Posted on 08/23/2004 2:52:54 PM PDT by gilliam
Kerry Spot reader Barnaby observes that the article by former Swift Boat commander William B. Rood creates a new problem for John Kerry. Rood's bronze star citation says he earned the medal "while serving with friendly foreign forces" and "Underwater Demolition Team THIRTEEN and Vietnamese Regional and Popular Force personnel."
Kerry's Silver Star citation makes no mention of Underwater Demolition Team THIRTEEN, and the friendly foreign forces aren't credited with any role in the battle. The description makes it sound like Kerry and his crew saved the day.
This inconsistency bears out one of the Swift Boat Vets's objection to Kerry's Silver Star citation. Page 83 of Unfit for Command: "The citation simply ignores the presence of the soldiers and advisors who actually "captured the many enemy weapons" and routed the Viet Cong. Further, the citation ignores the preplanned nature of the tactic and the fact that Kerry's boat did not beach first. Finally, the citations statement that Kerry attacked a "numerically superior force in the face of intense fire" is simply false." Admiral Roy Hoffman, who keeps being cited as a formerly pro-Kerry vet who has "changed his story," says he was told Kerry had "almost single-handedly" routed the Viet Cong.
It's little things like this that make one wish one could ask questions of Mr. Rood. And it makes one wonder if Kerry's reports to his superiors after battles were more than a little self-serving.
What? John Kerry in Vietnam? Never heard anything 'bout that </sarcasm off>
Kerry sounds more and more like Agent Smart everyday. I hope all Kerry's reports started out with "Would you believe...."
bottom line is the liberals know kerry is a liar, but they would rather have him than bush....the media isn't going to sue to have kerry's military records released, and no way kerry is going to sign the standard form 180 and remove all coubt from the swing voters that he has based his entire campaign on 4 months of lies.
how often does the media even mention his requests for deferments?
senator harkin has no problem calling VP Cheney a coward for his deferments, but harkin doesn't call VP Wannabe Edwards a coward for his Vietnam student deferments
Is Edwards even old enough for Vietnam? I think he's in his early 50's.
We could ask Rood, but, oh gee, he's not taking calls or doing interviews. :^(
I'd also like to see him tell his story in a sworn affidavit as the Swiftees did.
It had to be one of Kerrys secret missions with the CIA. That would explain the lack of records.
I don't blame him!
Why should HE trust the MEDIA, HE KNOWS they have an agenda!!!
if he graduated in 1974 he probably entered college in 1970 and probably received a deferment in 1970,71, and 72....
John Edwards was born in Seneca, South Carolina in 1953 and raised in Robbins, North Carolina. There, he learned the values of hard work and perseverance from his father, Wallace, who worked in the textile mills for 36 years and from his mother, Bobbie, who ran a shop and worked at the post office. Working alongside his father at the mill, he formed a strong belief that all Americans deserve an equal chance to succeed and be heard.
A proud product of public schools, John Edwards was the first person in his family to attend college. He worked his way through North Carolina State University where he graduated with high honors in 1974. And he earned a law degree with honors in 1977 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
---I'd also like to see him tell his story in a sworn affidavit as the Swiftees did.---
Good point, especially since he won't take follow-up questions. Have any of Kerry's little band been deposed?
I e-mailed 'em that they totally missed the most basic facts of the Rood matter and the writer didn't catch there are actually multiple copies of Kerry's records (which he manipulated and refiled over the years) and interesting one copy of the Silver Start report DOES include mention of the troops:
"While transiting the Bay Hap River en route to an insertion point along the Dong Cung River, these craft with thirty Regional/Popular Force personnel embarked in each unit" and Kerry is definitely highlighted as "The Officer in Tactical Command, Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY." ... Arriving at the area, Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY's craft received a B-40 rocket close aboard. Once again Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY ordered his units to charge the enemy positions and summoned Patrol Craft Fast 43 to the area to provide additional firepower. Patrol Craft Fast 94 then beached in the center of the enemy positions and an enemy soldier sprang up from his position not ten feet from Patrol Craft Fast 94 and fled. Without hesitation Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY leaped ashore, pursued the man behind a hootch and killed him, capturing a B-40 rocket launcher with a round in the chamber. Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY then led an assault party and conducted a sweep of the area while the Patrol Craft Fast continued to provide fire support. After the enemy had been completely routed, all personnel returned to the Patrol Craft Fast to withdraw from the area. While backing off the beach, these units again came under a hail of fire, this time from the opposite river bank. Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY immediately coordinated the firepower of his units and supressed the enemy fire. Later, after disembarking personnel, and while exiting from the Bay Hap River, the Patrol Craft Fast were again under fire. Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY immediately maneuvered his craft through several strafing runs which completely silenced the enemy. As a result of this operation, ten Viet Cong were killed and one wounded with no friendly casualties.
Of course the real key here is that Rood does not refer to taking any intense rocket rocket fire with at least one B-40 rocket blowing up on Kerry's boat as his citation indicates (meaning Root supports SwiftVets!) More HERE under Kerry's Olympics?
> and no way kerry is going to sign the standard form 180
He might at 5:00 PM EST on 01 Nov.
But what's more likely prior to that, is that he'll post
highly redacted or even forged versions of all the
outstanding documents in the days before the election,
then claim to have "released everything".
Rood's article is TRUE - Kerry's report & the media reports are the LIEs!
