Posted on 08/22/2004 11:27:26 AM PDT by kattracks
Author and Vietnam historian B. G. Burkett tells NewsMax in an exclusive interview that Senator John Kerry is mired in a quagmire worse than the one he complained about in Vietnam.The controversy may just cost him the presidency, Burkett says. “Kerry keeps losing points every day this controversy wears on in the media,” Burkett told NewsMax shortly before Kerry’s campaign filed a legal complaint with the FEC to stop the Swift Boat Veterans ads. A sign of desperation?
Burkett is no stranger to such controversy and measures. He has been sued multiple times after exposing phony military records of Vietnam veterans – many of whom never even served in Vietnam.
Burkett’s book “Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History” (Verity Press) was published in 1998 and has become a must read for those who want to unlock the truth about Vietnam and its aftermath.
In fact, Burkett’s book has been credited in being among the first to question John Kerry’s war record. Burkett has interviewed and spoken with many of the Swift Boaters who served with Kerry and his commanding officers.
Kerry Responds
As Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth keep ramming away at John Kerry’s carefully crafted hero image, the beleaguered candidate has finally turned to a media blitz of his own.
In his new TV ad Kerry defends his actions that led to him receiving the Bronze Star.
The ad features Jim Rassmann, one of his loyal dozen “band of brothers,” certifying Kerry’s bravery under fire as the future senator from Massachusetts and presidential candidate pulled him from the water under withering fire after a couple of mines exploded during a South Vietnam river operation.
Or was it just one mine that exploded? And were there small arms sweeping the area as well as the after-action reports claimed?
The Swift Boat vets that criticize Kerry say only one mine exploded under a boat not commanded by Kerry and there was no accompanying enemy fire.
How did Green Beret Rassmann fall off Kerry’s boat only to be rescued from the drink by Kerry? Burkett says witnesses attest that Rassmann fell off Kerry’s boat because Kerry engaged the boat in a frantic maneuver to flee from away from the action around the exploding mine.
Preponderance of Evidence
What will settle the controversy? NewsMax asks the author.
“They [the Swift boat group] will go away only if Kerry announces he has removed himself from the race,” replies a cynical Burkett, who has been making a study of the growing controversy that has dominated the TV talk shows and radio pundits.
Although Burkett feels that the fog of war may forever keep the real truth from emerging from the smoke, he does believe that the vet group is moving ahead in establishing its less flattering version of the Kerry exploits by “a preponderance of the evidence.”
“These Swift Boats moved in squadrons and formations,” explains Burkett. “Sometimes the better vantage point for observing the action was from another boat.”
And John O’Neil, co-author of the bestseller “Unfit for Command” has interviewed these other observers, taking dispute with the so-called “after-action” reports filed by Lt. (j.g.) Kerry.
These reports later provided the basis for Kerry’s now much celebrated Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Heart decorations – all earned in an abbreviated and bigger than life four month stint in-country.
“The people up the chain of command assumed that none of their officers would cheat,” opines Burkett.
“It’s a back and forth catfight” says Burkett, who thinks that the tide may break dramatically to the side of the disaffected vets if one of the loyal Kerry band of brothers turns colors.
How likely is that? asks NewsMax.
“Well, they [Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth] keep hoping,” says Burkett. But if O’Neil has done his homework so has Kerry, he explains. “Kerry long ago called all his men together to settle on one version of the action.”
Other critics say that Kerry’s campaign has already put on the payroll one or more of his “band of brothers.”
Veteran Steve Gardner, however, is one of the Kerry crew members who has never gone along with the Kerry program: “I watched him put his crew in jeopardy, his indecisive moves…”
So why was Gardner so singular? asks NewsMax.
“You have to realize that Gardner was an unusual member of the crew,” explains the author. “Gardner had a previous tour of duty on Swift Boats. He knew the right way to confront the enemy – not the Kerry way [steering to open water].”
Kerry’s Navy More Like McHale’s
Burkett goes on to explain that a stalwart, chance-taking Kerry would be contrary to the historic Kerry, who he describes as “always belly-aching and whining about how the admirals had decided to send the Swift Boats up those dangerous jungle-clogged rivers.”
