SwiftVets.com

[DavidFarrar]

I am in a fire-fight with a blooger from the Sun Herald, in South Mississippi. We have been going at it for a while. You can catch up on our discussion at

http://forums.prospero.com/kr-biloxigenera/messages?msg=3352.8.

I think he is a Kerry plant, but I don't know for sure. However, I will re-post his post here below.

His user's name is Rei

I got this response from him after I ran manofaiki fine post.

REI: Let's see ALL of "what we have" here David on this incident. Not just what you want to highlight.

With respect to the Bronze Star we have a contemporaneous report that was released by the kerry campaign that recounts enemy fire, and two citations for bronze stars that do likewise; two bronze stars awarded to kerry and thurlow in separate ceremonies in which Thurlow did not challenge the portion of the citations highlighting his valor under enemy fire. we also have the word of kerry corroborated by rassmann, and others on his boat.

With respect to the silver star incident, we have the description of the incident in navy records including the citation for the silver star, the corroboration of Rood, fellow commander with kerry on the incident, and the explicit finding that the medal was awarded not simply for shooting a fleeing combatant but also for destroying an enemy supply cache under dangerous conditions.

we have three purple hearts; one for shrapnel received in Dec' 1968, a second one for shrapnel in left thigh in February 1969, and one for March, 1969, in which he was struck by shrapel blown back from a grenade he threw, and later the same day in the Bronze Star encounter, for contusions to his arm when a mine detonated under his boat.

We also have the fact that Kerry's Vietnam war decorations were known in the general public for three decades or more, since at least his involvement as spokesman for Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and repeated in later campaigns for political office. We know that Kerry's remarks concerning war crimes in Vietnam, particularly regarding free fire zones and a litany of sadistic atrocities that some vets said occurred, were controversial and viewed with extreme hostility resentment by a significant number of other Vietnam Vets.

We also have a book about Kerry's Tour of Duty authored by a career historian Douglas Brinkley. This book contained some very harsh characterizations of one of Kerry's Swift Boat critics, Hoffmann, provoking resentment.

on the other side of the story we have, three decades later, as Kerry receives the democratic presiential nomination, several other veterans come forward to dispute there was enemy fire in the bronze star incident in a book co-written by a longtime public opponent of kerry's and GOP contributor, John O'Neill, and co-written by a man named Corsi, whose posts on a right wing board were full of racial and religious bigotry, funded by Texas GOP contributors, and backed, funded, and facilitated by people, lawfirms, public relations agencies, and other professionals with extensive ties to George W Bush's days in Texas, and his campaign against John McCain, all of which are wrapped up in a self described non-partisan group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. each of these men were in the same group of boats on the same mission, and each of them recall mine explosions and a disabled vessel, but each of them deny that kerry exhibited any heroism and each denies that there was any enemy fire at any time. we also have other superior officers who disparaged kerry's service and reputation as a swift boat captain, such as o'neill, elliot, and hoffmann, but not from first hand knowledge of Kerry in the field. we have a physician who swears he treated kerry for a rose thorn scratch caused by shrapnel for which kerry wangled a purple heart, but whose name is not on kerry's medical record for this incident. despite nearly 3 decades in which kerry's military record has been in the public eye due to his controversial anti-war stance, and in which Kerry has run for public office, these people finally come forth prompted, they say, by what is said in the book Tour of Duty, and not by partisan considerations.

on both sides of the fence, we have kerry's refusal to sign a release of all of his military records but a public posting of a significant number of documents, including fitness reports, spot reports, citations and other records of his service. and we have the swift boat veterans' refusal to release their military records, but the only record involuntarily obtained on one of the swift boat accusers contradicts his affidavit 30 years later.

on both sides of the fence, we have elliott who submitted the recommendations for the silver star, who publicly supported kerry in 1996, who disparaged claims that kerry's heroics had ulterior motives in 2002, who then in 2004 signed an affidavit stating that he would not have recommended Kerry for the Silver Star had he known that Kerry merely shot a fleeing teenager in the back, who then retracted his affidavit in a news report, then retracted his retraction and signed a new affidavit stating he was misquoted, and has since refused all interviews. also on both sides of the fence are some of the same opponents of kerry who signed evaluation or fitness reports giving kerry high marks. for example we have lonsdale who in 1996 said kerry was among the finest of the swift boat drivers, but who has changed his mind since.

also on both sides of the fence we have john mccain, who has denounced the swift boat veterans attack on kerry, as dishonest and dishonorable, who likens those attacks to attacks made against mccain himself, but who continues to support bush, who attacked mccain, and who has not denounced this new attack by a group closely tied to bush's days in texas.

also on both sides of the fence we have candidate bush, who states that he does not question that kerry served honorably in vietnam, but who refuses to condemn the swift boat ads.

we have kerry, who, after his deferral to study in paris was turned down, volunteered for service, spent time in Vietnam, including time in country, killed enemy troops, engaged in free fire attacks, and who upon his return condemned the war, the atrocities, including his own participation in free fire zones, and urged the government to end the war, and who after earning these medals, engaged in a protest in which he represented that he threw his medals back on the white house lawn, but later backpedaled and said they were other people's medals thrown at their request.

please notice that i am leaving bush's own military record out of this altogether.

on the second matter, just go ahead and read this link david. i didn't ask you a question about it. it concerns rood and o'neill.

http://forums.prospero.com/kr-biloxigenera/messages?msg=3353.1

one more detail on this so-called "non-partisan" group SBVT: john o'neill ties to republican party campaign contributions

http://mediamatters.org/items/200408120012

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I will, of course deal this this guy, but I could use some support on my flanks.

ex animo
davidfarrar

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

I'm moving this to Research and Resources and maybe some of the power lifters will take it on.

I will say that Media Matters is completely leftist (they call it "progressive," now) and wouldn't know the truth if it bit 'em in the butt.

Thanks,
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[kmudd]

For me Kerry's anti-war actions are by far the worse things he has done. His spokesman claimed Kerry didn't intend to meet with the Communists in Paris. But says he did. That doesn't make sense to me