Posted on 09/30/2007 1:28:52 PM PDT by Fedora
”His boat took 188 enemy hits”: Another Kerry Swift Boat story surfaces
By Fedora
During the 2004 campaign, John Kerry faced a firestorm of controversy over the events surrounding the awarding of his third Purple Heart and his Bronze Star. One inconsistency investigators noticed was that although military documents described Kerry’s Swift Boat team as facing “about 5000 meters” of enemy fire while travelling down a 75-yard-wide stretch of the Bay Hap River, there was no record of any bullet damage to craft or crew. Not publicized in 2004 was another discrepancy magnifying this issue: while Kerry was making his first Congressional run in fall 1972, newspapers around the country ran stories by reporter Tom Tiede claiming that Kerry’s boat “took 188 enemy hits”.
On October 25, 1972, page 18D of the Burlington, North Carolina Times-News carried an article by Tiede titled “John F. Kerry. . .The Candidate Who’s Got It All Going” which stated:
Kerry, you'll recall, is the thrice-wounded Vietnam naval veteran (his boat took 188 enemy hits) who brought GIs to the front lines of antiwar battle in 1969.
Versions of Tiede’s article echoing this “188 enemy hits” claim appeared in the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune on October 25, 1972, in the Danville, Virginia Register on October 26, 1972, and in the Uniontown, Pennsylvania Evening Standard on November 1, 1972.
Declassified military records of the incident in question make no reference to these “188 enemy hits”, and what is recorded raises questions about how this story got started.
The incident involved five Swift Boats, which had moved near the Bay Hap River’s banks to maneuver around a fishing weir. Moving along the left side of the river was PCF-3 under Lieutenant Dick Pees, followed by PCF-23 under Lieutenant Jack Chenoweth. On the right side were PCF-94 under Kerry’s command and PCF-43 under Lieutenant Donald Droz. Trailing behind both pairs of boats near the center of the river was PCF-51 under Lieutenant Larry Thurlow, the patrol’s mission commander. Also travelling with the patrol were members of a Special Forces team.
As the boats were passing the weir, a mine went off. Discrepancies surround what damage was caused by the explosion, as well as whether or not the explosion was followed by enemy fire.
The Naval paperwork on the incident was probably filed by Kerry, judging by Kerry’s 1971 Senate testimony and the recollection of other Swift Boat veterans. Additional paperwork for Special Forces was probably filed by Lieutenant James Rassmann, who often performed this duty for his unit.
The after-action report released during the 2004 campaign describes a mine going off “UNDER PCF-3” and “CLOSE ABOARD PCF-94”. Elsewhere it states, “MINE DETONATED UNDER PCF-3. . .TWO OTHER MINE EXPLOSIONS”. However, the boat damage report lists no damage to PCF-3 but severe damage to PCF-94, which is described as having its wiring, generator, steering, and bilge pump in inoperable condition. Yet despite describing PCF-94 as being in this condition, the report states that “94 TOWED PCF 3 AS BUCKET BRIGADE CONTROLLED FLOODING”.
The after-action report describes mine explosion injuries to several crew members of PCF-3, but Kerry is the only one on PCF-94 listed with mine explosion injuries. There are no descriptions of bullet damage to any craft or crew.
The after-action report and casualty report state that “KERRY SUFFERED SHRAPNEL WOUNDS IN HIS LEFT BUTTOCKS AND CONTUSIONS ON HIS RIGHT FOREARM WHEN A MINE DETONATED CLOSE ABOARD PCF-94”. The after-action report characterizes Kerry’s right forearm injury as “MINOR”. The recommendation for Kerry’s Bronze Star--submitted by Kerry’s commanding officer Lieutenant Commander George Elliott and citing as an eyewitness Kerry’s second-in-command Del Sandusky--elaborates that a mine “detonated close aboard PCF-94, knocking 1st LT RASSMAN into the water and wounding LTJG KERRY in the right arm. . .LTJG KERRY. . .managed to pull LT RASSMAN aboard despite the painful wound in his right arm.” Kerry’s Bronze Star citation, originally written by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt and later revised under Secretary of the Navy John Lehman’s signature, substitutes for the above-mentioned contusions the detail that Kerry’s arm was “bleeding”.