According to Burkett, Kerry had volunteered with the notion that his tour was going to be a sort of gentlemanly duty of offshore coast-watching – not close combat with an enemy lurking on the shores.
Burkett has suggested in the past that the way out of the dilemma for Kerry would be for Kerry to open up all his files by executing a blanket SF-180 form allowing all the press to have independent access to his file.
Burkett, however, says the release of Kerry’s full file, which he does not believe has taken place despite Kerry’s claims otherwise, will still not stop the Swift Boat Vets who are opposed to Kerry.
“It would have some bearing to the press, but it’s not going to deter this group,” says Burkett.
“And remember,” adds Burkett, “this is not a bunch of Republicans going after Kerry. If Kerry were running as a Republican, the attacks would be just the same.”
Burkett himself has criticized President Bush for his National Guard duty during the Vietnam War.
Just how worried is the Kerry camp?
“You bet they are worried,” says Burkett. “This election may just turn on those five percent undecided out there. The bottom line is simple -- the longer the dispute wears on, the more Kerry loses. They’re never going to resolve this dispute.”
I can see it already. Bush 53%, Kerry 45% and four years of listening to liberals whine about how those awful Republican swifties sank Kerry. They'll be his Willie Horton. Kerry's stupid decision to run on a fraudulent war record will be ignored.
Well also about the mines... if Rassmann was in the water after the first mine went off and as Rassmann states he dove to the bottom of the river so he wouldn't get run over by any of the boats.... well with the underwater concussion of any other mines going off ?... Well have you ever dynamite fished?... if Rassmann survived any other mines going off near him ... he' remember it
Bump
Tell your brother that he is a patriot and a gentleman. I appreciate the fact that he feels so strongly about this election and wants to express his anger.
I would say that Kerry as a citizen and as a disgruntled officer in our military had a personal right to work outside the system of government, oppose our congressional and executive decisions with respect to the war in Vietnam, and he even had a right to lead the VVAW in the direction he did, cooperating with Ramsey Clark and Jane Fonda, and so forth.
Eeach of these things may have earned him a position of special emnity with troops who were fighting to win in Vietnam. The American people may or may not share that anger.
What they are increasingly sharing is the sense that this man has forfeited his desirability as our next commander in chief. If he couldn't abide by the directives of a duly elected president, Nixon, who had decided to end American involvement in the war honorably and with continous and vigorous support from our military industrial establishment, then Kerry was engaged in direct civil disobedience.
Americans can decide today if those acts were worthy. When Henry David Thoreau sat at Walden Pond and sat out paying his taxes during the Mexican war because of a fit of conscience, Americans failed to agree with him. They might have respected his mode of operation, and they might have appreciated his thoughts on remaining free from government intrusion into the realm of conscience, but they continued to support their troops.
This situation is very different because Kerry is no HDT. He's no great thinker who can inspire us to see beyond the temporal and corporeal world of our petty politics. Kerry undermined a selfless act of America and its allies. He opposed our opposition to Maoism and Stalinism, saying that we were fighting for "nothing."
Around a hundred million people had already been brutally murdered by communists when Kerry uttered those ugly words.
In November, Americans will speak their minds. Did they support the Vietnam war? Maybe not. Did they support President Nixon's promise to get us out of it without betraying our friends? Yes, and he won two elections on those promises. If he hadn't been impeached, Saigon might have never fallen. But the Kerrys, the Fondas, and the Ramsey Clarks were no where to be found when the Cambodian killing field agrarian maoist machinery fired up its evil mills of Satan.
Kerry was just another opportunistic, opinionated American in 1971. He also happened to be on the wrong side of history. Americans will think about that and decide for themselves.
more
Kerry must be kicking himself that he didn't get footage of his bullet ridden boat on that day.
Kerry claims his boat was damaged but it was his boat that towed back the damaged PCF-3. Does that make any sense?
