Why James Rassman Is Honestly Mistaken About John Kerry Saving His Life And John Kerry Is Shame...

Michnews.com ^ | August 21, 2004 | Grant K. Holcomb

[TigersEye]

I strongly encourage everyone to listen to the streaming audio I linked in post #41

It is about 40 minutes long with no commercials. Steve Gardner is lucid, confident and articulate. Hancock lets him talk and he has plenty to say. He says he has sit-rep's, recently de-classified, from all five (or six) boats involved. He is highly credible IMO.

[Bob]

Thanks for the clarification. I assumed that Gardner's interview was placing him on kerry's 94 boat. That was my error, not yours. I didn't realize that he was even there.

[jackbill]

I have yet to receive my copy of Unfit For Command but the third excerpt was published in the Washington Times yesterday and it deals with this incident.

It's at:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040820-125031-5676r.htm

I found the last part, relating how Kerry left his boat to go with the injured from PCF-3 to get treated for his "wound" to be particularly interesting.

[Dave S]

Depending on how close Rassmann was to the mine explosion I have often wondered if his hearing was impared for several hours by the blast. Also the guy is probably disoriented and afraid of being left behind. He is underwater, then clinging inverted to a net hanging from a moving boat. He is intent on finding a way to board the craft. The "battle" may not have even been in his field of vision. The swift boats are firing suppressing fire against the surrounding shore. Its easy to see why he must have thought someone must be firing on him and his buddies. I never thought the guy was lying. I always thought he was confused.

[Leisler]

You are looking at events from your racist, eurocentric, imperialist running dog mindset.

Maybe they had rice cakes, fried in pot bellied pig fat and rolled in jungle bee Honey?

Didn't even occur to you, did it? Hang your head in shame. Bad bvw, no donut.

[OldFriend]

I'm convinced the media played a roll in the so called reunion in Iowa. They have already admitted they knew in advance that Rassmann would appear.........

[mtntop3]

This is indeed interesting; and the author, Grant Holcomb, is a first-class soldier and man.

But skepticism about Rassman's veracity, and motives, is warranted simply because he has not evidenced any good-faith search for truth - as for instance actually taking into consideration the very plausible circumstances noted in this article, to wit: the only weapons firing were those on the swift boats.

In fact he has resisted any good-faith search for truth by being manifestly inarticulate, if not mute, when he has appeared in person on any sort of news forum. His "articulation" seems to only occur through prepared written articles (such as the one to the WSJ - which seemed remarkedly incongruent with Rassman's demonstrated oral skills).

Moreover, Rassman has affirmed ADDITIONAL conditions and events purported by Kerry that Swift Vets state are untrue: e.g., Kerry's supposed directing his boat "to return and assist the other damaged craft and towed (sic) the boat to safety."

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Then the only answer remaining is, he is a LIBERAL or a sell out.

[SuziQ]

Rassman can be forgiven his confusion in the matter. He is dumped out of the boat when Kerry gunned the engines in order to get away from danger. As he's in the water, all he sees is smoke and the boats all around him. He can hear gunfire, but doesn't realize that it's only the Americans laying down suppressing fire on the riverbank, just in case there's an ambush ( a perfectly logical assumption to make after having hit a mine) John Kerry doesn't know what's going on because he's not with all the other boats, but I'm sure he learned what went on after he picked Rassman up.

Folks who were above the water had a better view than Rassman, so I'll go with what THEY have to say. John Kerry, looking to get his medals and get back home, wrote a glowing report about how his boat picked up Rassman, under enemy fir, being sure to mention Thurlow's rescue of the stricken boat. All of the citations from that day mention enemy fire, but none of the other commanders wrote reports on the incident. It is only Kerry's report that the Navy used for its "Official" reports, that's why the media is reporting this the way it is. They are, however, completely incurious as to why all the other vets are telling a different story than the official report.

[rudy45]

ping

[Cincinatus' Wife]

They can't handle the truth. Kerry is their ticket back into power and they don't give a damn what he did or will do, just so long as they get the reigns of government back.

[Mia T]

thx!

[calcowgirl]

21.) Rassman is mistaken about Kerry "saving his life". Swift boat PCF-51 picked up the other
men in the water from Swift boat PCF-3 and could have also picked up Rassman as well.

If there was no enemy fire, he could not have "saved his life."
His life was not in danger at the time (unless, of course, Rassman couldn't swim).

[Oztrich Boy]

Why Rassman was on Kerry's boat and why were they together on an earlier occasion when Kerry threw a hand grenade into a rice bin are unclear.

They were just very good friends (Not that there's anything wrong with that:^)

[Just mythoughts]

"But what I'd like to know is why did he write the citation at the time? Was it cover for having been ineffective (to say the least) during the incident as the only real warrior in the group?

And once reminded of this charade years later he thought "What the heck? Milk it!"

Is that it?"

I personally do not believe that he wrote the citation, I believe that JFKerry wrote it, maybe Rassmann signed it, but being in the water how would he know what was going on around him, especially if he was doing all that diving.

Also "IF" the witnesses who tell today that Rassmann ended up in the water because JFKerry fled the scene then what is there to write...

In the latest JFKerry ad where JFKerry does the introduction only, Rassmann does not give the "important" details as to how he ended up in the water.

[Salvation]

**John Kerry Is Shamelessly Exploiting The Situation"**

I've always thought that Kerry was taking advantage of this man.

[ItstheTVstupid]

Thanks.

[ItstheTVstupid]

No one has said this: They are doctoring the records as we speak. When they are finally released, they will have been falsified.

[ItstheTVstupid]

I thinkyou've more to tell. Go for it!

[oldngray]

"The truth of the matter is that Rassmann himself changed the details of his story twice in the weekend he appeared in Iowa."

Could you document this very important tidbit for us? Something of this nature would be invaluable to add to the discussion.

The media has made such a big thing of Elliott's "change of statement", they never document those of their "enemies".