However Kerry’s contemporary war journal, cited in a 2004 biography by Douglas Brinkley, indicates that his shrapnel injury actually came from an earlier rice-bin explosion, not the mine explosion. Prior to the mine explosion, Kerry’s Swift Boat team had assisted its Special Forces counterparts in clearing a village suspected of harboring Viet Cong. While the Green Berets were blowing up rice bins, “I got a piece of small grenade in my ass from one of the rice bin explosions,” Kerry recorded.
Eyewitness accounts help explain some of the other discrepancies surrounding Kerry’s injuries. James Rassmann told the Boston Globe on August 6, 2004 that it was his understanding that Kerry’s arm wound was caused by the mine explosion throwing Kerry into his boat’s pilot house. Two witnesses to Kerry’s arm injury, Van Odell and Jack Chenoweth, contend that Kerry’s arm was not bleeding. This is consistent with the after-action and casualty reports’ characterization of Kerry’s arm injury as “contusions”. If Kerry’s arm had been hit by a bullet, it seems likely he would have suffered bleeding rather than contusions. This may suggest that later paperwork revisions characterizing his arm as “bleeding” were an attempt to reconcile his wound with the claim that his injury was caused by gunfire.
Discrepancies surrounding the mine explosion and resulting boat damage remain to be explained. Kerry and Rassmann gave inconsistent accounts about which boat was over the mine when it went off, contradicting other eyewitnesses and compounding the confusion in the documentary record.
In a eulogy for Swift Boat gunner Tom Belodeau in 1997, Kerry recalled that it was a mine exploding under his own boat which knocked a Green Beret overboard. But Brinkley’s 2004 biography recorded Kerry’s recollection that when Rassmann fell overboard he was sitting on another boat across the river, PCF-3. A Kerry campaign press release from January 17, 2004 introduced Rassmann as “traveling down the Bay Hap river in a boat behind Kerry’s when both were ambushed by exploding land mines and enemy fire coming from the shore.” However when Rassmann spoke to the Democratic National Convention in July 2004, he described his memory of eating a cookie on Kerry’s boat when a mine knocked him into the water.
At least four witnesses from other boats only recalled a mine going off under PCF-3, not under Kerry’s boat. In interviews PCF-3 skipper Dick Pees recalled sitting in his disabled boat, and PCF-23 skipper Jack Chenoweth recalled having to slam his engines into reverse to avoid running into PCF-3. PCF-23 gunner Van Odell and mission commander Larry Thurlow supported this account of the incident.
Witnesses were divided over whether there was hostile gunfire or rocket fire. Most of Kerry’s crewmates, two witnesses from other boats, and Rassmann recalled what they interpreted as hostile fire. At least ten witnesses from other boats disputed this.
Kerry’s PCF-94 crewmates David Alston, Eugene Thorson, Michael Medeiros, and Del Sandusky recalled hostile fire, as did Rassmann. Alston was later discredited when it was demonstrated that he was not present at events he claimed to have witnessed.
PCF-43 gunner Wayne Langhofer recalled, “There was a lot of firing going on, and it came from both sides of the river.” PCF-51 crewman Robert Lambert also interpreted bullets he saw striking the water as coming from hostile fire.
However, Pees, Thurlow, Chenoweth, Odell, PCF-43 gunner Robert Hornberger, and others present recalled no hostile fire. Odell elaborated,
As the 3 boat passed the weir on the narrowest part of the river it was hit by a mine, which lifted it completely out of the water. I immediately began firing my twin 50’s towards river left to suppress any fire. I fired a couple of hundred rounds and realized we were not receiving any return fire from either bank. The other boats quit firing and we commenced rescue operations for the PCF-3 crew and boat. WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY FIRE FROM EITHER BANK. Our boat picked up members of the disabled PCF-3.
