SwiftVets.com

[serveert]

http://www.snopes.com/politics/kerry/service.asp

Another member of the crew confirmed Kerry's account for the Boston Globe and expressed no doubt that Kerry's action had saved both the boat and its crew:

The crewman with the best view of the action was Frederic Short, the man in the tub operating the twin guns. Short had not talked to Kerry for 34 years, until after he was recently contacted by a Globe reporter. Kerry said he had "totally forgotten" Short was on board that day.

Short had joined Kerry's crew just two weeks earlier, as a last-minute replacement, and he was as green as the Arkansas grass of his home. He said he didn't realize that he should have carried an M-16 rifle, figuring the tub's machine guns would be enough. But as Kerry stood face to face with the guerrilla carrying the rocket, Short realized his predicament. With the boat beached and the bow tilted up, a guard rail prevented him from taking aim at the enemy. For a terrifying moment, the guerrilla looked straight at Short with the rocket.

Short believes the guerrilla didn't fire because he was too close and needed to be a suitable distance to hit the boat squarely and avoid ricochet debris. Short tried to protect his skipper.

"I laid in fire with the twin .50s, and he got behind a hootch," recalled Short. "I laid 50 rounds in there, and Mr. Kerry went in. Rounds were coming everywhere. We were getting fire from both sides of the river. It was a canal. We were receiving fire from the opposite bank, also, and there was no way I could bring my guns to bear on that."

Short said there is "no doubt" that Kerry saved the boat and crew. "That was a him-or-us thing, that was a loaded weapon with a shape charge on it . . . It could pierce a tank. I wouldn't have been here talking to you. I probably prayed more up that creek than a Southern Baptist church does in a month."

Charles Gibson, who served on Kerry's boat that day because he was on a one-week indoctrination course, said Kerry's action was dangerous but necessary. "Every day you wake up and say, 'How the hell did we get out of that alive?'" Gibson said. "Kerry was a good leader. He knew what he was doing."

[baldeagl]

Now read the 10 other versions of the same story told by "the people that were there". If you don't come away completely confused, there's something wrong with you. Then read Unfit For Command and gain clarity.
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antimedia
USN OST-6 68-74
http://antimedia.blogspot.com/

[serveert]

[chemical_boy]

Snopes leans to the left on Political Issues

BTW, the snopes page has not be updated since February 19 2004, so this is pre-swiftvets. The false should be changed to Uncertain at least

[LewWaters]

[serveert]

I emailed the people at Snopes and linked to this thread.

[chemical_boy]

wouldn't beaching a PCF on a river bank raise the firing arc of the twin fifties so far that they would be useless? I'm not military but based on the photos of Swiftboats I've seen, thats what I think would happen, or maybe not

[tvaughan]

If you're being fired upon by both sides of the river, is beaching your boat really the smartest thing to?

And then chasing a lone guy on foot? While being fired upon by both sides of the river?

I missed the part in boot camp when they advised to stand completely still and out in the open when being fired upon by all sides.

Me thinks I smell something.
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Talking point #1: Sign 180
Talking point #2: Sign 180
Talking point #3: Sign 180

[BC]

[tvaughan]

And just for the record, Snopes references, All three of them.

Brinkley, Douglas.   Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War.
Klein, Joe.   "The Long War of John Kerry." The New Yorker.   2 December 2002.
Kranish, Michael.   "John F. Kerry: Candidate in the Making — Part 2: Heroism, and Growing Concern About War."

Enough said about that bibliography.
_________________
Talking point #1: Sign 180
Talking point #2: Sign 180
Talking point #3: Sign 180

[integritycounts]

Snopes
If by any chance you are reading this, your site has not been updated since you have been emailed many times about problems with your content on your Kerry Vietnam Questions pages


I would suggest you start by reading Unfit for Command, and then start again... No offense but your prior analysis SUCKED

FWIW I generally enjoy your site

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

[Me#1You#10]

Who "snopes" snopes? Factcheck.org?

[Steve02C5]

[nakona]