Larry Thurlow respons to Kerry smears
Find a Conversation
| 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

Pages
From reading many of your posts , I can safely say I will vote for you :-).
I am only supporting Bush because I cannot justify my voting for Kerry, and at least I have experienced 4 years under Bush.
If there were a viable alternative, I would seriously consider it, believe me.
Nader has shown himself to be an egomaniac.
Nader has proven he cannot work well with others. He ran on the Green Party ticket & didn't even join the Green Party. He has no clue whatsoever how to negotiate & compromise, essential traits for getting things done in Washintgton.
Nader is a cold fish. I heard personally from Granny D (Doris Haddock) seehttp://grannyd.com that Nader was rude to her. He invited her to speak at his headquarters & then disappeared, left her on the sidewalk to get there on her own as he drove away, didn't greet her when she arrived.
Michael Moore & Bill Maher recently got down on their knees on TV & begged Nader not to run. He seemed shocked, but as we all know, he's still running.
Of course the DNC doesn't want him to run. The DNC & about 3000 other liberal groups of all kinds don't want him to run. No secret, no conspiracy, just please go away so we can get Bush out.
< As a Nader supporter I would like your thoughts on a theory of mine for this election.
Do you think Nader is having a difficult time getting on the Presidential ballot in some states due to pressure from the DNC? I thought this may be a slight possibility, especially due to the fact that in many polls, in a three way race, Kerry trails Bush.
Any thoughts? >
I guess the DNC know that with Nader in the race, Kerry has a very strong chance of losing in November.
Edited 8/25/2004 12:04 pm ET ET by debateguy
This vet does believe what he sais, but his opinion is because he thinks Kerry must have written the report for that day. He has no evidence of this. Kerry was not the senior ranking officer that day so he probably did not write the after action report. Plus the award Thurlo recieved was for an event that Kerry could not have been privy to and would not have been able to be documented by Kerry. As Kerry was up the river turning the boat around, not "fleeing the seen," and retrieving the other soldier. Thurlow claims he did not know that his award was for that exact event, and that he was not under any fire. When you recieve an award even if it's long after the fact it comes with a flowery explanation of what you did to recieve it. He claims he lost his 20 years ago, but that leaves 10 years that it was not lost. If what he sais is true then that means he took an award that was given under false pretenses just like he claims Kerry did. Why did he not speak up when he recieved a false award? He claims he didn't know, could he not read the citation that came with it?
Sounds fishey to me.
Venus
Venus
Sorry
Venus
Guess who really understands terrorism now? See;
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0409.sirota.html
Renee ~~~
Renee ~~~
Pages