KERRY BACKTRACKS ON PURPLE HEART

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ^ | August 24, 2004 | Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

[Nick Danger]

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

KERRY CAMPAIGN BACKTRACKS ON FIRST PURPLE HEART AWARD

Campaign Says May Have Been Self-Inflicted

Washington—In a reversal of their staunch defense of John Kerry's military service record, Kerry campaign officials were quoted by Fox News saying that it was indeed possible that John Kerry's first Purple Heart commendation was the result of an, unintentional, self-inflicted wound."

"GARRETT: And questions keep coming. For example, Kerry received a Purple Heart for wounds suffered on December 2, 1968. But in Kerry's own journal written nine days later, he writes he and his crew, quote, "hadn't been shot at yet," unquote. Kerry's campaign has said it is possible this first Purple Heart was awarded for an unintentional self-inflicted wound -- Brit." (Special Report with Brit Hume Aug.23, 2004)

A recent television ad from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth featured Doctor Lewis Letson who treated Kerry for his minor injury and Grant Hibbard who served as John Kerry's direct commander on the mission where he claimed his medal. Both men say Kerry did not deserve the medal given the fact that Kerry received a very minor wound requiring no more than band-aid treatment and because the wound was not a direct result of hostile fire, a requirement for a Purple Heart commendation.

"When Grant Hibbard and Doctor Letson appeared in our ad, they were attacked and vilified by the Kerry campaign but now we see news reports saying the Kerry campaign is now sheepishly acknowledging that what we said was true," said Admiral Hoffmann, founder of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. "John Kerry's own journal reinforces the fact that neither Kerry nor his crew had seen hostile enemy action. John Kerry's first Purple Heart medal is based on fiction."

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is calling on the Kerry campaign to apologize to Grant Hibbard and Doctor Letson as the men did nothing more than come forward to speak the truth about the situation involving John Kerry's first Purple Heart medal.

This is not the only incident in which Kerry campaign officials have changed their story concerning Kerry's prestigious war medals. The incident on the Bay Hap River in which Kerry received his third Purple Heart and Bronze Star has also been the subject of considerable waffling by Kerry officials. 

During the Democratic National Convention, Kerry used the Bay Hap River incident to suggest that he alone returned to rescue Jim Rassmann—a Special Forces solider—who was on Kerry's boat and was tossed into the river.  Kerry described this incident to the American people as "No man left behind."

However Kerry officials were forced to acknowledge that Kerry's boat actually left the scene when another swift boat—operating on the other side of the river—was damaged by an underwater mine.  Kerry officials now admit that Kerry's boat returned after several minutes to pull Rassmann from the water while three other swift boats remained on site to render assistance to the injured crew of the one damaged boat.  Campaign officials once claimed that Kerry returned to the scene under withering hostile fire to rescue Rassmann after all the other swift boats left.  But other accounts from eyewitnesses of that day confirm that the other boats stayed on site and that Kerry returned to the scene, facing no enemy fire, only seconds before another swift boat was preparing to retrieve Mr. Rassmann from the water.

"John Kerry's stories are falling apart," added Hoffmann. His statements don't even match up with his own journal entries.  We are going to continue telling the truth about John Kerry's military service record so that the American people can make their own decisions about John Kerry's qualifications to be the next Commander in Chief."

Direct media inquiries to media@swiftvets.com

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Paging Chrissie Matthews...

[xm177e2]

An hour and a half of withering enemy fire would have been seared --seared -- into everyone's memories.

Not if that sort of thing happened regularly to the Swifties. But the first time someone comes under sustained fire for a half an hour? Yeah, I think they'd remember that!

[rushmom]

Wouldn't do that. Just let it lie out there.

[boxerblues]

Zackly. The Navy should put him on a SwiftBoat and have him finish out his tour patrolling the Tigris and Euphrates around Baghdad

Please dont do that to our kids who are there now. They are doing just fine without the traitor.

[js1138]

I'm not sure about the 500 rounds, but I read it on one of these threads. It strikes me that this equates to 30 seconds to a minute of supressing fire, not even intended to hit anything.

I was never in action, but I suspect that a two way firefight would be a bit tougher than this. An I would expect that the gunners wouldn't stop until all resistence stopped. This whole episode makes no sense from Kerry's side. At best I can only imagine his supporters are mixing multiple episodes in their memories. I can understand that, but an extended firefight would have left more evidence.

[kingattax]

MAMA T PUTS FINGER IN DYKE TO SAVE CAMPAIGN !! developing----

[Nasty McPhilthy]

Now it turns out that archieved Naval Records disclose that JOHN KERRY did not receive his "Honorable Discharge" from the Navy, until March 12, 2001. His service obligation should have ended JULY 1, 1972 - About the time that Bush was ending his honorable Guard service in Alabama.

What's up with that?

[JLO]

LOL - good one! Bet he'll never get around to admitting he was wrong though.

[Egon]

Man, my flashbacks are coming more and more often...

Now I find myself remembering back a few years when another famous truth-challenged Democrat wagged his finger at the camera and stated, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica Lewinsky!"

For the next several weeks, frantic mouthpieces were calling everyone but him a liar for spreading the truth. Finally, he admitted what we all knew, and his Democrat Yes-Men were left twisting in the wind, looking like fools.

Funny that they can't seem to learn from history, isn't it?

[Chieftain]

Freeper N. Theknow says:
"It’s faster than a checkbook, more powerful than a Democratic demagogue, able to lay waste to a liar Kerry with the single click of a mouse. It's a little bird of truth, it's plain to see Kerry's unfit... it's... it's...SuperFReep!

Want to join in the fun?
Click the logo to donate to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth!

[creepycrawly]

That "developing" has been up all day. SBVs had Fox quoting Kerry's team as backtracking, but they didn't quote the quote.

[surrey]

And kerry is shooting off his mouth today about telling the truth. This guy really needs an intervention by someone in the mental health community.

[Gunrunner2]

Best pics. . .worth thousands of words!

MM is right and Chrissy is wrong.

Sweet victory.

Chrissy will never apologize or say he was mistaken. Never. The coward.

[JLO]

See my post #34.

[lepton]

bookmark bump

[Prost1]

Here comes the Fat Lady! (Warming up...she's getting ready...)

[Chieftain]

Kerry Lied and Good Men Died

Kerry Fled while Good Men Bled

Absolutely true! Thanks.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[brewcrew]

MELTDOWN!!!

[BushisTheMan]

He alone stayed and the other boats fled - lie #3