Swift Boat Veterans vs. Kerry’s Movie Kerry’s old colleagues question the Hollywood version.

NRO ^ | July 30, 2004 | Byron York

[fight_truth_decay]

Boston, Mass. — Some of John Kerry's fellow Swift Boat veterans — the ones who were not on stage with him at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night — are questioning the account of Kerry's Vietnam service as presented in a nine-minute biographical video played at the convention.

In particular, the film portrayed an incident in which Kerry, in command of a Swift Boat, rescued Army Green Beret Jim Rassman during a fight on a river in South Vietnam. The film graphically illustrated the incident, in which a group of Swift Boats, including Kerry's, came under attack on March 13, 1969. The film recounted the often-told story of how a wounded Kerry pulled Rassman out of the water while under enemy fire.

The veterans raise two objections to the story. First, they question Kerry's version of events. Second, they question the convention video's portrayal of Kerry's version of events.

First, the video. The film included what appeared to be pictures of the incident itself. But one of Kerry's fellow officers who was involved in the action that day says there is, to his knowledge, no film of what went on. "I can vouch for the fact that there was probably no way that that incident was filmed that day, in the chaos of that moment," says Larry Thurlow, who was, like Kerry, a Navy lieutenant in command of a Swift Boat.

There is some confusion about what the film actually shows. In 1996, the Boston Globe reported that Kerry bought an 8-mm movie camera during his time in Vietnam and used it to film reenactments of some of the action in which he was involved. The Globe reporter recounted how Kerry showed the reporter a video made from that old film during an interview in Kerry's Boston home. "Kerry jumps repeatedly from the couch to adjust the Sony large screen TV in his home entertainment center," the Globe reported, "making sure the picture is clear, the color correct. He fast forwards, rewinds and freezeframes the footage. His running commentary — vivid, sometimes touching, sometimes self-serving — never misses a beat."

The New York Times later reported that Kerry had not reenacted any action. And James Moll, the Hollywood director who made the Kerry convention film, told The New York Observer that he did not see any "reenacted" scenes of actual battle. But Moll's comments did not answer the question of what was shown in the convention video. "When Jim Rassman is talking about how John Kerry saved his life, I'm using some of that footage," Moll told the paper. "It shows the swift boat and various shots of the swift boat, and some firing like you see in the water. Bullets in the water."

But the Observer also reported that "the bullets in the water were not from the actual event," and that Moll said the footage was "illustrative." Whatever the case, the campaign video featured footage of Swift Boats in action, and of apparently hostile fire. In the end, it is not clear whether the events portrayed were real or a reenactment.

Another of Kerry's fellow veterans, Steven Gardner, says that Kerry did indeed make movies of himself, and asked his crew members to take pictures as well, but, wisely, always at times when the crew was not in danger of making contact with the enemy. "One of the guys would be taking pictures of him, but never in a fire zone," Gardner says. "Anytime he discharged a weapon or anything like that, it was strictly play action." (Gardner is the only enlisted man from Kerry's crew not to join the so-called "Band of Brothers" supporting Kerry. He says he never got along with his old skipper.)

"If I was making a movie of my tour of duty and wanted to show people when I got home, I'd probably do the same thing," says Larry Thurlow. "If you wanted to enhance the fact that you were in Vietnam and saw some action, you'd probably want to dramatize it a little bit. But he couldn't have taken pictures that day, because he had to be in control of his boat."

As for the first, more fundamental objection to the convention video, Thurlow says that Kerry's version of the events of March 13, 1969, is simply wrong. "His story is a total fabrication," Thurlow says. One of the Swift Boats did hit a mine that day, Thurlow says, but much of the rest of Kerry's story is inaccurate. "This thing about being under intense enemy fire is a falsehood...There was no fire off either bank [of the river]. This thing about getting Jim out of the river under a hail of bullets with these serious injuries is totally fabricated."

