what he did when he came home!
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.
what he did when he came home!
"I'd like to know what happened following the March 13 river incident!"
13 March 1969 was Kerry's last mission in Swift Boats. See the last two entries in my timeline:
His request for reassignment was dated 17 March 1969.
And he reported to his cushy assignment in New York as an Admiral's personal aide on 11 April 1969.
8. PCF-94 (without Kerry) tows the badly damaged PCF-3.
Do you have a link to verify this point.
This is an amazingly telling point. I would LOVE to send this to some liberal friends. But I need a better source than you.... sorry! ;)
John 'runs like the wind" Kerry, never needed, never present.
Gee, he left a boat with supposedly mine damage? A boat that went through 3 miles of intense automatic weapons fire? For a bruise?
Crummy as he might have been, Kerry was a reserve officer; they don't "re-up for six" but remain active so long as the service sees fit. I think that mandatory time back then was less than six years unless ROTC scholarship/USNI or other special schooling etc. required longer.
There is a fairly long period after release from active duty during which you remain liable for re-call from reserve status.
Kerry, the Major Burns of the Swift Boats.
Great timeline!
Give me a break! No VC could be worth $1B; thus, no VC would be worth marrying from sKerry's perspective.
"Well, I think that you got one thing wrong. Apparently Kerry's boat hit something under water, log, or something big, that caused a little damage to the propellor, knocked Rassman off the boat and made Kerry think that they had hit a mine."
That's one of Kerry's storys. In another story (not in the book and I would have to search for it), Kerry said Rassman was taking an M-60 machinegun to one of the gunners when the boat made a sharp right turn and Rassman went off the boat into the water.
Egg shell fragment!
http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/SpotReports_March1969.pdf
This from Kerry's website shows he was treated on the same medical ship as the real wounded - and he was the ONLY other person to need any treatment except from those aboard the 3 boat. PCF-43 took ALL wounded out to the Spencer, according to this report.
BTTT!!!!!!
BTTT!!!!!!!
The source for my timeline entries #7 and #8 is the book UNFIT FOR COMMAND pages 91-92 (PCF-23 is refered to as Chenoweth's boat).
"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."
What I do not understand is how Rassmann is where he is by himself. How did he get there, he was not Navy?
One has to wonder if there are official documents that tell the story about how important it was to get rid of JFKerry and that is why he won't release the records.
Maybe there are "official" documents that tell this story as well.
"Can you imagine what would happen if everyone would start reporting scratches, which only require a bandaid?"
LOL - I'm just remembering all of the times that I (and others) got beat up, bruised up, and cut up during refueling in the Navy (forward refueling, Adams class can, Indian Ocean). I received more injuries during refueling than Kerry got in Vietnam!
Thanks, I appreciate people who have the patience and research skills to establish a good time line.
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