KERRY BACKTRACKS ON PURPLE HEART

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ^ | August 24, 2004 | Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

[Nick Danger]

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

KERRY CAMPAIGN BACKTRACKS ON FIRST PURPLE HEART AWARD

Campaign Says May Have Been Self-Inflicted

Washington—In a reversal of their staunch defense of John Kerry's military service record, Kerry campaign officials were quoted by Fox News saying that it was indeed possible that John Kerry's first Purple Heart commendation was the result of an, unintentional, self-inflicted wound."

"GARRETT: And questions keep coming. For example, Kerry received a Purple Heart for wounds suffered on December 2, 1968. But in Kerry's own journal written nine days later, he writes he and his crew, quote, "hadn't been shot at yet," unquote. Kerry's campaign has said it is possible this first Purple Heart was awarded for an unintentional self-inflicted wound -- Brit." (Special Report with Brit Hume Aug.23, 2004)

A recent television ad from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth featured Doctor Lewis Letson who treated Kerry for his minor injury and Grant Hibbard who served as John Kerry's direct commander on the mission where he claimed his medal. Both men say Kerry did not deserve the medal given the fact that Kerry received a very minor wound requiring no more than band-aid treatment and because the wound was not a direct result of hostile fire, a requirement for a Purple Heart commendation.

"When Grant Hibbard and Doctor Letson appeared in our ad, they were attacked and vilified by the Kerry campaign but now we see news reports saying the Kerry campaign is now sheepishly acknowledging that what we said was true," said Admiral Hoffmann, founder of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. "John Kerry's own journal reinforces the fact that neither Kerry nor his crew had seen hostile enemy action. John Kerry's first Purple Heart medal is based on fiction."

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is calling on the Kerry campaign to apologize to Grant Hibbard and Doctor Letson as the men did nothing more than come forward to speak the truth about the situation involving John Kerry's first Purple Heart medal.

This is not the only incident in which Kerry campaign officials have changed their story concerning Kerry's prestigious war medals. The incident on the Bay Hap River in which Kerry received his third Purple Heart and Bronze Star has also been the subject of considerable waffling by Kerry officials. 

During the Democratic National Convention, Kerry used the Bay Hap River incident to suggest that he alone returned to rescue Jim Rassmann—a Special Forces solider—who was on Kerry's boat and was tossed into the river.  Kerry described this incident to the American people as "No man left behind."

However Kerry officials were forced to acknowledge that Kerry's boat actually left the scene when another swift boat—operating on the other side of the river—was damaged by an underwater mine.  Kerry officials now admit that Kerry's boat returned after several minutes to pull Rassmann from the water while three other swift boats remained on site to render assistance to the injured crew of the one damaged boat.  Campaign officials once claimed that Kerry returned to the scene under withering hostile fire to rescue Rassmann after all the other swift boats left.  But other accounts from eyewitnesses of that day confirm that the other boats stayed on site and that Kerry returned to the scene, facing no enemy fire, only seconds before another swift boat was preparing to retrieve Mr. Rassmann from the water.

"John Kerry's stories are falling apart," added Hoffmann. His statements don't even match up with his own journal entries.  We are going to continue telling the truth about John Kerry's military service record so that the American people can make their own decisions about John Kerry's qualifications to be the next Commander in Chief."

Direct media inquiries to media@swiftvets.com

[CWOJackson]

LOL! That's a good one.

[Eva]

Wait until it becomes more widely known that Kerry had his silver heart citations rewritten to omit the fact that he shot that kid in the back behind the hooch. I guess Kerry forgot to tell Rood that part, because that's the only thing that Rood verified, except the enemy fire.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Uh, Oh, hehehe PING!!!!

[Patton@Bastogne]

.


Nasty McPhilthy


Now it turns out that archieved Naval Records disclose that JOHN KERRY did not receive his "Honorable Discharge" from the Navy, until March 12, 2001.


Sounds like Kerry received a "Revision-A" USN release.


The only question ? Where are the Original Papers, circa 1972 ?


Is it possible the Switfies will bring this News to bear on the absolutely happless Kerry 2004 campaign ?


And where the Hell are Bill Clinton, Stephanoplous, General Wesley Clark, et al (LOL) ?


Patton@Bastogne

Free Republic Member since 1998.


.

[stockpirate]

That is not what they should do at all, this is better.

Because it took three PH for him to leave, and he only has two PH, send him back to Vietnam for good.

[krunkygirl]

re: O'Reilly

Thank you! I detest what that guy "who's lookin' out for the little folks" is saying and doing on this whole issue...covering for Kerry along with the rest of the liberal media

He picks and chooses those issues on which he "looks out for the little folks".

[finnigan2]

Little Wolfie Blitzer will be on soon. I wonder how he's gonna spin this? My bet is on a deliberately short, confusing, distorted report followed by a Kerry rep to smear and distract from the facts followed by a fade to a commercial and a return to another topic.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"Free Republic Member since 1998"

NEWBIE! LOL

[onyx]

Big time DITTO.

Cambodia lie exposed, now this.

[Always Right]

Will Christ Matthews apologize to Michelle Malkin?

Michelle is too pretty and too smart to care about what Chrissie Mathews says.

[Peach]

Kerry's lies are too numerous to mention, but I thought I'd throw another one out there to chew on while Drudge develops the story on Kerry's newest lie.

Another Kerry lie was exposed by the Boston Globe in April 2004:

The Kerry campaign removed a 20-page batch of documents yesterday from its website after The Boston Globe quoted a Navy officer who said the documents wrongly portrayed Kerry's service. Edward Peck had said he -- not Kerry -- was the skipper of Navy boat No. 94 at a time when the Kerry campaign website credited the senator with serving on the boat. The website had described Kerry's boat as being hit by rockets and said a crewmate was injured in an attack.

But Peck said those events happened when he was the skipper. The campaign did not respond to a request to explain why the records were removed.

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1197480/posts

[BlueNgold]

So, if he didn't really earn the one ... then he only has two... and he shouldn't have left when he did.

Hmmmmm..........

Does that mean we can send him BACK to Vietnam?

[krunkygirl]

Excellent synopsis of what will probably happen...actually, it happens so often, just that way, that I'm surprised I didn't put it together as succinctly![ :) ]

[gov_bean_ counter]

The "may have" business makes it look like a trial balloon to me. I'm betting he will see how this plays before actually going on the record either supporting or denying the statement.

[boxerblues]

Bogus claim
The dd214 denotes an honorable discharge.


http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/DD214.pdf


http://www2.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4871

[Awestruck]

My husband has a theory... he seems to think that the Dems know Kerry will never win, so let him lose... thus paving the way for Hillary in 08.. any thoughts?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Zackly. The Navy should put him on a SwiftBoat and have him finish out his tour patrolling the Tigris and Euphrates around Baghdad.

ROFL!!!

[rotstan]

We should also demand that he be sent back to Vietnam to serve the rest of his tour of duty!

[baseballmom]

***As someone said this morning...it could still be considered enemy fire...John Kerry is his own worst enemy. Had to clean my keyboard and my monitor after that one, LOL!***

ROFLOL

[onyx]

I read that yesterday.
I hope this is the start of his campaign's hemorrhage.
I want a bloodbath, not a mere landslide. LOL