Just replaying it in my mind ( I wish I had a vcr to record the thing ) another thing that just was too convenient was the VC guy saying he or they ( VC ) were shooting at the boats but not hitting anything. The "no hits" sounds like something that he must have been made aware of at some later date.
The guy Kerry Shot, the villagers reported, was not a local but was a reinforcement from the district. I suspect these would be more agressive because they did not live there and would have no scruples against getting the village shot up with their fire. I also believe these district VC were enforcers that kept the others in line.
Just like in this story, ABC did not get to do the interviews without a Vietnamese minder present. John Kerry has a photo of some of his Anti-War activities in a Vietnamese War Museum where he is honored for his activities as O'Neill brought up. It is clear to me that the Vietnamese want Kerry to be elected or they would never have allowed the story. They are relying on their media fifth column to this day.