The Swift Vets have stated that, when PCF-3 hit the mine, the other three boats (but not Kerry's boat) laid down machine fire on the shoreline for about 40 seconds until they realized there was nobody ashore.
In the meantime, Rassmann was, literally, up to his neck in the river and Kerry was zooming away from the action.
If you read other accounts Rassmussen claims he was "eating a chocolate chip cookie" when he fell overboard. If another boat had hit a mine earlier and the other three boats were laying down fire on the shoreline, why would this guy be calmly eating a chocolate chip cookie?
The most logical sequence of events is:
1. The five boats are proceeding down the river with Rassmussen eating his chocolate chip cookie.
2. PCF-3 hits the mine and the concussion is felt by all other boats.
3. Kerry goes to full throttle, roaring down the river, causing the cookie munching Rassmussen to lose his balance and fall overboard.
4. PCF-43, PCF-23 and PCF-51 are now rescueing PCF-3 and spraying the shore with machine gun fire while our intrepid Mr. Kerry is beating feet away from the action minus Rassmussen.
5. After 40 seconds, the PCF-43, PCF-23 and PCF-51 cease their fire. Someone taps Mr. Kerry on the shoulder and says, "Ummmmm.....Skipper.....The other three boats are engaged in a rescue, there is no more shooting and.....ummmmm......you left Rassmussen in the water bach there.
6. Mr. Kerry then turns around and fishes Rassmussen out of the water with his guns blazing.
7. The undamaged PCF-94 (Kerry's boat) then tows the damaged PCF-3.
8. Mr. Kerry then files an after action report whose version of the events is then used to award him his Bronze Star.
I heard Donna Brazille say on CNN today that GWB was giving "aid and comfort to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth."
If only I could get my hands around her huge bloated neck...
Bump!
Can we get definite proof of this? I suspected this all along.
I hope fore the opposite: That Kerry will NOT drop out of the race. I want him to run and to lose. I don't want another Dem to take his place and increase their chances of winning.
also I think Lincoln said, "Tell the truth, it's less to remember."
Not until 08.
We repeat, the only one of these Vietnam atrocity stories that has been substantiated is the one which led to a court martial.
BTTT
Excellent points.
If I may add 2 more.
Regarding Kerry's boat hitting a mine.
In today's WaPo article, Del Sandusky is now admitting that ok, maybe it wasn't a mine, but, maybe a rocket or RPG, exploding close by Kerry's boat.
Yeah, that's the ticket.
Because even Sandusky must realize how ridiculous it is for Kerry to claim a mine exploded under his boat and yet, the magic boat was unscathed-so unscathed, it was able to
" race down the river."
Wahington Post's words, not the SBVFT.
But, nobody in the Kerry campaign bothered to correct the 2nd mine exploding under Kerry's boat, that appeared on page 106,
of " John Kerry, The Official Biography By The Boston Globe Reporters Who Know Him Best."
Kerry has never disclaimed the 2nd mine exploding under his magic boat-never.
WP validates the SBVFT- Kerry beat feet away from the explosion,
away from the disabled 3 boat,
away from Rassmann,
away from the unconscious crewman on the 3 boat
and away from others blown in the river.
"Whenever the going gets tough,John Kerry gets going."
This is the kind of explosion that Kerry has claimed his magic boat survived and he has gotten away with this-for over 3 decades.Thanks to the MSM.
"My God, I've never seen anything like it," Chenoweth wrote in what he says is a diary recorded soon after the events.
"There was a fantastic flash, a boom,
then the 3 boat disappeared in a fountain of water and debris.
I was only 30 yards behind."
As for Kerry and his magic boat helping tow the sinking 3 boat.
According to Unfit For Command- yes, Kerry's boat did help tow the listing 3 boat.
But, Kerry was not on his boat at the time.
He left his crew and hopped on a Coast Guard cutter and was taken to safety,
so his life threatening bruise could be attended to.
>>Hemorrhaging?" Don't you think that's a bit overstated?<<
19 point swing among veterans in three weeks.
He will appreciate your kind comments. I'm forwarding this thread to him.
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