Posted on 08/26/2004 5:21:14 PM PDT by TitansAFC
Kerry, in 1971, Admitted Writing Combat Reports By Marc Morano CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer August 26, 2004
(CNSNews.com) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's 1971 testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reveals that the then anti-war activist admitted to writing many of the battle reports during his four months of combat in Vietnam.
Kerry told the committee on April 22, 1971, "...I can recall often sending in the spot reports which we made after each mission..."
Kerry also said that many in the military had "a tendency to report what they want to report and see what they want to see."
Kerry's comments about the battle reports came in response to a question from then Senator Stuart Symington (D- Mo.), who wondered about the accuracy of information from military sources.
According to the testimony , which is available in the Congressional Record, Sen. Symington asked Kerry, "Mr. Kerry, from your experience in Vietnam do you think it is possible for the President or Congress to get accurate and undistorted information through official military channels.[?]"
Kerry responded, "I had direct experience with that. Senator, I had direct experience with that and I can recall often sending in the spot reports which we made after each mission; and including the GDA, gunfire damage assessments, in which we would say, maybe 15 sampans sunk or whatever it was. And I often read about my own missions in the Stars and Stripes and the very mission we had been on had been doubled in figures and tripled in figures.
Kerry later added, "I also think men in the military, sir, as do men in many other things, have a tendency to report what they want to report and see what they want to see."
The 34-year-old testimony could shed light on the present debate over who wrote key battlefield reports that critics of Kerry say allowed him to win awards.
B. G. Burkett, author of the book Stolen Valor and a military researcher, calls the 1971 testimony "significant."
"What is significant about this is [Kerry] is readily admitting that he often submitted reports and he is implying that he himself exaggerated in those reports," Burkett told CNSNews.com.
"We have no way of knowing specifically which documents Kerry composed; and of the the ones he did compose -- did he in fact exaggerate or outright lie in those reports? That is the issue here," Burkett said.
The controversy about who authored the now controversial after-action reports arose earlier this week, when the Washington Post obtained the military records of Larry Thurlow, one of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Thurlow's military records indicated that enemy fire erupted after Kerry's boat was hit by a mine explosion on March 13, 1969.
Thurlow now insists there was no enemy fire that day. The best selling new book by John O'Neill and Jerome Corsi, Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry, details the groups' critique of Kerry. Kerry has denounced the book and the Swift Boat vets and accused them of being an affiliate of President Bush's re-election campaign.
Thurlow and Kerry were each awarded a Bronze Star for heroism on that 13th day of March. Kerry also received his third Purple Heart as a result of the events of that day.
At the center of the controversy is whether or not there was enemy fire during Kerry's rescue of James Rassmann from the Bay Hap River. Kerry and Rassmann and others say there was enemy fire, while Thurlow and other swift boat veterans insist there was not.
Thurlow's own Bronze Star citation states that there was "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" directed at "all units." But Thurlow believes his citation was based on Kerry's own account of the day.
"I am convinced that the language used in my citation ... was language taken directly from John Kerry's report," Thurlow said earlier this week. "John Kerry was the only officer who filed a report describing his version of the incident," Thurlow added.
The Washington Post summed up the controversy this way: "Much of the debate over who is telling the truth boils down to whether the two-page after-action report and other Navy records are accurate or whether they have been embellished by Kerry or someone else."
Burkett believes that Kerry stated the controversy surrounding his war record.
"Kerry thought that he could make a grand presentation of his combat record, and there would be no response, obviously, from the Republicans, considering the lack of military experience on that side of the aisle," Burkett said.
"I think [Kerry] completely misjudged the anger of Vietnam Veterans collectively and their ability to organize and have an answer to John Kerry," he added.
Ping.
Well if Kerry thinks the terrorism threat is exaggerated, then we now have concrete proof he lied in his testimony.
The thing that I can't understand is that Kerry thought that he was going to get away with these lies. I mean, the guy has to be an idiot..
**Kerry told the committee on April 22, 1971, "...I can recall often sending in the spot reports which we made after each mission..."
Kerry also said that many in the military had "a tendency to report what they want to report and see what they want to see."
Kerry's comments about the battle reports came in response to a question from then Senator Stuart Symington (D- Mo.), who wondered about the accuracy of information from military sources.**
Uh-Oh!
Another Flip-Flop!
The sticker serves 2 purposes:
1 - Shows visible support for "Swift Boat Veterans For Truth" to passing motorists
2 - Gets the swiftvets.com website visible to the public, so they can and find out more about 'Hanoi John' Kerry
Made by fellow FReeper disabled vet who has a bone to pick with Kerry, like we all do!
Large (24" Wide 12" Tall) like mine
Small (12" Wide 6" Tall)
Profits go to SwiftVets.com
FReep mail for details.
Do the original "after action " reports still exist? Were they handwritten or typed?
Very cool looking! That red sticker at the bottom sets it off real good too.
If you would like to help the Swift Boat Vets ( as I have, and I urge all to do-- even a few dollars will help ) kindly click on this logo:
If, perchance, the top "click the pic" link is not visible, click here:
-John Kerry- some selected, informative links...--
Judge for yourself- see the SwiftVet ads here:
If J.F'n.K. wins you can expect the net to be brought to heel like it has been by his good buddies the ChiComs. And those (break out the tin foil) internment camps setup by the Clintonistas will be full.
LOL! "Aliens from Mars behind Swift Boat Vets ads" .....
Kerry's toast, I just don't want to miss the meltdown.
ping
That's a given. 'eFfen' will sign onto that UN proposal that they should control ALL Internet content.
And those (break out the tin foil) internment camps setup by the Clintonistas will be full.
I don't think tinfoil is required because...
During Willard's last year or 18 months there was documented proof, as in photos, of THOUSANDS of white U.N. vehicles of ALL types (HumVees, Armored Personnel Carriers, etc) being offloaded at a port in Texas, maybe Brownsville IIRC.
As such, I was personally getting ready for the 'Blue Helmets' to be patrolling our streets. As I swore Willard would create some 'national emergency', declare martial law, cancel the 2000 election and ask the UN for 'Peacekeeping' help.
Now, it is valid to say that his accounts square with military records precisely because he wrote the reports, but I don't see a smoking gun in this article that indicates he has admitted to falsifying reports.
Before this is over, we will probably hear about a lot of things where Kerry did/created Navy reports on Navy Forms with his own handy dandy typewriter.
This is probably one of the real reasons why he will never sign his 180 record release form. If he did, we would probably get to see what creative a writer Kerry was in Nam and post Nam re his battles with own handy dandy typewriter, a few standard Navy forms and some carbon paper.
IMHO, this is why at all costs Kerry will NOT sign a Navy Form180: an examination of the original source documents will show that Kerry himself used his own typewriter to forge a bogus "do over" for his first Purple Heart. This was months after it was denied by his CO and treating medical officer during the flurry of action which resulted in his medals and other two Purple Hearts.
The resubmission of his bogus first Purple Heart paperwork was his ticket home.
He won't sign a 180, because he forged it on his typewriter.
This is probably one of the real reasons why he will never sign his 180 record release form. If he did, we would probably get to see what creative a writer Kerry was in Nam and post Nam re his battles with own handy dandy typewriter, a few standard Navy forms and some carbon paper.Considering it's John Kerry, ANYTHING is possible. He has made up so much cra*.
And I heard someone from the DNC yesterday on FOX News still CLAIMING that Kerry HAS released ALL his military records. That's BS! He has released SELECTED VERSIONS of what he has CHOSEN to release. And some of that is BOGUS!!
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