Posted on 08/20/2004 11:29:54 AM PDT by freespirited
I am outraged by Michael Dobbs' attack on Larry Thurlow and his Bronze Star award.
The reason the citation mentions "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" is because it is based on the "spot report" that John Kerry submitted. Any and all awards presented for actions on 13 March 1969 would be similar, if not verbatim, regarding enemy gunfire, because the only information submitted to the chain of command was falsified by Kerry.
Mr. Dobbs also grossly mischaracterizes my statements, and probably those of Richard Pees as well, when he states that we "do not remember coming under 'enemy fire.'" He needs to go back and review his notes. I emphatically told him -– as I’ve told countless other reporters -- that there was no enemy gunfire from either bank at any time, that the only event of the day was the mine under PCF 3, followed by suppression fire from all of our boats.
Mr. Dobbs is entitled to take whatever position he wants on the issue of who is telling the truth, but it is not right for him to mischaracterize my remarks so that it looks like I didn't "remember" whether there was enemy fire. I remember vividly. There was no enemy fire.
Looks like the Washington Post lied to readers to help their lying candidate,
The exact date of valor probably did not ring a bell AT THE TIME. I find that believable. The man had just returned from fighting a war, being away from family, watching friends die, all the horrors - I am not surprised he did not verify the particular date on a citation.
I sure wish someone would bring it up in that manner (but better than my words).
Somewhere on the last page of the A section, the WP will issue a miniscule retraction of their lie (maybe).
I am not sure kerry's lackeys should take on these Swift Boat Vets.....they are tough. I think the SBVets will win...
That's why they attack everyone but the SBVets. Kerry knows they are telling the truth.
The mainstream press has abandoned all pretext of impartiality.
I don't think they realize yet just how badly this is going to turn out for them.
This Swift Boat battle is the first major political conflict in which the Internet is going to defeat the dying established media.
It's all downhill from here for them, and fast.
At some point they will abandon Kerry to save themselves. Just like Kerry abandoned his fellow soldiers in Vietnam.
The truly hilarious thing is that they are risking it all for the sake of propping up one of the worst presidential candidates in memory.
LOL! One would think the mainstreamers would realize the Swifties ain't a group they wanna tangle with. Them fellas got some lead in their pencil and they're not taking the normal BS that the media uses to silence all those who don't toe the liberal mantra of the mainstreamers. Dobbs and his ilk had best realize these group of REAL heroes aren't used to taking any prisoners.
The SBV's may succeed not only in righting the wrongs caused by Kerry, Fonda and others of their ilk in 'Nam, but they may help speed the collapse of the Evil Empire (MSM). Maybe this is why I am starting to laugh hysterically when I hear or read their words. They are starting to even lose the ability to be taken seriously enough to grow angry about.
Awesome. Simply awesome. These are fine, brave and honorable men.
The WP will have to correct or they'll be guilty of slander.
I downloaded the documents on Kerry's website to get a handle on the dates and number of days between the events. Not all docs had a fully legible date. Here's the results and some observations. If someone could add the dates of his antiwar testimony, it could be very telling.
Kerry's Chronology
2/18/66 Enlisted
8/19/66 Entered
11/17/66 Assigned to Gridley
12/16/66 Out of OCS
7/17/67 Awarded Natl svc medal.
10/31/68 Report date to Cam ranh bay for Swift boat duty
11/17/68 Reported for Swift boat duty
12/2/68 First Kerry wound
12/3/68 Sick call report
12/6/68 Begin Task Force SB 115
2/20/69 Second Kerry wound
2/28/69 PH #1 application for action Dec 2, 68
2/28/69 Action for Silver Star, beached boat, shot one VC
3/5/69 PH #2 application for action Feb 20, 69
3/13/69 Action leading to Bronze Star, Rassman rescue, injured arm. Self reported.
3/13/69 Third Kerry wound
3/17/69 Thrice wounded request
3/20/69 Left Saigon
3/31/69 End Task Force SB 115
4/7/69 PH #3 application for action Mar 13, 69
6/24/69 Travel to New Orleans
8/1/69 Travel to Goose Bay, Greenland, etc.
8/1/69 Award PH#1
8/12/69 Award PH#2
8/12/69 Award PH#3
8/21/69 Travel to Balboa, Canal Zone
11/24/69 Request for early release from Active Duty
1/1/70 Promote to Lieutenant
1/2/70 Released from active duty-Xfr to active reserve
7/1/72 XFr to Standby Reserve
2/16/78 Discharged
All dates are from the records that are posted on Kerry's website. Accuracy of dates may vary due to marginal legibility of the documents.
PH#1 Action to Application = 88 days
Application to Award = 153 days
PH#2 Action to Application = 13 days
Application to Award = 148 days
PH#3 Action to Application = 25 days Action to thrice wounded application = 4 days
Application to Award = 128 days
NOTES:
1. His anti-war testimony days need to be added. He was still under service oath.
2. It took him 88 days to figure out how to get the first PH.
3. He filed the thrice wounded application 4 days after the third wound and did not apply for the PH until 21 days later, at which time he was gone.
Let me be the first to predict that Kerry will drop out, Hillary will step in, in the next two weeks. If it doesn't happen in the next two weeks, it won't happen at all. That's my prediction.
I hope the SwiftVets are asking for a retraction, and threating a lawsuit.
The venom the Phlegmocrats use when referring to the Swift Vets is really revealing. Yes, their venom is in large part due to wanting to save Kerry's rice-filled buttocks, but no less important is a deep disrespect they feel for soldiers who fought in that war, even today.
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