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

[Libertina]

Thanks Nick, great work! BTTT

[Gunrunner2]

And Kerry is crumbling. . .from Drudge:

"Brant was skipper of the #96 and # 36 boat and spent time with Kerry in An Thoi. Kerry and Brant slept in the same
quarters, and Brant used to put Kerry back to bed at night when Kerry was sleepwalking.

Brant received a call from Kerry at his home in Virginia while he was watching the Olympics on TV.

KERRY: "Why are all these swift boat guys opposed to me?"

BRANT: "You should know what you said when you came back, the impact it had on the young sailors and how it was
disrespectful of our guys that were killed over there."

[Brant had two men killed in battle.]

KERRY: "When we dedicated swift boat one in '92, I said to all the swift guys that I wasn't talking about the swifties, I was talking about all the rest of the veterans."

Kerry then asked if he could meet Brant ["You were one of the best"] -- man to man -- face to face.

Brant declined the invite,. . ."

By the way. . ."SLEEPWALKING!" How can you tell?

[Che Chihuahua]

1. It is time to demand that the self-confessed war criminal JOHN FORBES KERRY be turned over to the Hague to stand trial for Vietnam war crimes along side of alleged war criminals like Milosevic.
2. It is time that the sociopath William Jefferson Clinton be turned over to the Hague to stand trial for Bosnian war crimes along side of alleged war criminals like Milosevic. Specifically, Clinton should be tried for ordering:
   • the bombing of the aspirin factory in the Sudan to cover his high crimes and misdemeanors as President of the United States,
   • the bombing of the Chinese Embassy, a neutral party, to cover his high crimes and misdemeanors as President of the United States,
3. Indict the democrat party as a criminal organization under the RICO statutes.

[marmar]

Well, think about him (kerry) getting sent home..I believe it was one of those situations where it would be worth it to have to do more work and get rid of him..instead of him being a hazard to your team. I would rather carry more weight then to have to deal with a person you can't trust. Especially when there is a clear and present danger.

[cousair]

ANYBODY BUT KERRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dirtboy]

By the way. . ."SLEEPWALKING!" How can you tell?

If rich available women are involved, he's wide awake. Anything else, he's sleepwalking.

[Mrs Zip]

ping

[colorado tanker]

Excellent point.

The WashPost probably didn't know they were exposing a Kerry lie. I don't think the lamestream reporters have even read this stuff.

[js1138]

Not if that sort of thing happened regularly to the Swifties.

I have not heard or read anything that would suggest they ever had extended fights. For one thing, the aluminum hulls would have been riddled. Another more obvious reason is it's pretty hard to survive against machine guns.

Now this is pretty far off the wall, and my own speculation, but if you were in charge of three or five boats and twenty or more guys, and one boat is sinking, and another (according to Kerry) damaged by a mine, and you have half a dozen seriously injured sailors, and you are suffering sustained, withering fire -- wouldn't you consider calling in air support?

[dirtboy]

It is time to demand that the self-confessed war criminal JOHN FORBES KERRY be turned over to the Hague to stand trial for Vietnam war crimes along side of alleged war criminals like Milosevic. It is time that the sociopath William Jefferson Clinton be turned over to the Hague to stand trial for Bosnian war crimes along side of alleged war criminals like Milosevic.

No, it's not.

[tessalu]

Worst of all, Kerry was a turncoat, defaming his own country, and the USA does not need him.

[OrioleFan]

Not that it will matter, but I sent O'Reilly an email today suggesting that, if he was the great investigative reporter he made himself out to be, he would take the time to check the facts instead of give Kerry a free ride.

[Egon]

...Brant used to put Kerry back to bed at night when Kerry was sleepwalking.

Someone should have told Kerry that sleepwalking is actually a way to get out of military service.

[alydar]

He was a willing volunteer. Draft board denied him a deferment. #4

[marmar]

Target Practice........

[dirtboy]

Someone should have told Kerry that sleepwalking is actually a way to get out of military service.

Kerry probably knew that and was trying to pull a Klinger...

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[atomicpossum]

No matter. Thursday he's going to have a press conference demanding his 4th Purple Heart for this latest self-infliect Vietnam War wound.

[usslsm51]

Make it unfit for military service. A person with a dishonorable discharge could be fit for service. A person unfit is worthless.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

Will sKerry return his first Purple Heart with apologies to the American people and his fellow vets? Will he offer to provide the 8 months of combat service he skipped out on? I'll bet we could find a humvee with his name on it on the outskirts of Fallujah.