"We fired our weapons onto the bank to suppress any chance that there might be snipers that might try to pick off guys in the chaos," Thurlow says. "But I don't remember any fire from the banks." Thurlow also says he saw Kerry briefly toward the end of the day, and "he wasn't bleeding, and he wasn't hurt."

Thurlow's recollection of events, along with those of other veterans who were there, will be part of an upcoming book by John O'Neill, a leader of Swift Boat Veterans For Truth, a group of Kerry's former colleagues, mostly his fellow Navy officers, who oppose Kerry's presidential candidacy

[fight_truth_decay]

Jim Rassman, a retired sheriff's deputy, said back in Jan/Feb '04 he was browsing in a bookstore in Oregon, where he spotted a copy of Tour of Duty, covering Kerry's Vietnam experiences. He called the local Kerry campaign and offered his services, reported The Globe and Mail

"It was my thought that they'd probably have me do something clerical here in Oregon. About an hour after calling them, I got a call from some of John's campaign staff, and they asked me what I was doing for the next few days, and the next thing I knew, I was in Iowa." A tearful reunion followed at a rally in Des Moines .

I guess I thought Kerry, having received a Bronze Star for his "great personal courage", and Rassman, the Green Beret he saved from enemy fire, had been in touch before 2004 Jan/Feb.

"The party that made national politics safe for Vietnam draft avoiders in 1992 now considers Vietnam service arguably the foremost qualification for the presidency." -Rich Lowry, July 30, 2004, All Talk, NRO

[kinsman redeemer]

ping - a thread to watch.

I was surprised how many veterans came to stand on the stage last night. I had the impression that most of the men he served with had no respect for him.

[Viet-Boat-Rider]

Everything that comes our of Kerry's mouth is a lie. He needs psychiatric help.

[Mercat]

My brother went to school and was roommate with one of the Navy officers who had swift boats. So one of my questions is, how did Kerry get a commission? Who pulled the strings? I don't think he did NROTC and we know he didn't go to Annapolis like my brother did.

Any specific questions regarding the swift boat captains who are opposed to Kerry can be sent to me and I'll ask Dennis.

[gilliam]

bump

[sharktrager]

Lots of college graduates become officers without OTC. They simply attend OCS after enrolling.

[WHBates]

What could they have possibly have known about him at the time. While in the military short times seem like forever, four months is still four months. While I knew the guy's I served with, I have no idea what they have done or what they have become since then, even though I've kept in touch with a few.

[kinsman redeemer]

Are these known as "butter bars?"

[kinsman redeemer]

Was the crew turnover pretty fast on swift boats? How many of the men on stage were actually under his command? I'd like to know that.

[Tailgunner Joe]

He also used this camera to film a reenactment of his chase and execution of a wounded enemy soldier, for which he received the Silver Star.

Are you a war hero or a war criminal, Mr. Kerry? Didn't you throw your medals away?

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Why do the TV and Cable Newsrooms
hide Hanoi Kerry's past?

"It is a fact that in the entire Vietnam War we did not lose one major battle.
We lost the war at home and at home John Kerry was the field general"

- Bob Elder, Swift Boat Veteran For Truth

Hanoi Kerry flew Viet Cong flag
while US troops died in Viet Nam

Kerry Fitness Reports in Vietnam
Show Him Unfit for Command
(Explodes Central Kerry Campaign Lie)



VVAW supported demonstration, Washington Spring Offensive, April - May 1971

Kerry was a supporter of the "People's Peace Treaty," a supposed "people's" declaration to end the war, reportedly drawn up in communist East Germany.

It included nine points, all of which were taken from Viet Cong peace proposals at the Paris peace talks as conditions for ending the war.

One of the provisions stated: "The Vietnamese pledge that as soon as the U.S. government publicly sets a date for total withdrawal [from Vietnam], they will enter discussion to secure the release of all American prisoners, including pilots captured while bombing North Vietnam."