Others present similarly recalled firing at the banks but observing no return fire.
Some witnesses reported that after the mine went off, Kerry’s boat accelerated ahead out of the kill zone for a few minutes before returning. This would have meant the other boats were shooting at the banks from behind Kerry’s boat as it sped away, which may help account for the difference in perception between Kerry’s crew members and other witnesses. Likewise, it is easy to see how Rassmann and Lambert could have interpreted the Swift Boat team’s precautionary fire as enemy fire.
But whether there was enemy fire or not, it is difficult to conceive how Kerry could have pulled Rassmann out of the water while his boat was sustaining 188 enemy hits, or how his boat could have sustained 188 hits without suffering any recorded bullet damage, or how his boat could have helped tow PCF-3 after sustaining 188 hits. And it may be difficult for Kerry to explain why no reference to these 188 hits appeared in military records predating publicity for his 1972 Congressional campaign.
What a lying, empty and loathsome human being, this man was. . .is; and continues to be. And no redemption in sight. John Kerry is simply pathetic.
“took 188 enemy hits”
Kerry musthave pounded his fist on the deck 188 times!
AND that was just surviving basic training, not being in vietname when skerry was.
Thanks for your research/work, Fedora. Thanks to all contributors to this thread. Good one.
Is this the Christmas he spent in Cambodia which is SEARED in his brain? head? somewhere?
I would bet that Kerry falsified an after action report morre than a month later at his new command.
I'm unsure that you're not overstating the need for an after-action report as I would venture that the majority of PH's were/are issued with little reference to after-action reports and those submitting an individual for an award may often reley on oral testimony as to the circumstance.
Be that as it may, I think there's also a very real possibility that political pressure was brought to bear in terms of Kerry's first PH. Several things suggest it, not the least of which was an uncorroborated (to my knowledge) report that Kerry had already made noises about seeking congressional intervention after his petition to Hibbard was denied. Couple that with the extraordinary delay of...what?...2 MONTHS between the qualifying action and the award itself and you have a plausible time frame for the petition to flow "uphill" to congressional offices and then back down to MACV or whoever the issuing authority was. Given Kerry's close association with the "Swimmer", he seems a likely candidate for putting some congressional muscle behind Kerry's obvious interest in garnering the award.
Which brings me to a question that, perhaps, someone might have some knowledge of. If such a petition were to be processed through congressional offices, would a paper trail exist either in congressional or military records?
If so, Pulitzer anyone?
I have heard similar reports about political pressure. Where there’d be a paper trail I don’t know. The paper clues might be very slight—something as simple as an amendment to a form, as we’ve seen with the paperwork for Kerry’s Silver Star. It might help the search for a paper trail to reconstruct a witness trail—i.e., who might Kerry have gone to in order to pass his complaint to Kennedy (for instance in 1971 he often contacted Kennedy through Adam Walinsky), who might Kennedy have used to communicate with the military (my guess is it’d be someone who was a regular supporter of Kennedy on other issues, so we might look in news reports, Congressional records, etc. for records of Kennedy’s allies on military-related matters), who in the military would have passed Kennedy’s threat down the chain of command to pressure the parties responsible for amending the paperwork, etc. Getting people on the Kerry/Kennedy end of this witness chain to talk will probably be impossible, but some people on the military end may be more open to talking, at least off-the-record. No doubt some have already begun pursuing this line of inquiry, but that’s my line of thought, anyway.
Not so. Kerry revealed the other after action reports for his two other PHs. You need more than just oral testimony from the individual claiming the award.
.
“Irish John” Kohn Pingeroo!
John Kerry and Christmas in Cambodia
John Kerry’s super secret diary.
ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa, went the the twin engines on John kill em all kerry’s boat (real heros have nick names like that). It was a dark and quiet night, John kill em all Kerry turned to his first mate and (in a quiet yet confident voice) said....it’s quiet...too quiet I don’t like it.
If only we can get a bit farther up river without getting spotted we’ll be able to drop off secret agent x-183.
In the blink of an eye the calm of the night was SHATTERED KAPOW KAPOW WOOOOSH BLAM BLAM the night came alive with a song of DEATH! They had sailed into a clever ambush set by Charlie (John kill em all Kerry’s long time foe.
The crew strickened with fear and unable to move turned as one to the one man who had the courage, the skill, the WILL to save them.
John kill em all Kerry like a coiled spring leapped into action (That’s what heros like to do in these kind of situations) with a sneer on his lips John kill em all Kerry THRUST the throttle forward and mzzz teraza (heros lile john kill em all Kerry like to have names for their boats) LEAPPED like a mighty stallion BAAATTLE STATIONS he shouted! Wakeing as from a dream John kill em all karry’s band of brothers to their stations.
BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA sang the quad 50s in a tune that sang death and destruction for Charlie and his commie stooges, BRRRRAAAAAPPPP the 60’s spat out a curtain of lead, BOOOOM BOOOOM the 300mm mortars adding their song to the aria of war!
Now the dirty commies would pay for DARING to attack John killl em all Kerry and his All American band of brothes! With a ferral grin John kill em all Kerry shouted DIE COMMIE SCUM! (see hero types like John kill em all Kerry say things like that, they teach them that at hero school).
Just when it looked like one more (glorious) victory for John kill em all Kerry and his gallant band of brothers, KABOOOOM commie frogmen had placed a mine (the sneeky dirty underhanded Khmer rouge bast*rds) on the sleak and deadly mzzz teraza! In a bat of an eyelash john kill em all Kerry know his gallant little steed was done for, Flinging the little mzzz teraza at the nearest nest of vipers John kill em all Kerry CHARGED straight into the muzzels of death. Afraid? Not he, John kill em all Kerry didn’t know the meaning of fear
{fear(Function): noun Etymology: Middle English fer, from Old English f[AE]r sudden danger; akin to Latin periculum attempt, peril, Greek peiran to attempt Date: 12th century 1 a : an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger b (1) : an instance of this emotion (2) : a state marked by this emotion 2 : anxious concern : SOLICITUDE 3 : profound reverence and awe especially toward God 4 : reason for alarm : DANGER synonyms FEAR, DREAD, FRIGHT, ALARM, PANIC, TERROR, TREPIDATION mean painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger. FEAR is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage .
DREAD usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety .
FRIGHT implies the shock of sudden, startling fear .
ALARM suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger .
PANIC implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity .
TERROR implies the most extreme degree of fear .
TREPIDATION adds to DREAD the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation.}
The boat rammed into the den of inequity, and leapping from the galllant but doomed craft a 50cal in his right hand his (trusty) M-16 in his left a 5in. cannon strapped to his back John kill em all Kerry LEAPPED into the very heart of the enemyAAAAHHHHHH he cried all the while dealing death to the left and right (hero types do stuff like that all the time, that’s why they’re hero types)
The (dirty) commies quaked in fear at this (magnificent specimen) All American hero type in a blood lust cried “It’s kill em all Kerry! Please don’t kill us, John kill em all Kerry would have none of that! Not after thier dastardly attack and mortal wounding of his (beloved) mzzz teraza, DIE YOU DIRTY COOMIS RATS, I’LL TEACH YOU TO MESS WITH MASSACHUSETTS!
And oh the carnage the ensued, So terrible was his (awesome) wrath that soon after those above him (being jealous of his superior combat skills and the love his band of brothers had for him) sent him back to the good old US of A.
Stay tuned for more advetures of John kill em all Kerry.
