Larry Thurlow respons to Kerry smears
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| Thu, 08-19-2004 - 12:59pm |
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?
Edited 8/19/2004 1:14 pm ET ET by truemobile

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Kerry RAN, he fled the scene, HE IS A COWARD! It's finally admitted :-)
Kerry says one thing, Rassman says the same, but then other people say Rassman was not originally on Kerry's boat, but on the boat in front of Kerry, which struck a mine, and Kerry pulled Rassman from the water.
It looks like it is a battle over semantics.
That is just me though.
To me, the bigger issue is the story about Cambodia which changes on a daily basis...sort of like Kerry's opinion on ever matter.....even though that memory was SEARED into his brain. I guess the branding iron wasn't hot enough.
The more Kerry opens his mouth about the issue, the more he looks like a complete idiot. I say let him keep talking...before you know it, Kerry was actually in Beijing getting ready to overthrow the Chinese Government, no wait, it was Moscow, and he was going to take out Kruschev on a secret assasination mission.
And for any Democrats out there... I believe the swiftvets are not political, but I believe political money is behind them... in particular I believe somehwere Rove is using his dark arts.
Kerry Accuses Bush Of 'Dirty Work'
John Kerry accused President Bush on Thursday of relying on front groups to challenge his record of valor in Vietnam, asserting, "He wants them to do his dirty work."
Defending his record, the Democratic presidential candidate said, "Thirty years ago, official Navy reports documented my service in Vietnam and awarded me the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts."
"Thirty years ago, this was the plain truth. It still is. And I still carry the shrapnel in my leg from a wound in Vietnam."
Kerry received five medals for his service in Vietnam a generation ago, but his record has come under campaign challenge in television commercials aired by "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," funded by supporters of the president.
Mr. Bush and the White House have refused to condemn the ads, despite calls to do so — from Sen. John McCain, a Republican who is a former Vietnam prisoner of war, as well as from Democrats.
In a rapid response to Kerry's speech, Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said the charge "leveled by Senator Kerry is absolutely and completely false."
"The Bush campaign has never and will never question John Kerry's service in Vietnam. The president has referred to John Kerry's service as noble service," the Bush spokesman said.
At the same time, neither the president nor any of his spokesmen condemned the ad.
More......................
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/19/politics/main637003.shtml
~Libraone~
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-elinthenews/
Lets see, when Terry McAullife and Al Gore were running around the country claiming that Bush went AWOL from the ANG, Kerry said absolutely nothing. Kerrys only response was that he was not familiar with all of the facts and would have to look into the matter.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
When I try to cut the guy some slack on something, it turns around to bite me in the behind....
If this is true, and Kerry is again changing his story, Kerry's hopes of people buying into his credibility are going to grow dim. I am going to wait for a while before passing judgement on this.
If the Dems had any sense they'd start digging into Georgy's cocaine use. Perhaps he should be in prison for a felony. While under the influence of drugs he probably did all kinds of things that he can't remember. Too bad no one on Kerry's side is ugly enough to start digging up people who "really" knew him during this time. Hey, they could hire reporters from The Star or The National Enquirer to dig up dirt (unless they're all busy working for The Smirking One.) How about his failed businesses? How about the fact that half of his resume is the result of his daddy pulling strings. The other half is the result of his own failures.
The thing that becomes quite clear is the Kerry supporters aren't playing nearly as dirty as the Bush supporters. Kerry actually tries to explain his positions. One Note Georgey just stands there agrinnin', saying things like "we're gonna smoke 'em" and "I said there are WMD 'cause there are". It's hard to call anyone a flip-flopper when he doesn't have enough functioning brain cells to think in a straight line, let enough consider other options.
By the way, didn't someone say something about Larry Flynt's book coming out - you know the one where Saintly George arranges for an illegal abortion? Maybe we can all get advance copies and start talking about THAT.
"an alien from a far away planet, and has been traveling the galaxy for several years...."
No,
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