Rasmann Got a Purple Heart on Same Day as Kerry?

The Kerry Spot ^ | 8/26/2004 | Jim Geraghty

[x1stcav]

Kerry Spot [ jim geraghty reporting ]

RASSMANN GOT A PURPLE HEART, TOO? ON THE SAME DAY? [08/26 01:52 PM]

Has it been reported elsewhere that Jim Rassmann, the man John Kerry fished out of the river, was awarded a Purple Heart “for wounds received in connection with military operations against a hostile force” on the day he was rescued by John Kerry?

Have any of the accounts of that day listed an injury on the part of Rassmann? The descriptions, including Rassmann‘s own, don‘t mention this injury. The Kerry Spot is not charging Rassmann with not being injured; but it seems like an important point that’s been ignored by previous accounts.

If Rassmann were injured while he’s bobbing in the water after falling off PCF-94, that makes the story of his rescue even more dramatic. If his Purple Heart was awarded for being shot, that would appear to strengthen the argument that the boats were under fire. And yet neither the Globe’s account, nor “Unfit for Command,” appear to mention an injury to Rassmann, and I haven’t seen any reference to this in “Tour of Duty.”

The next question is who put in the paperwork for Rassmann’s Purple Heart medal.

Lt. JG John Kerry?

Would it weaken the case that Kerry earned his medals in that March 13, 1969 incident if the man recommending him for those medals was being recommended for medals of his own by Kerry?

Now, we shouldn’t read too much into this. The recommendation for Rassmann’s purple heart could have come from some other sailor or soldier out there. Even if it came from Kerry, this does not definitively prove that either one of them is lying, or shading the truth in any way.

But it does seem odd that this medal has been left out of all of the accounts so far.

(Thanks to Kerry Spot reader Lars for noticing this.)

[philman_36]

What did the other eyewitnesses say about where Kerry's boat was?
Which eyewitnesses? The Band-Aid Brothers or the SBV?
Haven't read "Unfit" yet so I'd have to go by press releases and such for their side.
As for "the horses' mouth"...you sure can't go by this "story" from ...John Kerry's Final Mission in Vietnam By Douglas Brinkley (note the SEAL assertion)
Near the entrance to the Bay Hap River, McCann's boat developed engine trouble and had to stop. "We transferred his troops to our boats and continued into the river," Kerry reported, his PCF-94 now so weighted down with men and gear it looked like a World War II Higgins boat heading for the Normandy beaches. Also aboard were U.S. Special Forces teams of Green Berets and SEALs being transported into enemy territory.

On to the meat...Almost casually, the Swifts formed up and headed out from the village. The five boats had gone about half a mile when the blast came. Right where they had been hit on an earlier mission, a mine exploded directly beneath Lieutenant James Rassman's PCF-3 near Kerry's port side. Rassman's Swift lifted about two feet up out of the water, engulfed in mud and spray, then settled, rocking so hard from side to side that the boat started zigzagging from the banks to the middle of the river. Everybody on board PCF-3 was wounded. "At the same moment, we came under a hail of small-arms fire from both banks," Kerry recorded in his journal. "I turned the boat into the fire on the left with the intention of trying to get the troops ashore on the outskirts of the ambush, but Sandusky, who was driving the boat and who had his eyes glued on the crippled 3 boat, pointed out to me how badly hit they had been. We veered back toward her then and tried to provide cover from the engaged side. Suddenly another explosion went off right beside us, and the concussion threw me violently against the bulkhead on the door, and I smashed my arm. At the same instant, Jim Rassman was blown overboard, although nobody knew it. But we continued sidling up to the 3, and as we came closer I could see that her twin-.50 mount over the pilothouse had been completely blown out of its stand and had landed on the gunner. No one was moving on the stern. [PCF-3 crewman] Ken Tryner, on his first real river expedition, was kneeling dazed in the doorway with a small trickle of blood down his face, aimlessly firing his M-79."
Well, no mention of the where Kerry's boat was except for the "PCF-3 near Kerry's port side" mention.
You can't even tell who was "driving" much less where they were.
You have...I turned the boat into the fire on the left...
And then you have...but Sandusky, who was driving the boat...
And you also have Rassman on 3 boat...Lieutenant James Rassman's PCF-3 near Kerry's port side. Rassman's Swift lifted about two feet up out of the water.
and on JohnBoy's boat at the same time...Suddenly another explosion went off right beside us, and the concussion threw me violently against the bulkhead on the door, and I smashed my arm. At the same instant, Jim Rassman was blown overboard, although nobody knew it.
I've just muddled things up more, haven't I.

[Fedora]

Which eyewitnesses? The Band-Aid Brothers or the SBV?

Both. I want to compare stories. Ideally I'd like to recreate the "crime scene" according to each witness.

I just checked Unfit for Command, and it says according to the SBVFT, Kerry's boat was on the right when the mine went off on the other side of the river.

I've just muddled things up more, haven't I.

I think Kerry gets the credit for that :)

[cajun-jack]

by today's epa standards, just wading in it would get you the CMH!!!

[philman_36]

Both. I want to compare stories. Ideally I'd like to recreate the "crime scene" according to each witness.
I like the way you think.
I just checked Unfit for Command, and it says according to the SBVFT, Kerry's boat was on the right when the mine went off on the other side of the river.
Then it seems that they are in agreement that he was on the other side of the river. I just don't get the starboard turn.
Since you've got Unfit for Command to look at I'll keep looking for some more from the oppositions' side.

You'll note that the other reply has this on page 4...
This article was adapted from Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War by Douglas Brinkley, published by William Morrow, and originally appeared in the April 2004 issue of American History.

