a mine detonated under one of the boats (PCF-3), lifting it two feet above the water and wounding everyone on board. Almost simultaneously, another mine detonated close aboard PCF-94, knocking 1st LT RASSMAN (sic) into the water and wounding LTJG KERRY in the right arm. PCF-51 immediately went to the aid of PCF-3 while PCF-94 provided cover fire. Shortly after LTJG KERRY was informed that he had a man over board, he immediately turned his boat around to assist the man in the water, who by this time was receiving sniper fire from the river banks. LTJG KERRY from his exposed position on the bow of the boat, managed to pull LT RASSMAN aboard despite the painful wound in his right arm. Meanwhile, PCF-94s (sic) gunners provided accurate suppressing fire. LTJG KERRY then directed PCF-94 to the stricken PCF-3, where his crew attached a line and towed the boat clear of danger. Throughout the entire action, LTJG KERRY proved himself to be calm, professional, and highly courageous in the face of enemy fire.
Source: www.johnkerry.com/More Issues/Rapid Response/View John Kerry’s Official Naval Records/Bronze Star Recommendation
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Note there are many discrepancies between this account and "Unfit for Command" pp. 87-95, namely regarding the number of mines, hostile (and sniper) fire, the cause of Rassmann's being knocked overboard, the immediacy of Kerry turning his boat around, the extent of Kerry's arm injury, the absence of any reference to being wounded in the buttocks from the mine (or rice-bin grenade explosion), references to the Coast Guard cutter offshore, and the extent of Kerry's participation in towing PCF-3 clear of danger, courageous acts on the part of other crewmen, and last but not least the claim that Kerry was "calm, professional, and highly courageous in the face of enemy fire."