[Fedora]

"Do you remember reading how the guy he was first on board with (I'm not bothering looking up his name...first boat/PH incident) was the one everyone credited with inventing the plan for smoking out the VC."

I don't remember that detail. I think for the first PH Kerry was under William Schachte's command, and the two guys actually with him on the operation were William Zaldonis and Patrick Runyon.

[philman_36]

Admiral comes forward to dispute Kerry medal
Two other former officers contacted by Novak confirmed that Schachte was always aboard the skimmer, a Boston Whaler, for these missions, designed by Schachte himself to flush out enemy forces on the banks of the Mekong River so the larger swiftboats could move in.

Republican-funded Group Attacks Kerry's War Record (www.factcheck.org)
Rood described two Viet Cong ambushes, both of them routed using a tactic devised by Kerry who was in tactical command of a three-boat operation. At the second ambush only the Rood and Kerry boats were attacked.

john kerry river tactic