SwiftVets.com

[SOLTC]

Has SBVT attempted to contact any of the members of Rassmann's ODA?

Was Rassmann on the boat alone? More likely that he had some/all of his team with him.

I think a chart of the incident area with the boat positions and timeline shown would be very effective.

JoeC

[stealthy]

I think it's time the facts about him were shaken out. The media are treating him like he's some oracle from on high. That alone is cause for further investigation.
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American Conservative

[one more captins mast]

went off in th Qua Viet one time due to **$$#### in any event

with the stuff I had on and I did not have it all , you

DO NOT SWIM YOU SINK

COULD IT BE THE CREEK WAS SHALLOW AND HE WAS STANDING

UP OR COULD TOUCH AND PUSH OFF, WE NEED ANY INFO ON

DEPTH AND how DID HE SWIM WITH ALL GEAR AND/OR WAS HE

JUST ALONG FOR THE RIDE AND HE AND KERRY WERE FRINDS

OR SOMETHING OFF THE BOAT AND OFF THE SPECIAL FORCES

DUTY ECT. this is why i got the capatins mast "did not trust officers"
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the strange mr aj

[ASPB]

I think the guy was an innocent dupe when he came forward. His constantly changing story does make him a target now. I actually feel sorry for the poor jerk.
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On Sale! Order in lots of 100 now at velero@rcn.com Free for the cost of shipping All profits (if any, especially now) go to Swiftvets. The author of "Sink Kerry Swiftly" ---ASPB

[phoenix22]

A CQ reader who wishes to remain anonymous sent this over to me this morning. The reader claims that he had Special Forces experience in Viet Nam and has this to say about Rassman:

There are a lot of angles to the Kerry saga. I doubt anyone gets to every question, but some are compelling to me. The question that goes begging today is why was Rassman there at all?

I don't believe SF will take an official position on this, so I'll post what I have heard. I have never bad mouthed fellow SFers before, but I do have these comments from some sources I trust.

Rassman was reportedly the Asst S-1, which means he was the assistant admininistrative officer. Not exactly a key sought after job for an SF officer LOL. In fact I don't recall knowing of any official Asst S-1 officer slots in the field. Jobs like that are created to keep idiots off the teams.

He was supposedly in charge of awards and decorations (A&D) in a field unit. SF didn't issue many, so it was hardly a taxing assignment. The man doing that job at SF HQ RVN was a Sergeant. Giving it to an officer in a field unit as a primary duty is beyond unusual.

He was probably AWOL when he was with Kerry. At best someone may have said, OK go, just to get him out of the way.

My comments and speculation.

If Rassman was an A&D clerk, his knowledge of how to get awards approved was probably very interesting to Kerry. Since reports indicate he wrote the citation for Kerry's SS, I believe this speculation is well-founded.

And how does an SF LT fall out of a 50' boat? I have been through days and weeks of small boat training and drills, we never had anyone fall out.

Rassman says he was under fire. Anytime anyone was shooting within 50 yds of me I always assumed I was the target until I could prove otherwise. Rassman could not do that while in the drink. I will take the word of the other boat crews that there was no enemy fire at all. They had the best view to assess the situation. My mind keeps going back to Rassman's A&D job. He knew if there was no enemy fire there would be no award citations.

This entire operation smells bad to me. Kerry was in command he gets credit for everything his unit did and everything it failed to do. The Swiftvets are getting heavy pressure and questioning. I would like to see a reporter question Rassman in detail.

To me, the Bronze Star story is really the least of Kerry's problems. However, if the official after-action reports ever come out from the other teams there that day, it may prove rather embarrassing for Rassman, regardless of how many times he can say Spaeth Communications and John McCain in a 1500-word essay. And that's really the crux of the matter: we need to see the entire file on John Kerry to determine who's telling the truth. Is it John Kerry and a handful of people, or over 200 combat veterans who were also there and saw him in action?

Until John Kerry releases his complete military records, the credibility of the Swiftvets will continue to grow. As long as Kerry keeps answering their well-documented allegations with nothing but intimidation tactics, his credibility will be completely suspect. Jim Rassman cannot save John Kerry from himself.

Posted by Captain Ed at 09:56 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0) http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/

http://www.vnsfvetakerry.com/jim_rassmann.htm#Rassmans%20TWO%20Versions%20of%20the%20Big%20Rescue%20Story

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=Jim+Rassmann&btnG=Search
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"De Oppresso Liber" (We Liberate the Oppressed) Holy Shinola Bat Babe! ....for Buddy...who lived it!

[stealthy]

Thanks for that post. Lots of food for thought and further inquiry.
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American Conservative

[Tom Poole]

Well, well, well. It seems clear to me now what boat he was on and why he was there. I doubt that these pals (wonder where they met) orchestrated the fall and subsequent pickup for multiple medals. However, it does fit Kerry's opportunistic nature.
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'58 Airedale HMR(L)-261 VMO-2

[Tilly]

This is probably not a popular opinion ... but here goes:

We should leave Rassman alone. He saw the incident from underwater, which is not a real advantageous position, and he spent only one day with kerry.

Kerry's did pull him out of the water, and I'm sure kerry filled him on all the details kerry wanted him to know. ("Wow! I saved your LIFE, buddy!, why don't you put me in for a silver star!!!")

So, he's a useful tool for the Kerry campaign, may not know any better ... and certainly put in a fair share of time in Nam.

He may or may not be lying ... but while he may not be giving a truthful account, anyone who knocks him looks bad.

Sorry, but there ya have it.

[Tom Poole]

Did Rassman continue to dodge incoming for the hour and a half required to rescue the 3 Boat? If it walks like a...
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'58 Airedale HMR(L)-261 VMO-2

[Norman Rogers]

Rassmann is quoted (http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1091102126180900.xml) by Jim Barnett of the Newshouse news services (printed in the Oregonian) as saying,

"He[Kerry] dropped to his hands and knees, and he reached over, and he pulled me aboard," Rassmann told the group. "The fighting continued until we got out of the kill zone, and we managed to get out to the Gulf of Siam."

The questions Mr. Rassmann needs to be asked are:

1. How long were you in the water?

2. How long did the rescue of the 3 boat take? (O'Neill has said it took an hour-and-a-half)

3. Assuming it took Kerry ten minutes or so to return to the scene, and perhaps another five minutes to maneuver and to retrieve you from the water, what did you do for the next hour-and-fifteen minutes? Did you dry yourself off? Did you attempt to grab a weapon and return fire? Did you assist in the rescue of the 3 boat? Did you hide below decks?

4. Were you wearing any floatation gear when you fell into the river? If so, how did you swim to the bottom of the river?

5. If you were taking hostile fire for the entire hour-and-a-half this operation endured, how can you explain the absence of injuries (from hostile fire) and the absence of bullet damage to any of the boats?

6. I ask you again, Mr. Rassmann, are you still certain that, "The fighting continued until we got out of the kill zone, and we managed to get out to the Gulf of Siam."

[stealthy]

[phoenix22]

Sounds of Silence? One of the most highly decorated and STILL living RVN Vets has yet to make a sound.......

Former Senator (D) Bob Kerrey......Navy S.E.A.L. (-one leg.... I think that's worth a PH) and holder of the CMH.....

not a whimper......wonder why?........ I think the answer is obvious.....IMHO
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"De Oppresso Liber" (We Liberate the Oppressed) Holy Shinola Bat Babe! ....for Buddy...who lived it!

[stealthy]

Rassmann: