The -ONLY- material point of contention is whether or not Kerry beached the boat in the face of numerically superior enemy.
Yes, this only deals with the Silver Star incident. There were 3 boats involved. William Rood seems to be the skipper of one of them. The skipper of the 3rd boat has died.
"In the book, O'Neill and Corsi said Kerry chased down a "young Viet Cong in a loincloth … clutching a grenade launcher which may or may not have been loaded."
Rood recalled the fleeing Viet Cong was "a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the VC usually wore." There were other attackers as well, he said, and his boat and Kerry's boat took significant fire. "
For heroic achievement while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in armed conflict against Viet Cong communist aggressors in the Republic of Vietnam.
On 28 Februrary 1969, Lieutenant (junior grade) ROOD was serving as Officer in Charge of Patrol Craft Fast 23 in conjunction with two other Patrol Craft Fast, Underwater Demolition Team THIRTEEN and Vietnamese Regional and Popular Force personnel who were involved in an operation on Ca Xau Peninsula as part of Operation SEA LORDS.
While transiting the Bay Hap River, these units came under a barrage of enemy small arms fire from the river bank. The three Patrol Craft Fast immediately responded an charged the Viet Cong positions, taking the enemy under devastating fire. The Viet Cong, caught completely off guard by this tactic, stood up and began running from their positions. The fleeing Viet Cong were taken under fire by the three Patrol Craft Fast and three enemy were killed prior to the insertion of Regional and Popular Force troops.
While Regional and Popular Force personnel conducted a sweep of the area, Patrol Craft Fast 43 remained to provide fire support and Patrol Craft 23 and 94 moved upstram to investiage an area from which gunshots were coming. Arriving at the area, both of the Patrol Craft Fast came under heavy automatic/semi-automatic weapons fire from well fortified positions along the river bank. Patrol Craft Fast 23 and 94 turned and charged directly into the enemy fire while summoning Patrol Craft Fast 43 to come to the area and provide additional firepower.
... (to be continued)
Rood recalled the fleeing Viet Cong was "a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the VC usually wore." There were other attackers as well, he said, and his boat and Kerry's boat took significant fire.
Doesn't Kerry himself describe the VC as a teen in a loin cloth? I'm quite certain he and his supporters have but this guy Rood, while trying to say the Swifties are wrong is actually at odds with Kerry's acount of the incident and closer to the Swifties.