In other words, Kerry and his VVAW advocated the communist line to withdraw all U.S. troops from Vietnam first and then negotiate with Hanoi over the release of prisoners. Had the nine points of the "People's Peace Treaty" favored by Kerry been accepted by American negotiators, the United States would have totally lost all leverage to get the communists to release any POWs captured during the war years.



Vice President Spiro T. Agnew said that Kerry, "who drew rave notices in the media for his eloquent testimony before Congress," was using material ghosted for him by a former Kennedy speech writer (Adam Walinsky).

Picture #2, VVAW supported demonstration during the Washington Spring Offensive, April - May 1971.

Notice the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong flags.

[Flatus I. Maximus]

I'd be more interested in knowing how many of the men on that stage were merely Vietnam-era veterans who never set foot in country.

Given that many of the men who testified in "Winter Soldier" turned out to be complete frauds who had never even been in the military, I would not be at all surprised to learn that half the men on that stage were out-of-work actors hired to play Vietnam combat vets.

[Chieftain]

I hope the "Swifties" can get on TV some way SOON. The lamestream media won't do ANYTHING to help them.

[WHBates]

I actually was on Submarines during that time so I don't know the T/O rate, but I went to 'A' school with several PBR crewmen (all with a chest full of decorations). I believe there was a difference between PBR duty (river) and PCF duty (coastal duty where JFK the latter served). I believe there was a high casualty rate on PBR's so T/O would have been high. But four months is still four months when a normal tour of duty was 12 months.

I wouldn't think that there was more than 6 to 8 crewmen on a craft of that size. But I could be wrong.

[BadAndy]

"Everything that comes our of Kerry's mouth is a lie."

Not everything, just the words. What did you expect from a liberal?

[Interesting Times]

I sat next to Larry Thurlow of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth at dinner a couple of weeks ago, and he said that he didn't even recognize Kerry's account of the Rassman incident in Brinkley's "Tour of Duty" because it was so completely falsified. He assumed, as did others who were there, that Kerry had to be talking about some other event. It wasn't until quite recently that they checked the date and the records, and found that yes, that was the action. Those present say there was *no* enemy fire, and the guy who piloted the boat that took the wounded (and Kerry) back to for medical treatment said he didn't see any evidence that Kerry was wounded and wondered what the hell he was doing on his boat...

[wildbill]

I remember somewhere reading that the Kerry boat was down river about 5000 yds from the place where the action took place when Kerry pulled the guy from the river.

If that's the fact, that's almost three miles away from hostile fire. Anyone have any accurate data on the record of his citation

[AndyTheBear]

You have to give it to all these "talk the talk" "never been in uniform" types that believe no atrocities were ever committed in Vietnam.

I don't know of any conservative who claims that no atrocities were ever committed in Vietnam. That kind of blanket statement is simply ridiculous.

Admittedly the everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie was also a ridiculous toungue-in-cheek exaggeration of what is the dominant conservative position that Kerry is willing to lie whenever he suits him.

According to Mr. Kerry there were atrocities at all levels of command. He also has testified flatly that he personally had committed some of them.

So if you believe that Kerry is telling the truth, do you also believe that Kerry is a war criminal?

You seem long on hate, but a little short on reason. Are you also short on the courage to have your arguments critically examined, or are you going to run back to the other haters now?

[finnigan2]

Kerry has based his entire campaign and his credibility on his "heroic" four months in Vietnam that if any part of that can be shown to be bogus, his run for the Presidency is doomed - as doomed as doomed can be! It looks like it's already starting to unravel; with a little help from Karl Rove and the Clintons.
I thought it might take until after the Republican convention before Kerry's numbers started to weaken a bit, but it looks like it's going to start four weeks earlier.
The guys such a self righteous, lying, phony bore burdened as he is with a crazy, aunt-in-the-attic for a wife, I don't know how he ever became a senator let alone have a hope to be President.
"Let down the f'n balloons and send in the clowns!"
BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!