[philman_36]

Well, about the best I can do is this which is the same thing the recreation has...Swift Boat Accounts Incomplete
At 2:45 p.m., according to Navy records, Kerry was joined by four other Swift boats for the Bay Hap trip. Kerry led the way on the right-hand side of the river, in PCF-94, followed 15 yards behind by one of his best friends in Vietnam, Don Droz, in PCF-43. A procession of three boats on the left side of the river was led by Richard Pees on PCF-3, followed by Jack Chenoweth on PCF-23 and Thurlow on PCF-51.
Wish I was more help. It's time for me to hit the sack.

[Condor51]

The service numbers look like social security numbers. In 71 I know mine was

I believe the Army changed the service/ss number in 1970(?). IIRC it was done as a matter of expediency and to end confusion for some gubmint 'workers'. In the olden days in the Army you had, 'RA' (Regular Army, i.e., you Enlisted), 'NG' (National Guard) & 'US' (drafted).

btw, for anyone who's curious Kerry's Navy Service Numbers ARE...

Enlisted-B10 78 84
Officer-713525

AND for the record John Forbes Kerry 'enlisted' in the US Naval Reserves, not the 'regular' Navy. And as such, when he was meeting with the VC in Paris in 1971, HE WAS STILL IN THE military because he signed up for SIX years (66-72). I believe that's called treason! (uh, is that too harsh?)

[John Valentine]

I've just muddled things up more, haven't I.

Not you. The so-called "historian" Douglas Brinkley.

[John Valentine]

There can be no doubt that Kerry sea lawyered his way into a quick trip home.

I have long wondered about an alternate scenario where Kerry's commanding officers greased the tracks for the first (and last awarded) Purple Heart to get this dangerous nut case out of there before he could do more damage.

[John Valentine]

I wouldn't get to invested in the turn to starboard. That version comes from Kerry, the same story teller that puts the riverine mine under his own boat. If he can't keep that part of his story straight, why would you give him any credence on any other part of his version?

[John Valentine]

I wouldn't get to invested in the turn to starboard. That version comes from Kerry, the same story teller that puts the riverine mine under his own boat. If he can't keep that part of his story straight, why would you give him any credence on any other part of his version?

[bvw]

One rule of lies is the bigger the better.

[bvw]

It was treason. In most any other war. In the temper of of the times, Kerry's was one act among many. There really was a generational split. Too many martinis and manhattans on one side, too much mary jane on the other.

What was Rassmann doing on the boats? I'll make a wild assed guess -- not only was he on some sort of leave, he was dealing. That's a wild-assed guess.

[Fedora]

I give Kerry's version of the story zero credence. The point is to compare his version with the other witnesses' versions to help highlight the contradictions in Kerry's story. Kerry's version--or more precisely, one version of Kerry's version--has him turning right. This would contradict the depiction of him being on the right side of the river. This raises the question, did Kerry himself ever describe himself as being on the right side of the river? If so, we have a contradiction not only between Kerry and the other witnesses, but internally within Kerry's own story.

[Stentor]

If they could track those folks down and verify that story about others being picked up

"During the incident, Jim Rassmann had fallen or had been knocked off either Kerry's boat or PCF 35. When he was spotted in the water, Chenowith's boat, with the PCF 3 crew aboard, went to pick him up. Kerry's boat, returning to the scene after its flight, reached him about twenty yards before Chenowith.

Kerry did the decent thing by going a short distance to pick up Rassmann, justifiably earning Rassmann's gratitude. The claim that Kerry 'returned' to a hostile fire zone is a lie according to Chenowith, Thurlow, and many others."

Unfit for Command pages 90-91

[John Valentine]

Yes, Kerry himself admits to exiting the weir on the right side of the river. Frankly I don't have time to dig up the references, but they are many.

The only way Kerry would make a right turn is if the river itself were to curve to the right at that point, and that is not in evidence. Drawings and maps of the area are admittedly diagrammtic only.

Frankly, I think it's just more words from Kerry's mouth that are purely made up and fanciful. Harmless, at somebody's funeral, really. It's just more evidence that Kerry doesn't care much for accuracy or truth.

[william clark]

Something just occurred to me. Wouldn't an after-action report be outside the scope of personal military records? In other words, do we really need a signed form 180 by Kerry to find out if he wrote the report on the mine incident?

[xzins]

I just started the book.

They have Chenoweth. Ask him WHO he picked up. Find them and ask who picked THEM out of the water. Did any of them get a bronze star for getting picked out of the water. Was there small arms fire at them throughout the time. Was there any small arms battle damage to the boats?

[Fedora]

It's also occurred to me that Kerry may not be the only one on that mission who can authorize the release of personal military records. Couldn't others on that mission authorize the release of their own records which might include after-action reports and other relevant records?

[HannaUSA]

A couple of points concerning Rasmussen. The two different states can be explained because he and his wife live in one, and his mother the other. They were visiting her when they found Kerry's book "Tour of Duty" in the bookstore.

What I found odd, and this is stated in several accounts, is that when he and his wife read the account, they "shook their heads". I don't think people shake their heads when they have just read an accounting of true events. Could be wrong, but that seems odd to me.

Second, when Rasmussen went to reunite with Kerry the first time, the whole thing was set up to be a big media event. Seeing each other for the first time, publically, in front of the world. Several days after that event, Rasmussen makes the comment that he "hopes that someday, when the election is all over, that he and Kerry have a chance to meet privately, without all the cameras etc."

Again, I find this very strange.

[LibertarianInExile]

Well, if so, it would not be untrue for Rassman to claim Kerry saved his life any way you look at it. 3 Purple Hearts and you're out, right? If Rassman got a few fake ones via his good buddy J F'in Kerry, were I him, I'd be mighty grateful too.