Coming soon “John Kerry and the agents of DOOM.”
Thank you for providing that link...it is, indeed, an eye-opener that I hadn't taken note of before and appreciate the education.
Assuming that this information is unimpeachably based on pertinent regulations and since there has been credible testimony by Hibbard, I believe, that no such after action report was ever compiled nor has such an after action report ever been produced, it seems plausible that an "oral After Action report" might have been used as the foundation for the award.
I suppose it is possible that Kerry may have represented himself to the awarding authority as the "senior commander on scene" with subsequent corroborating interviews from the alleged 2 enlisted members of the skimmer boat crew. Were that to be the case, I can't imagine that the information wasn't officially documented in some fashion. Where would that documentation be filed/copied and would it be archived?
Re Tom Tiede: A good, pro-American writer. His information was wrong re 1969, since Kerry didn’t gain any publicity until late 1970, esp. April 71 with his Senate Testimony.
The AAR, After Action Report, on Kerry’s boat doesn’t mention a single bullet hole or any other explosives damage. The boat may have hit an underwater object which knocked the heck out of its frame, windows and underwater propellers.
Alston was not on Kerry’s boat so his Democratic Convention speech for Kerry was another lie of his.
There is the possibility that another of K’s crewmen also was not there. He was wounded about Jan. 31st, 1969, and was sent to a medical hospital for treatment. Doubtful he recovered in time to rejoin Kerry’s ship before Kerry bailed out of Nam.
Kerry claimed that his Swift Boat went 5000 meters under enemy fire on the Bay Hap River. He would have been sunk if he was hit that many times, or at least he would have had dead and wounded, and the boat would have looked like swiss cheese and not been able to pull PC-3 down the river.
Rassmann’s memory is suspect since what he claimed happened to him on Kerry’s boat changed over time, and he supposedly spent a lot of time underwater, not on the surface watching the enemy shoot at him. I think the shock of hitting the water dazed him and he mistook friendly covering fire for enemy fire.
Kerry has a way of corrupting good people to lie for him. That is his legacy.
At least one AAR (After Action Report) is at the Naval Historical Center, Wash. D.C. It might have been put on the internet at www.freerepublic or the Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth about John Kerry site.
Here's one for your files that hasn't "gone away" either...courtesy of the "Wayback Machine"...(emphasis mine)
Kerry Reunites with Fellow Veteran in Iowa
Veteran says Kerry saved his life in combat; has not seen him since 1969
17, 2004
For Immediate Release
Des Moines, IAFormer Lieutenant John Kerry was reunited today with fellow Vietnam veteran Jim Rassmann, who says Kerry saved his life during combat.
On March 13, 1969, Rassmann, a Green Beret, was traveling down the Bay Hap river in a boat behind Kerry's when both were ambushed by exploding land mines and enemy fire coming from the shore. Kerry was hit in the arm, while a mine blew Rassmann's boat out of the water. With enemy fire coming from both sides of the river and swift boats evacuating from the area, Kerry's crew chose to turn their boat toward the ambush to save Rassmann.
"We were still under fire, and he was wounded at the time", recalled Rassmann. And with his boat's gunners providing suppressing fire, Kerry extended his wounded arm into the water and the two lieutenants locked arms.
http://web.archive.org/web/20040119020557/www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0117d.html
BUMP
The quote from the link (rebutting the myth, “A serviceperson can author his/her own After Action report that can be used solely as a basis for awarding a PH or other medal.”) seems to answer the question of who is qualified to write an after-action report submitted for a PH, but does it necessarily imply that an after-action report is strictly needed? The reason I ask: I’m wondering if Kerry could have submitted a medical report in place of an after-action report and thus bypassed the filing of an actual after-action report. My understanding is that Kerry went shopping for hospital corpsmen until he found one who would fill out a medical report the way he wanted it.
Will the real commander Mc Bragg please stand up!
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