The notion that being "half a football field" away from Kerry's boat, and saying they couldn't have known what was going on, is stupid. Any service member can see and hear things happening 50 yards away. Besides, Van O'Dell was manning a .50 caliber machine gun 14 feet above the water line - he had a better view of the action than someone in the water, and if there was a firefight, he would have been involved.
You mean, when Kerry crawls on his stomach with his shotgun, he can't see the deer 50 yards away?