Kerry's allies fight back (parody)

The Weekly Standard has published a hilarious parody of how Kerry allies are fighting back against the attack ads run by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and Fred Barnes asks "Did you know John Kerry served in Vietnam?"

The Kerry fixation on his Vietnam record turns out to be more risky than expected. His claims about his war experience have become a matter for scrutiny, though not by the Bush reelection campaign as far as we know. Instead, a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has charged Kerry with lying about his record in Vietnam or exaggerating it. The Kerry campaign can't dismiss the group as men who ducked Vietnam duty. The anti-Kerry veterans stayed in Vietnam for full 12-month tours, longer than Kerry did. Many were in the same unit as Kerry. Their criticism of Kerry is over specific incidents that require a specific response. Being forced to defend his war record wasn't part of Kerry's campaign plan.

New attack ad against Kerry by SBVT: Sellout

John Kerry: "They had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads. . ."

Joe Ponder: "The accusations that John Kerry made against the veterans who served in Vietnam was just devastating."

John Kerry: ". . . randomly shot at civilians. . ."

Joe Ponder: "It hurt me more than any physical wounds I had."

John Kerry: ". . . cut off limbs, blown up bodies. . ."

Ken Cordier: "That was part of the torture, was, uh, to sign a statement that you had committed war crimes."

John Kerry: ". . . razed villages in a fashion reminiscent of Ghengis Khan. . ."

Paul Gallanti: "John Kerry gave the enemy for free what I, and many of my, uh, comrades in North Vietnam, in the prison camps, uh, took torture to avoid saying. It demoralized us."

John Kerry: ". . . crimes committed on a day to day basis. . . "

Ken Cordier: "He betrayed us in the past, how could we be loyal to him now?"

John Kerry: ". . . ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam."

Paul Gallanti: "He dishonored his country, and, uh, more, more importantly the people he served with. He just sold them out."

Announcer : "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is responsible for the content of this advertisement."

Kerry's Vietnam moments: fact and fiction

William Kristol writes that John Kerry is a creature of the anti-Vietnam war movement and he's trying to hide that fact from the voters.

[John Kerry] is entitled to ask us to place weight on the testimony of the band of brothers with whom he served in Vietnam. But he has a problem. A substantial number of Kerry's band of brothers--those who served in close quarters with him in Coastal Division 11 and Coastal Division 14 from late November 1968 to March 1969--oppose his candidacy for the presidency. What they "learned as soldiers" has led them to distrust--in many cases, deeply to distrust--John Kerry.

And Matthew Continetti writes that John Kerry wanted his "Vietnam years" to be the central debating point of his campaign for President and, thanks to a group of Swift Boat Veterans, it will be.

The Anti-Kerry Swiftees were in Washington last week, attending planning sessions and break-out panels at the Key Bridge Marriott, across the Potomac river from Washington's Georgetown neighborhood. They are middle-aged men now, their hair gray or absent, their paunches established, their combat fatigues replaced with golf shirts and khakis. Most are from the Midwest. Politically, they range from conservative Democrat to conservative Republican to independent-minded Perotista. In fact, most dislike politics altogether. "This is not about politics," one of the veterans, a 61-year-old man from Montgomery, Texas, named Jack Chenoweth told me. "This is about telling the truth." Van Odell, who in 1969 was Jack Chenoweth's gunner, said the anti-Kerry vets were making progress. "I feel optimistic," Odell said. "I felt when we started this thing we'd be a one-day news story. But we're still here."

Hardball's Chris Matthews can't handle the truth

Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's political talk show Hardball has become unglued as a result of the controversy surrounding John Kerry's service in Vietnam and the allegations made by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Last night's Hardball program featured Michelle Malkin, who, unlike the host Chris Matthews, has actually read the book Unfit for Command. Here's the transcript of last night's Hardball and be sure to read Michelle Malkin's account of what happened. Do you think John Kerry and his "media waterboys" (like Chris Matthews) are sweating this Swift Vet issue? You bet.

Swift Vets claim John Kerry filed false report on the Rassmann incident

Statement By Swift Boat Veterans for Truth Member Van Odell

A courageous, soft spoken man of the Midwest, Larry Thurlow has a heart bigger than the great plains and a commitment to truth and honesty that is boundless. He is under attack, because John Kerry is feeling the heat of truth at the hands of this honest man and others like him.

The Kerry Campaign is attacking the truthfulness of this man and the Bronze Star he so richly deserves for his actions on March 13, 1969. I was there. I saw what happened.

The mine’s detonation lifted PCF-3 completely out of the water just yards ahead of me. All boats commenced suppression fire in case enemy small arms fire ensued. None did.

All boats came to the aid of PCF-3, except one: John Kerry’s boat. Kerry fled.

Larry Thurlow piloted his boat straight toward the mine-damaged PCF-3 from which thick, black smoke billowed. He jumped aboard and personally led damage control operations that saved the boat and rescue operations that saved the lives of badly wounded men. Larry’s leadership was in the highest traditions of the naval service. His leadership allowed the other men and boats of the mission to exit the river safely. This "single act of meritorious service" -– the chief requirement of the Bronze Star -– should be honored, not ridiculed, by the Kerry campaign and its allies in the mainstream media.

To reiterate, only one enemy weapon was deployed that day -– the command-detonated submerged mine that disabled PCF-3. Larry Thurlow's citation contained references to "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire," because that was the language chosen by John Kerry who penned the "spot report" on the action that day. There was no "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" received that day. John Kerry’s report was fiction -– a hoax on the entire chain of command. Larry Thurlow's heroism and meritorious service, however, is real.

To me Larry is one of the heroes of our country. He is a man who served his country when called and who returned home to be a productive citizen. Larry and men like him are the strong backbone of our society. I am proud to have served with him.

Statement By Swift Boat Veterans for Truth Member Jack Chenoweth

I am outraged by Michael Dobbs' attack on Larry Thurlow and his Bronze Star award.

The reason the citation mentions "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" is because it is based on the "spot report" that John Kerry submitted. Any and all awards presented for actions on 13 March 1969 would be similar, if not verbatim, regarding enemy gunfire, because the only information submitted to the chain of command was falsified by Kerry.

Mr. Dobbs also grossly mischaracterizes my statements, and probably those of Richard Pees as well, when he states that we "do not remember coming under 'enemy fire.'" He needs to go back and review his notes. I emphatically told him -– as I’ve told countless other reporters -- that there was no enemy gunfire from either bank at any time, that the only event of the day was the mine under PCF 3, followed by suppression fire from all of our boats.

Mr. Dobbs is entitled to take whatever position he wants on the issue of who is telling the truth, but it is not right for him to mischaracterize my remarks so that it looks like I didn't "remember" whether there was enemy fire. I remember vividly. There was no enemy fire.

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?

John O'Neill argues that John Kerry is no hero

Beldar blogs features and excellent summary of John O'Neill's appearance on MSNBC political talk show "Scarborough Country."

SBVT dispute key portions of the Rassmann rescue

The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth don't believe John Kerry's rescue of Jim Rassmann was deserving of a Bronze Star.

The following is an excerpt from Unfit for Command by John O'Neill and Jerome Corsi.

Page 89

On March 13, 1969, Jack Chenoweth commanded the boat in front of Kerry, and his gunner, Van Odell, had a clear view of the entire incident. Dick Pease commanded PCF-3, which was blown up by the mine that day. None of these Swiftees recognized the incident as described by Kerry in his report, by Douglas Brinkley, in Tour of Duty, or on Kerry's website. They were furious when they realized Kerry's fraudulent account.

In reality, Kerry's boat was on the right side of the river when a mine went off on the opposite side, under PCF-3. The boat's crewmen were thrown in the water. The officers of PCF-3 were injured by the explosion and suffered concussions. A Viet Cong sympathizer in an adjoining bunker had touched off the mine. Besides the mine exploding under PCF-3, there was no other hostile fire and there were no other mines, according to Chenoweth, Odell, Pease, and Thurlow. The boats had begun firing after the mine exploded, but they ceased after a short time because of the lack of hostile fire.

Despite the absence of hostile fire, Kerry fled the scene. The remaining PCFs, in accord with standard doctrine, stood to defend the disabled PCF-3 and its crewmen in the water. Kerry disappeared several hundred yards away, returning only when it was clear that there was no return fire.

Chenoweth (who received no medal) picked up the PCF 3 crewmen thrown into the water. As a result of the explosion, PCF-3's engines were knocked out on one side and frozen on 500 RPM on the other side. The boat weaved dangerously, hitting sandbars, with a dazed or unconscious crew aboard. Thurlow sought a secure hold on his boat so he could jump across and board PCF-3. However, he was thrown into the water as his first attempt to board PCF-3 failed and the boat hit the sandbars. Later, Thurlow brought PCF-3 to a stop, and the boat slowly began to sink.

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, Chenoweth'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 Chenoweth.

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 Chenoweth, Thurlow, and many others. Meanwhile, the serious work of saving PCF-3 continued.

Kerry's false after-action report, prepared to justify his medals, reports "5,000 meters" --- about two and a half miles --- of heavy fire, about the same distance as a large Civil War battlefield. Not a shot of this fire was heard by Chenoweth, Thurlow, Odell, or Pease. Kerry's false after-action report ignores Chenoweth's heroic action in rescuing the PCF-3 survivors and Thurlow's action in saving PCF-3, while highlighting his own routine pickup of Rassmann and PCF-94's minor role in saving PCF-3.

Kerry allies tell conflicting stories on Rassman's rescue

Ever since the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT) announced that they had produced a political ad and a book disputing John Kerry's fitness for the Presidency, John Kerry's "Band of Brothers" and the SBVT have been telling conflicting stories about what happened in Vietnam.

But when it comes to the story behind John Kerry's rescue of Jim Rassman, the conflicting stories come entirely from John Kerry's allies. One version of the story is offered by Douglas Brinkley, the author of the glowing John Kerry biography titled Tour of Duty. Another version of the story is offered by Jim Rassman himself in Rassman's recent opinion column printed in the Wall Street Journal.

Here's what Douglas Brinkley writes about John Kerry's rescue of Jim Rassman in the March 2004 edition of The Atlantic:

But those are minor risks compared to saving lives. For example, when talking about the day Kerry charged up the river to save Army Lieutenant Jim Rassman who had been blown off a neighboring Swift boat by an explosion, and was taking sniper fire in the river, people say, well, he risked his life to save Rassman.

And here's what Jim Rassman wrote in his Wall Street Journal column on August 10, 2004:

While returning from a SEA LORDS operation along the Bay Hap River, a mine detonated under another swift boat. Machine-gun fire erupted from both banks of the river, and a second explosion followed moments later. The second blast blew me off John's swift boat, PCF-94, throwing me into the river. Fearing that the other boats would run me over, I swam to the bottom of the river and stayed there as long as I could hold my breath.

There seems to be confusion among Kerry's allies as to which boat Jim Rassman was on prior to the mine explosion. Perhaps this is yet another reason why John Kerry's version of events in Vietnam should not be uncritically accepted.

The David Alston Story

David Alston, a Vietnam Veteran, testified to John Kerry's leadership credentials at the Democrat National Convention in Boston. In his speech to the nation he said the following:

Once, he even directed the helmsman to beach the boat, right into the teeth of an ambush, and pursued our attackers on foot, into the jungle. In the toughest of situations, Lieutenant Kerry showed judgment, loyalty and courage. Even wounded, or confronting sights no man should ever have to see, he never lost his cool.
And when the shooting stopped, he was always there too, with a caring hand on my shoulder asking, ‘Gunner, are you OK?’ I was only 21, running on fear and adrenaline. Lieutenant Kerry always took the time to calm us down, to bring us back to reality, to give us hope, to show us what we truly had within ourselves. I came to love and respect him as a man I could trust with life itself.

But did David Alston ever serve under John Kerry?
Byron York believes that Alston served under Kerry for a week or two, but not during certain battles that both John Kerry and David Alston has claimed.

According to a report in the Boston Globe, the Kerry campaign website has in the past listed Kerry as being the skipper of PCF-94 at the time of Alston's wounding. When Kerry's military records were first posted on the site, according to the Globe, "the campaign summarize[d] action that took place on Jan. 29, 1969, this way: 'While Kerry's boat and another (PCF-72) were probing a canal along the river, Kerry's boat came under heavy fire and was hit by a B-40 rocket in the cabin area. One member of Kerry's crew Forward Gunner David Alston suffered shrapnel wounds in his head....'" The campaign website also listed two other incidents that took place prior to January 29 as having occurred under Kerry's leadership.

Peck, who would later sign a letter to Kerry written by the anti-Kerry group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, protested. "Those are definitely mine," he told the Globe. "There is no doubt about it." The campaign later removed the January 29 reference from the website.

But Byron York's conclusion seems primarily based on interviews with David Alston and Fred Short, not on publicly available military documents. And if we are to believe the recent statements made by Alston and Short, John Kerry's boat operated with two gunners instead of one. Is that plausible? And why did David Alston respond to Byron York's inquiries regarding this issue by stating that all interviews must be approved by the Kerry campaign? Why do John Kerry's "band of brothers" require a script prior to participation in an interview if their Vietnam stories are accurate? And why have neither David Alston nor John Kerry signed form 180, the form that would release all of their military records to the public?