How does Rood think he can get away with popping up (at Kerry's behest, no less), throwing out an assertion, and disappearing, refusing all questions? The Swift Boat Vets, at least, are putting themselves out there to answer questions...If Rood believes that his word will be swallowed as gospel simply because he says it (and he may think this, since he works in the media), he's sorely mistaken.
Speaking of the picture of Kerry and Rood, is there a picture in which Kerry doesn't look like a complete dildo?
Major Garrett on FOX News Special Report:
In Kerry's own journal he writes 9 days after being awarded
his 1st purple heart that "we haven't been shot at yet."
Garrett said the kerry campaign...IS NOW SAYING THAT KERRYS
WOUND "MAY HAVE BEEN SELF-INLFICTED"..
very interesting ..LOL
Questions, questions, that's all we have, but what we need are answers.
Simple, eFing was in 
French Foreign Legion...
The Kerry owes the Navy 8 more months of service and his record immediately goes from "honorable" to "dishonorable" or "incomplete"
I heard that too. This is the 1st PH. The one that Hibbard would not sign onto, and that Kerry resubmitted, 3 months later, via a different chain of command.
If he admits the Swiftees are right on THIS matter, it gives the Swiftees a HUGE boost in credibility. Camp Kerry is nuts if they admit this.
if Rood's account is truthful, and also at odds, with Kerry's, then he is using a most perfect tactic of issuing his statement and leaving it to all work out without his having to constantly re-create a situation that would benefit Kerry's constantly changing scenarios.
"Rood believes that his word will be swallowed as gospel simply because he says it"
That's the impression that I got from the initial news stories. Apperantly, this guy thinks he is like Moses coming off the mountain to set everyone straight. Several time last week I heard news stories that ended with something like, "This should be the last word on the matter." This story was just the latest in the string.
These slimes in the media act like we are all children that need the wisdom of news reporters to reveal the truth.
That's been my take on it, after a few hours of reflection after reading Rood's article. I think he's unhappy/angry that Kerry leaned on him to write a story. SO, he writes a story that illustrates the Swiftee's correct on the important point, and points out a difference of stories on an unimportant point (the age and garb of the single VC). The media gloms onto the minor discrepancy in a knee-jerk reaction, then the Swiftees tease out the areas where Rood agrees with their version.
I did notice, the Rood story has not made much of a splash. Methinks the media caught on to the trap ;-)
Good point, especially since he won't take follow-up questions. Have any of Kerry's little band been deposed
To the best of my knowledge, neither kerry nor any of his supporters has ever made a sworn statement regarding their claims.
Now get the news to Kerry Spot!
> ... points out a difference of stories on an unimportant
> point (the age and garb of the single VC).
Probably knowing full well that Kerry never challenged
the Boston Globe when they wrote up his exploits as
"teenager in a loincloth".
PLEASE keep reading the Silver Star citation!
On the next page of Kerry's Silver Star citation you've linked to you'll come to the part about Kerry & Rood taking intense fire and a B-40 rocket blowing up on Kerry's boat.
Of course that's never been mentioned in Kerry or Rood's reflections. It would warrant a silver star. Their stories don't.
THIS IS 100% TOTAL CONFIRMATION OF EVERYTHING THE SWIFTVETS HAVE SAID!
Please read & reconsider: this
Nobody born in 1953 was drafted. The last folks ordered for induction were numbers 95 and lower, born in 1952.
I believe college deferments ended with the first lottery held on 12/1/69, for guys born 1944-1950.
http://www.sss.gov/lotter1.htm
If he is in his early 50s he would have graduated High School around 1969-1970.... so yes, he is old enough
I saw today that the WP filed a FOIA request for them (I don't know when) and got back six pages with the info that the rest could not be released without Kerry's consent.
You know what they say -- the camera doesn't lie! ;-)
IIRC if you had a student deferment in 1970 you could continue until age 24 or undergraduate degree as long as you completed a certain number of units per year...it changed either late 1970 or 71..thus I believe Edwards was deferred...but those already deferred could continue till one of the three above conditions triggered losing the deferment...
get his or anyone's draft records here, just need their address at time of registering and date of birth:
http://www.sss.gov/RECORDS2.HTM
Before Congress made improvements to the draft in 1971, a man could qualify for a student deferment if he could show he was a full-time student making satisfactory progress toward a degree.
That's a LOADED ROCKET LAUNCHER
Meaning the kind which Rood writes WASN'T LAUNCHED!
http://www.sss.gov/lotter4.htm
Apparently you were right...
Bump.
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Isn't Rood the only guy saying the VC was in uniform? Doesn't this show he is willing to lie to give Kerry cover?
ignore that - it's irrelevant. it doesn't matter whether the boy wore a uniform or loincloth. What matters is whether there was intense rocket fire & one blowing up on Kerry's boat.
Really ..?? And you can prove that by .......???
they protest the commercial that the Swifties put out, but then the KERRY CAMPAIGN comes out today and MALIGNS Bush onder their own name!!!
Where's the justice in that?
The clothing, age and condition (wounded or not) of the single VC is irrelevant to the point the Swiftees are making. Rood can cover all he wants in this area, and it makes no difference. This part of Rood's story does not give Kerry any meaningful cover, but it does make for a smoke-screen diversion.
The material points are whether Kerry (or PCF-94) engaged a numerically superior enemy force, and whether his second beaching occurred in the face of intesne incoming enemy fire. Rood's story supports NEITHER of those two points, which are recited on Kerry's Silver Star citation. So far, the media has not discussed this incident enough to even define the material point of contention.
I read that Rood's editorial statement was a one-time only event. Rood's supposedly a journalist who just can't get involved [anymore].
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