Free Republic

Two years ago, Charleston's Billy Schachte was caught in the undertow of presidential campaign debates over the circumstances of John Kerry's first Purple Heart. He had commanded Kerry's first Vietnam combat mission and his recollection of the experience was very much different than Kerry's published account. Today, this tussle over truth and confusion simmers on just beneath the public's attention. That's likely to change soon. Television news veteran Marvin Kalb and his daughter are working through a Harvard-based grant to publish a book that will include commentary on the effectiveness and the credibility of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth,...

My lawyer readers will immediately recognize this as an invitation to Kerry supporters to make a motion for partial summary judgment on the SwiftVets' claims. This short paragraph from a New York Times article perfectly illustrates the liberal media's widespread characterization of the results to date of the SwiftVets' campaign (boldface added): Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which drew national attention with advertisements making unsubstantiated attacks against Mr. Kerry's military service, has less money and uses several strategies to stretch its dollars, said one of its leaders, John O'Neill. To find a similar example from the blogosphere, one need look...

Please Note: This Was Released on 27 Aug 2004. It was published in National Review Online's "The Corner" on 28 August 2004. Here is the original link: http://www.nationalreview.com/document/document200408280010.asp Here is the reproduced text: EDITOR'S NOTE:A new voice has been added to the debate over the circumstances surrounding Sen. John Kerry's first Purple Heart. William Schachte, who was a lieutenant in the Navy during Kerry's Vietnam tour — and who later rose to the rank of Rear Admiral — has released a statement describing the events of December 2-3, 1968, when Kerry received a minor shrapnel wound for which he was...

A retired rear admiral who claims that Sen. John Kerry didn't deserve the first of three Purple Hearts he received in Vietnam defended himself Wednesday from Democratic suggestions that he's motivated by business ties with top Republican leaders. "They are looking to do anything to smear my name," said Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr., of Charleston, S.C., who before he retired in 1993 was acting judge advocate general of the Navy. A Vietnam veteran, he issued a statement last week saying a December 1968 incident in the Mekong Delta in which Kerry was wounded on the arm didn't involve...

Four days ago, retired naval Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. seconded accusations made by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth seeking to discredit Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry's record in Vietnam. But since then, Democrats have discovered that Schachte is also a long-standing supporter of President Bush and a lobbyist whose client FastShip Inc. recently won a $40 million grant from the federal government. ... Kerry has said Schachte was not on the boat that night, adding another mystery to the disputed events of 36 years ago. But other events are not in dispute. According to a...

NEW YORK -- Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. said Thursday in his first on-the-record interview about the swift boat veterans dispute that "I was absolutely in the skimmer" in the early morning on Dec. 2, 1968, when Lt. (j.g.) John Kerry was involved in an incident that led to his first Purple Heart. "Kerry nicked himself with a M-79 [grenade launcher]," Schachte said in a telephone interview from his home in Charleston, S.C. He said, "Kerry requested a Purple Heart." Schachte, also a lieutenant junior grade, said he was in command of the small boat called a Boston...

One of John Kerry's superior officers disputes the circumstances Kerry claims led to the awarding of his first Purple Heart NBC's Lisa Myers conducted the following interview with Rear Adm. William L. Schachte (USN Ret.) in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 24, 2004. Portions have been edited for clarity. Myers: When did you first meet John Kerry? Adm. William Schachte (U.S. Navy, ret.): In Vietnam in 1968. I was – like everyone, by the way, serving on small boats in combat in Vietnam – I was a volunteer. When John reported aboard, I was then the lieutenant and the senior, second...

Nobles: Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr., for sticking to his guns in the midst of a political firestorm. There is perhaps no greater display of courage than confronting the powerful in their quest for power. Adm. Schachte claims to be the mysterious "fourth member" of a skimmer that was on night patrol on Dec. 2, 1968, with then-Lt. John Kerry when the latter received the injury that earned him his first Purple Heart. For alleging that Mr. Kerry didn't deserve his Purple Heart, Adm. Schachte has been vilified by Kerry attack dogs recently in a smear campaign designed...

Editor's Note: A new voice has been added to the debate over the circumstances surrounding Sen. John Kerry's first Purple Heart. William Schachte, who was a lieutenant in the Navy during Kerry's Vietnam tour — and who later rose to the rank of Rear Admiral — has released a statement describing the events of December 2-3, 1968, when Kerry received a minor shrapnel wound for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. What follows is Schachte's statement, in full. – Byron YorkStatement of RADM William L. Schachte, Jr. USN (Ret.) August 27, 2004 As was true of all "Swiftees," I...

Retired rear admiral contends Kerry wound not from enemy fire By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff | August 28, 2004 WASHINGTON -- William L. Schachte Jr., a retired rear admiral, yesterday said he was on the same small boat as Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry during a 1968 river mission in Vietnam but did not witness any enemy fire during the event for which Kerry received his first Purple Heart. In response, Kerry and two other men who said they were on the mission stood by their statements that Schachte was not on the boat with them and thus was...

Schachte said that there was no after action report on the first Purple Heart incident, because there was no hostile fire. This time the Navy "documentation" backs up the Swift Vets. No hostile fire = No After Action Report No After Action Report = No hostile fire So if there was no After Action Report, it means that there was no hostile fire, and Kerry fradulently got the 1st Purple Heart. Kerry claims that he was the OinC (Officer in charge) with two other enlisted men. If Kerry was the OinC on the mission as he claimed he was, and...

Statement of RADM William L. Schachte, Jr. USN (Ret.) August 27, 2004 As was true of all "Swiftees," I volunteered to serve in Vietnam and was assigned to Coastal Division 14 for a normal tour of duty. I was a Lieutenant serving as Operations Officer and second in command at Coastal Division 14 when Lieutenant (junior grade) John Kerry reported to us in mid-November, 1968. Lt. (jg) Kerry was an Officer-in-Charge (O-in-C) under training in preparing to be assigned as one of our Swift Boat O-in-C's. At some point following President Johnson's announcement of the suspension of bombing in North...

Kerry under fire again: War record faces new assaults By David R. Guarino Read Guarino's Road to 1600 Blog Saturday, August 28, 2004 NEW YORK - Vietnam-era controversies continue to dog John Kerry [related, bio] and define the combustible race for president, helping give President Bush [related, bio] a new head of steam as his renominating convention opens here Monday. The ragtag Swift Boat Veterans for Truth launched another new Internet ad yesterday, piling new criticism on Kerry - even as Democrats began to hope the three-week dust-up was fading from the headlines. And a retired admiral came forward, alleging...

Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. has come forward to dispute John Kerry's contention that his first Purple Heart resulted from enemy fire. Schachte, who spoke to columnist Robert Novak, says he was in command of the small boat, a "skimmer," when the incident occurred on Kerry's first combat mission.

Lack of documented proof hasn't stopped critics from questioning John Kerry’s medals After a month of charges and countercharges about John Kerry's record in Vietnam, his critics have not come up with documented proof to back up their primary charges. It's a tangled case of conflicting memories, and lingering questions. There's a new challenge from Adm. William Schachte (USN, ret.), who contributed to two Bush campaigns. Schachte raises questions about Kerry's first Purple Heart. "I was in command of those missions and I was in the boat that night," he says. In an interview with NBC News, Schachte claims Kerry...

Lisa Myers Report to be aired shortly on Hardball.

NEW YORK -- Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. said Thursday in his first on-the-record interview about the Swift boat veterans dispute that "I was absolutely in the skimmer" in the early morning on Dec. 2, 1968, when Lt. (j.g.) John Kerry was involved in an incident which led to his first Purple Heart. "Kerry nicked himself with a M-79 (grenade launcher)," Schachte said in a telephone interview from his home in Charleston, S.C. He said, "Kerry requested a Purple Heart." Schachte, who also was then a lieutenant junior grade, said he was in command of the small Boston...

Admiral speaks out, disputes Kerry's account of 1st wound NEW YORK -- Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. said Thursday in his first on-the-record interview about the swift boat veterans dispute that "I was absolutely in the skimmer" in the early morning on Dec. 2, 1968, when Lt. (j.g.) John Kerry was involved in an incident that led to his first Purple Heart. "Kerry nicked himself with a M-79 [grenade launcher]," Schachte said in a telephone interview from his home in Charleston, S.C. He said, "Kerry requested a Purple Heart." Schachte, also a lieutenant junior grade, said he was...

A retired admiral who was with John Kerry when they were patrolling the Mekong Delta in a Boston Whaler skimmer on Dec. 2, 1968 has come forward with an account challenging Kerry's claim that he was wounded by enemy fire that day - an action for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. There was no fire from the enemy," said William L. Schachte Jr. "Kerry nicked himself with a M-79 (grenade launcher)." Schachte's account, first obtained by commentator Robert Novak for his Friday column, is the first from an eyewitness that challenges the circumstances of Kerry's Dec. 2...

NEW YORK -- Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. said Thursday in his first on-the-record interview about the swift boat veterans dispute that "I was absolutely in the skimmer" in the early morning on Dec. 2, 1968, when Lt. (j.g.) John Kerry was involved in an incident that led to his first Purple Heart. "Kerry nicked himself with a M-79 [grenade launcher]," Schachte said in a telephone interview from his home in Charleston, S.C. He said, "Kerry requested a Purple Heart." Schachte, also a lieutenant junior grade, said he was in command of the small boat called a Boston...