Posted on 08/24/2004 1:03:57 PM PDT by zot
I've been putting together a timeline of the end of Kerry's short tour in Vietnam, and I think the sequence highlights two events that have not been focused upon together and should be emphasized: (a) Kerry abandoned the other boats and fled from what he thought was a battle, and (b) he abandoned his own boat and rode home with the wounded.
13 Mar 1969 - Five Swift Boats are sent to raid a Vietcong village: Kerry PCF-94, Droz PCF-43, Pees PCF-3, Chenoweth PCF-23, and Thurlow PCF-51. Special Forces Lieutenant Rassman goes along for the ride on Kerry's boat. They depart the LST anchored offshore at 7:30 am, cruise about 11 miles up the Bay Hap River, then about 3 miles up the Dong Cung Canal, and get to the village at 8:15 am.
1. The village is deserted. As they are returning to the boat, Kerry and Rassmann decide to blow up a five-ton rice bin. They climb on top of the huge pile and dig a hole in the rice. On the count of three, they toss their grenades into the hole and run. Kerry doesn't run fast enough. He gets hit in the butt by some pieces of rice.
2. As the five boats are returning down the Bay Hap River, they come to a fishing net stretched across the middle of the river. As PCF-94 is going around the fishing net to the right and PCF-3 is going around it to the left, a mine explodes under PCF-3.
3. Simultaneously: (a) Kerry goes to full throttle, which causes Rassmann to fall overboard, and flees down the river with all his guns firing at the shore, and (b) the other three boats go to help PCF-3 with all their guns firing at the shore.
4. After 40 seconds, PCF-43, PCF-23 and PCF-51 cease fire, but Kerry keeps on firing and fleeing down the river.
5. PCF-43, PCF-23 and PCF-51 work together to rescue the crew of PCF-3 and keep PCF-3 from sinking.
6. Kerry finally turns around, comes back, and fishes Rassmann out of the water.
7. As PCF 23 is leaving the area to take the three seriously injured men from PCF-3 to the Coast Guard cutter offshore, Kerry jumps in PCF-23 and goes with them.
8. PCF-94 (without Kerry) tows the badly damaged PCF-3.
9. Kerry writes the after-action report that portrays him as a hero. He does not mention the fact that he abandoned the other boats and fled from what he thought was a battle, or that he abandoned his own boat and rode home with the wounded.
13-17 March 1969
1. Kerry's after-action report is used to request that he be awarded the Bronze Star and his third Purple Heart.
2. Several Swift Boat commanders discuss the problems they have been having with Kerry. The fact that he bugged out twice on the same day is the last straw. One of them remembers the regulation about three Purple Hearts.
3. Tom Wright, another Swift Boat commander at An Thoi, approaches Kerry one night and tells him that several fellow Swiftees believe it might be best for everyone if Kerry simply left.
4. Kerry goes to see CDR Charles F. Horne, Commander of Coastal Squadron One, and requests reassignment to the United States. (Kerry apparently told CDR Horne precisely the type of assignment he wanted. See next entry.)
17 March 1969 - CDR Horne signs a telegram dated 17 March 1969 that says Kerry "has been thrice wounded in action while on duty incountry Vietnam. Reassignment is requested ... as a personal aide in Boston, New York, or Wash., D.C. area."
11 Apr 1969 - Kerry reports for duty at Headquarters Military Sea Transportation Service, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, in Brooklyn, New York, as a personal aide to Admiral Walter F. Schlech.
no bullet holes in ANY of the men, or ANY of the boats,
and they were there for about an hour in one spot.
sitting ducks if anybody wanted to shoot at them.
Thanks IT! BUMP
In one episode Major Burns put himself in for a Purple Heart - it would look good on his resume. He cited a shell fragment in his eye.
It turned out the “shell fragment” was a tiny piece of egg shell from breakfast.
It is very reminiscent of Hanoi John.
Notice no NCO support or officers on Rassman? Odd.
I believe I read somewhere that Rassman claims to have put Kerry in for the Bronze Star.
Frank Burns and John Kerry are the same ferret faced A- holes.
Come on now. Give the guy a break. He had to get back first so he could formulate the after action report, fill Rassman in on what to put in that medal recommendation, and get the medical certificate for his third Purple Heart. Oh...and he probably wrote up his Thrice Wounded and Out Request.
What happened to Rassman after he was pulled out of the water? Does anybody know. Did he hop on board that Coast Guard Cutter with Kerry or did he ride back on PCF94 while towing PCF3? I'm wondering if he didn't seek medical attention along with Kerry after his dunking.
"The damage report, last page, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it dated 3/12?"
I don't really know what I'm looking at , but a guess at charlie : ETR 13 1200Z Mar 69 - looks like Mar 13 at 1200 Zulu hours.
Doesn't it kind of make you wonder how someone could accurately write an after action report when they didn't even bother to stay on the scene to observe first-hand the action that was taken?
WIA, KIA & damage to assets would be reported immediately via spot report (i.e., by those on the scene, before leaving or in transit from the scene).
"but what tickles my interest is why Rassmann chose Kerry's boat and if there was any special relationship between the two men before the rescue incident."
I've been trying to find it, but I remember a reference to Rassmann and Kerry having met at a party a few weeks before.
Anyone else run across this ?
"Notice no NCO support or officers on Rassman? Odd."
I just do not understand where Rassmann came from, different branch of service and no others with him mentioned.
Where had he been, where was he going, its like he appeared out of thin air onto JFKerry's "ship". Disappears until Jan. 2004 onto JFKerry's stage in Iowa.
later
"Which Adams-class can were you on? I did a WestPac cruise on the Hoel (DDG-13) at the end of 1972."
I know that ship! I was on the Berkeley (DDG-15). We steamed with the Hoel in WestPac '81.
Alas, the Greeks finally decided to scrap the Berk. She served the Hellenic Navy for about 10 years after being decommissioned from our Navy and sold in '94 (or something like that). Her last name was the Hellenic Ship Themistocles. Good name to sign off on, in my humble opinion. She was a good old girl.
(You know you're getting old when they scrap your ship) :-(
Slapping myself on the forehead, I can see where I screwed up on the #12. The report was filed & timestamped on the 14th & the date on "page 1" was also the 14th.
Take a look at the number 8 on line alpha. See how the bottom of the character is missing? Go down & look at the way the bottom of the #3 slopes down. Could the 18th be the day the boat was expected to be back in commission?
Kerry's injury report was timestamped a day later than all of the other guys. Looks like he went in for treatment the next morning.
I see no mention of Wolfe, Arp & the other guy getting fished outta the water, though MSF advisor getting asstance by boat 94 is on the report. Above that, "all boats & MSF returned fire". MSF must be very good, if he can do that while eating a cookie & then finding himself in the drink.
What happened on Feb 26th? I can't figure out why there would be an injury report for Givens included in this batch.
I only have one further question about sKerry and VietNam...
Have you signed Form 180 yet?
.
Tell me about it. Somewhere, Hoel is now serving as a power barge. Somehow, it appears they managed to find some snipes who can keep from dropping the load all the time. :=)
My first ship, the Harry E. Yarnell (DLG-17), was in the process of being scrapped. For some reason, the scrapping was stopped part way through and what remained was transferred to the mothball fleet. I was on her precomm crew following a massive retrofit in the late '60s.
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