SwiftVets.com

[stealthy]

Records Counter A Critic Of Kerry
Fellow Skipper's Citation Refers To Enemy Fire

By Michael Dobbs
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 19, 2004; Page A01

Newly obtained military records of one of Sen. John F. Kerry's most vocal critics, who has accused the Democratic presidential candidate of lying about his wartime record to win medals, contradict his own version of events.

In newspaper interviews and a best-selling book, Larry Thurlow, who commanded a Navy Swift boat alongside Kerry in Vietnam, has strongly disputed Kerry's claim that the Massachusetts Democrat's boat came under fire during a mission in Viet Cong-controlled territory on March 13, 1969. Kerry won a Bronze Star for his actions that day.


But Thurlow's military records, portions of which were released yesterday to The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act, contain several references to "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" directed at "all units" of the five-boat flotilla. Thurlow won his own Bronze Star that day, and the citation praises him for providing assistance to a damaged Swift boat "despite enemy bullets flying about him."

As one of five Swift boat skippers who led the raid up the Bay Hap River, Thurlow was a direct participant in the disputed events. He is also a leading member of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a public advocacy group of Vietnam veterans dismayed by Kerry's subsequent antiwar activities, which has aired a controversial television advertisement attacking his war record.
rest of article

Funny, they'll look into Thurlow but not Kerry.
_________________
American Conservative

[dodguy]

[/quote]Funny, they'll look into Thurlow but not Kerry.[quote]

EXCELLENT POINT! [/quote]

[Cowboy]

Mr. Thurlow challenges the veracity of the description of enemy fire in the citation in the same WaPo article:

"It's like a Hollywood presentation here, which wasn't the case," Thurlow said last night after being read the full text of his Bronze Star citation. "My personal feeling was always that I got the award for coming to the rescue of the boat that was mined. This casts doubt on anybody's awards. It is sickening and disgusting."

Thurlow said he would consider his award "fraudulent" if coming under enemy fire was the basis for it. "I am here to state that we weren't under fire," he said. He speculated that Kerry could have been the source of at least some of the language used in the citation.

The question I have is, who wrote the citation and put the recommendation in for the medals? To thoroughly debunk the WaPo we need to find the author of the citation and the recommendation.

[stealthy]

[stealthy]

[cipher]

[cipher]

Does anyone know if Thurlow's BSM has a Combat V?
_________________
USMC 69-72, 7th Comm, 3rd MarDiv, FMFPAC
US Army 75-79, 97th Sig, SHAPE, NATO
Arkansas National Guard 79
Defense contractor for US Navy, SSPO, SP-20, SP-24, OP-12 84-92

[integritycounts]

The most critical missing element of that story are
1. who is the author of those quote(s)
2. What (if anything) was the author given in order to come to that determination.
3. Is there a copy of that information by which the author made the determination.


Right now all that story suggests, is that Kerry may have been an expert level Liar. That story raises questions without showing the merit of the bias of the questions.

It might have just said " We got information, but we don't think we want people to see everything, so we will write a story that appear like its News leak, even though we are own source after we were sent the documents.

[cipher]

I have a feeling that the Liberal MSM is going to put every single one of the SBVFT under the microscope. That "Brown Book" thing they threatened. remember?

This is only a ranging shot. I'm sure more is incoming, and then it will be "Fire for effect!"
_________________
USMC 69-72, 7th Comm, 3rd MarDiv, FMFPAC
US Army 75-79, 97th Sig, SHAPE, NATO
Arkansas National Guard 79
Defense contractor for US Navy, SSPO, SP-20, SP-24, OP-12 84-92

[Molon Labe]

[cipher]

[quote]For much of the episode, Kerry was not in a position to know firsthand what was happening on Thurlow's boat, as Kerry's boat had sped down the river after the mine exploded under another boat. He later returned to provide assistance to the stricken boat.[/quote'

okay, that quote above is from the WaPo article. My question is: Was Kerry's boat speeding "down the river" BEFORE or AFTER the mine blew up under Kerry's boat? And before or after the damage to the helm and steering gear?

It sure would be nice if everyone was playing off the same sheet of music.
_________________
USMC 69-72, 7th Comm, 3rd MarDiv, FMFPAC
US Army 75-79, 97th Sig, SHAPE, NATO
Arkansas National Guard 79
Defense contractor for US Navy, SSPO, SP-20, SP-24, OP-12 84-92

[Polaris]

Guys,

Here's another link to the same story. MSN claims that Thurlow wrote that he was under enemy fire. Is this true or has this been debunked? I hope you can debunk it because right now the MSM only needs to find one flaw in the SBV4T story to kill us.

Here is the link:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5751284/
_________________
-Polaris

Truth is Beauty

[cipher]

[cipher]

[Polaris]

Cipher,

Here is the relevant section of that article: