SwiftVets.com

TXBear · Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:25 am Post subject:

Thanks

greasepaint · Seaman Joined: 10 Aug 2004 Posts: 177 Location: Texas

Two issues.
.
You need to separate.,,from what boat did Rassman fall off, is
different than the well know fact that Rassman ended up
on Kerrry's boat.
.
Also, there were two boats on the 'right side' of the river
as going downstream,
somebody ask Rassmann: 'were you on the lead or following boat
when you fell off', don't let him confuse the issue with boat numbers
or people's names.

shadowy · Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 5:42 am Post subject:

Something that I wonder about in Rassman's account is that he said he was afraid the other "boats" would run over him. If he was in Kerry's boat, only one boat could have possibly run over him, because the other 3 were on the other side of the river, at least off to one side by some distance. Then when Rassman surfaced after holding his breath as long as he could, he said he was alone and being fired on from both banks. But if he saw fire coming from both banks, how could he not see the #3 boat circling around, and the other 3 boats trying to rescue it?
_________________
It's downright brilliant the way he's reserving his devastating intellect to spring it on us at exactly the right moment.

Herb · Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 6:11 am Post subject:

Mark · Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 7:22 am Post subject:

I saw in another thread copy of an official Army document awarding Rassmann a PH for wounds on 3/13/69. Perhaps his own PH was/is dependent on there having been hostile fire. Darned if I can figure out what his wound was though.
Seems to me the next Swift guy on the media should point out Rassmann was awarded a PH that day, just to plant a seed.
_________________
Retired USN Capt.; Market Time vicinity ChuLai 6/67-2/68; Maddox 8/64 Tonkin Gulf; NGFS I Corps 6-12/65; Saigon evac. 4/75.

tvaughan · Seaman Joined: 08 Aug 2004 Posts: 182

Rassmann has consistently towed the party line about the SBVFT "changing their story". They are referring to some Swifties defending Kerry from war crimes charges.

This is even more frustrating because of how many times his story has changed.

Is anyone able to write a concise breakdown of Rassman's different stories? I mean an essay or a blog, or something - not just a list, like the always reliable BaldEagl compiled. I mean something that can be linked around and distributed. A press release almost.

I get so angry not able to communicate through the television as Rassmann calls the Swifties liars and no calls him on his BS.

I think too many people have given Rassmann the "hands off" treatment because he is a sympathetic vet. But the fact remains that this guy ihas chosen to get involved in this and has chosen to lie at the behest of Kerry.

I think someone should not only get rid of the "hands off" treatment, but take the gloves off as well.

This guy is a provable liar.
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Talking point #1: Sign 180
Talking point #2: Sign 180
Talking point #3: Sign 180

baldeagl · PO3 Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 260 Location: Texas

I'm going to throw this out for discussion. Having studied the facts in this incident carefully, including all the documents on Kerry's site, all the various news articles on the web, the Congressional Record, etc., here's what I think happened that day.

This is undisputed:

The 94 and the 43 were on the starboard side of the canal (in that order)
The 3, the 51 and the 23 were on the port side (in that order)

They were traveling down the canal at a good clip (20 knots?)

When they approached the weir, they would have had to slow a bit. The 94 passed the weir on the starboard side as the 3 was passing the weir on the port. A command detonated mine exploded under the 3 boat, lifting it two to three feet out of the water. The Oinc, radarman and coxwain were in the pilot house and all three received concussions and back injuries from the explosion. The forward gunner received a shrapnel wound in the groin from the explosion. The rear gunner and engineman were blown off the boat, receiving cuts and contusions.

The 43, 23 and 51 boats immediately opened fire toward both banks to suppress any enemy fire in case this was an ambush.

This is contested, but I believe it's the best guess based upon the evidence.

The 94 boat took off down the river at full throttle. At some point, the 94 hit an underwater obstruction, throwing Rassmann from the boat and damaging the shafts and props.

Meanwhile, the Larry Thurlow had jumped on to the 3 boat and commenced saving the three men in the pilot house, all of whom were unconscious or dazed from the explosion. The forward gunner made it out of his hole on his own power. The other boats moved into position to fish the two other crewmates out of the water. Thurlow was thrown in the water when the 3 boat hit a sandbar, was fished out, jumped back on the 3 boat and began transferring men to the 51 boat. Then he and others began damage control on the 3 to keep it from sinking.

Meanwhile, the 94 had made a turn and was coming back to "save" Rassmann. By this time, the other boats had gotten the 3 boat under control, rescued the crew and stopped the boat from sinking. In all this activity, they had moved downriver far enough to realize that Rassmann was in the water, so one boat went to pick him up, but Kerry got there first.

Then the legend began.
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antimedia
USN OST-6 68-74
http://antimedia.blogspot.com/

Wing Wiper · Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 5:15 am Post subject:

baldeagl:

One other possibility: Both ends of the weir were daisy-chain mined and when they blew the 3 boat , the mine at the other end knocked Rassmann off Kerry's boat and scared boy-wonder into his run down the river. I doubt the V.C. would have only mined one end and trusted to luck. What do you think? It would explain a lot.

sevry · Commander Joined: 13 Aug 2004 Posts: 326

Tom Poole · Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 9:58 pm Post subject: Did Rassmann ever say...

stcromwell99 · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 2:01 pm Post subject:

hanna · Rear Admiral Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 701

There are 3 things unrelated to the Mar 13 incident involving Rasmusen that I find really strange. There is an article that was talking about when Rasmusen was in the book store and saw the Kerry book Tour of Duty and in thumbing through it found the story of his rescue. He says he stood right there and read it and he and his wife were shaking their heads, and he then left the store, without buying the book.

Thing is, when people "shake their heads", that is when they are reading something that is........not quite right, or off the wall or.....whatever, but certainly not "oh man here is MY story, this is how my hero rescued me..etc.

I find it strange he did not buy the book if Kerry is such a hero to him.

Lastly, this is from another article that was written after the big reunion. Rasmusen was back home tending his orchids, unaware the firestorm that was about to break.

If Kerry gets elected president, he'll have reason to thank Rassmann. One day Rassmann hopes the two of them will be able shake hands in private, away from any TV camera, and — acknowledging their debt to each other — call it even.

http://www.htmlhelponline.com/kerry/news1.html

It is sooooooooo strange that Rassmann has not had a private moment with Kerry. That is just incredible to me.

stcromwell99 · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 3:01 pm Post subject:

Well... after doing a search for three hours I came up with these links. Still can't find one for "next to Kerry's boat" though.

1) On PCF 94
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/relatedarticles/34014.php
http://antimedia.blogspot.com/2004/08/rassmann-fisking-kerrys-rassmann-story.html
2) On "a third vessel, the PCF 35" (that boat wasn't even there that day)
http://antimedia.blogspot.com/2004/08/rassmann-fisking-kerrys-rassmann-story.html
3) "one of the other boats" (not 3 or 94)
http://antimedia.blogspot.com/2004/08/rassmann-fisking-kerrys-rassmann-story.html
4) on a boat "next to Kerry's boat" (that would be the 3)
5) Kerry's boat was "a short distance ahead" of his boat
http://antimedia.blogspot.com/2004/08/rassmann-fisking-kerrys-rassmann-story.html
6) "behind Kerry's vessel" [/quote]
http://www.politicsus.com/011704fjk.htm

hanna · Rear Admiral Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 701

I can add these. I think they are different.

Rassmann, a first lieutenant in the Army special forces, was eating a chocolate chip cookie on Kerry’s patrol boat as it pulled back from a fire fight when [size=18]a nearby boat hit a mine[/size]. During the ensuing combat, Kerry’s boat was rocked by another explosion, which injured Kerry and tossed Rassmann into the water.

http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/07/22/76146.php

The group had already lost one soldier that day. As they sped down the river, one boat was blown out of the water, and then another. An explosion wounded Kerry in the arm and threw Rassmann into the river. Rassmann dove to the bottom to avoid being run over by the other boats. When he surfaced, he saw the convoy had gone ahead.

http://www.htmlhelponline.com/kerry/news1.html

This one Kerry claims Rasmusen was on another boat.

Based on Kerry's recollections, "Tour of Duty" says Rassmann was on another boat, but Rassmann recalls sitting in the hatchway of Kerry's pilothouse, returning from a patrol with ethnic Chinese mercenaries, when a mine blew up under one of the other boats and the riverbanks erupted in gunfire. The medal citation is not clear.

http://www.tdn.com/articles/2004/01/24/oregon/news04.prt