Kerry and the liberal media think they have gotten a "Swift Boat Vet"
Taken From Sources
Aug 19,2004

Kerry and the liberal media think they have gotten a "Swift Boat
Vet"

The campaign of John F Kerry continues to spoon feed the media in the
USA tidbits of untruth and directions to carry out attacks covertly
against not only GW Bush but private citizen's that are brave enough
to vocally support him.

Here is a perfect example. MSNBC, AP and other media outlets ran with
this top story Thursday, Aug 19, 2004.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Military records counter a Kerry critic"

MSNBC

WASHINGTON - Newly obtained military records of one of Sen. John F.
Kerry's most vocal critics, who has accused the Democratic
presidential candidate of lying about his wartime record to win
medals, contradict his own version of events.

Larry Thurlow, who commanded a Navy Swift boat alongside Kerry in
Vietnam , has strongly disputed Kerry's claim that the Massachusetts
Democrat's boat came under fire during a mission in Viet
Cong-controlled territory on March 13, 1969. Kerry won a Bronze Star
for his actions that day.

But Thurlow's military records, portions of which were released
yesterday to The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act,
contain several references to "enemy small arms and automatic weapons
fire" directed at "all units" of the five-boat flotilla.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From first glance one might say, "Ohh, these guys may not be telling
the truth". But only if you take this article for its word. Why didn't
the reporter writing the story put out a copy of this service record
or at least the details pertaining to the incident? Let's see John F
Kerry's records.

Because it shows that the source of the contradictory statement is no
other than John F Kerry himself.

Read the official statement by Larry Thurlow about his military
records.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

For Immediate Release August 19, 2004

Statement By Swift Boat Veterans for Truth Member Larry Thurlow

I am convinced that the language used in my citation for a Bronze Star
was language taken directly from John Kerry's report which falsely
described the action on the Bay Hap River as action that saw small
arms fire and automatic weapons fire from both banks of the river.

To this day, I can say without a doubt in my mind, along with other
accounts from my shipmates-there was no hostile enemy fire directed at
my boat or at any of the five boats operating on the river that day.

I submitted no paperwork for a medal nor did I file an after action
report describing the incident. To my knowledge, John Kerry was the
only officer who filed a report describing his version of the
incidents that occurred on the river that day.

It was not until I had left the Navy-approximately three months after
I left the service-that I was notified that I was to receive a
citation for my actions on that day.

I believed then as I believe now that I received my Bronze Star for my
efforts to rescue the injured crewmen from swift boat number three and
to conduct damage control to prevent that boat from sinking. My boat
and several other swift boats went to the aid of our fellow swift boat
sailors whose craft was adrift and taking on water. We provided
immediate rescue and damage control to prevent boat three from sinking
and to offer immediate protection and comfort to the injured crew.

After the mine exploded, leaving swift boat three dead in the water,
John Kerry's boat, which was on the opposite side of the river, fled
the scene. US Army Special Forces officer Jim Rassmann, who was on
Kerry's boat at the time, fell off the boat and into the water.
Kerry's boat returned several minutes later-under no hail of enemy
gunfire-to retrieve Rassmann from the river only seconds before
another boat was going to pick him up.

Kerry campaign spokespersons have conflicting accounts of this
incident-the latest one being that Kerry's boat did leave but only
briefly and returned under withering enemy fire to rescue Mr.
Rassmann. However, none of the other boats on the river that day
reported enemy fire nor was anyone wounded by small arms action. The
only damage on that day was done to boat three-a result of the
underwater mine. None of the other swift boats received damage from
enemy gunfire.

And in a new development, Kerry campaign officials are now finally
acknowledging that while Kerry's boat left the scene, none of the
other boats on the river ever left the damaged swift boat. This is a
direct contradiction to previous accounts made by Jim Rassmann in the
Oregonian newspaper and a direct contradiction to the "No Man Left
Behind" theme during the Democratic National Convention.

These ever changing accounts of the Bay Hap River incident by Kerry
campaign officials leave me asking one question. If no one ever left
the scene of the Bay Hap River incident, how could anyone be left
behind?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well does that raise a lot of issues!

The source is John F Kerry and that is the least of John F Kerry's
worries.



Notes: http://www.swiftvets.com/