That should be easy to refute or confirm -- assuming of course that the part outside of the quotes is what this gentleman actually told the Kerry media outlet employee.
People are shooting at them and the skipper doesn't notice it..on a river that was only 75 yards wide.....sure.
I can believe that there was always a lot of outgoing fire after a mine detonation. It probably happened every time there was a loud unexpected noise while on patrol in Indian Country.
Outgoing fire alone does not constitute a "firefight".
O'neil said this himself the first time I heard him interviewed. A mine would go off and the boats would put out protective fire, anticipating an ambush.
Don't get bogged down in minutia. The main points are:
Kerry lied about his record - proven by his retraction of the Cambodia story
Kerry defamed his fellow warriors - in congressional testimony. These lies may have prolonged the Viet Nam war and caused additional deaths.
Kerry showed awful judgement and possibly disloyalty to his country - consorting with the Viet Namese while still an officer. He is memorialized as a hero in their war museum.
This is why he should not be president