SwiftVets.com

Dimsdale

Our local Sunday paper, the September 5, 2004 edition of the grossly misnamed Springfield (MA) Sunday Republican, published an article written by one Charles Gibson of Longmeadow, Mass., who is described as having "served on a Swift Boat in Vietnam with Sen. John F. Kerry......" He was assigned as the assistant officer in charge of Kerry's PCF-94. After his stint with Kerry, he took over PCF-66 until late April, '69, at which time he was assigned to PCF-72 until July of that year. I presume someone here must know him.

Unfortunately, the paper does not seem to publish the article on their webpage. It was in the "Emphasis" (opinion) section of the paper, p.C6, should anyone want to get it. If needed, I will scan it and see if I can get it to the SBVT. If there is anything else I can do, don't hesitate to ask.

To sum up, Gibson wrote a long detailed account of his presence on PCF 94 from Feb. 24, 1969 to March 2, 1969. He describes the Feb 28 "Silver Star" episode. He says he only saw Kerry leave the pilothouse and jump ashore, but he did not actually witness Kerry shooting the VC with the B-40 RPG, having stayed on the boat and was firing rounds in a different direction. He says that later, he went ashore and saw the "man" that Kerry shot (the first combat fatality he had seen) and said

vet_supporter · Lt.Jg. Joined: 19 Aug 2004 Posts: 114

I didn't know that swiftboats had two officers. Question

ord33 · Rear Admiral Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 670 Location: Ohio

"He received it for directing a highly successful operation in the face of enemy fire and taking out a combatant who was capable of firing a second B-40 RPG."

Firing a SECOND RPG??? From all accounts I've heard, there was never a first RPG actually fired, rather the threat of the first one fired. Am I wrong on this account?

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

In case you guys haven't figure this out yet, nobody spent their entire tour with someone else. Each person has a piece of the overall puzzle. This man knows about one week of Kerry's tour. Another man knows about another week.

It wasn't until they all got together and compared notes after reading Tour of Duty that the full picture of Kerry's lies became clear. That is why nothing happened until this year. This has nothing to do with the election per se. It has to do with when the Swiftees discovered the truth about Kerry and the realization that he actually had a chance to become CinC.
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http://antimedia.blogspot.com/

drjohn · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 3:06 am Post subject:

drjohn · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 3:09 am Post subject:

When was Gibson on 94?

ord33 · Rear Admiral Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 670 Location: Ohio

Dimsdale says from the article Gibson was on PCF-94 from Feb. 24, 1969 to March 2, 1969. Did he get a bronze star on Feb. 28th like the rest of Kerry's crew? If so, why was he not in the picture with the rest of the crew. If not, I become more and more skeptical. During this time, wasnt another gentleman on 94 under training, a Mr. Givens?

rb325th · Admiral Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 1334

Moving this on over to the Research Forum. Perhaps one of our Members over there can answer the question of who the man is. I would have imagined that JFnK would have wanted to get ahold of a Local Vet who served with him for his Band of Brothers.
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U.S. Army 1983-1995, 11C1P/11H2P NBTDT

cipher · Vice Admiral Joined: 10 Aug 2004 Posts: 902

Reference thread:

http://www2.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=30333#30333

rorschach · Seaman Recruit Joined: 26 Aug 2004 Posts: 8

This just in...EYEWITNESS SUBSTANTIATES KERRY'S CLAIM TO HAVE BEEN IN VIETNAM.

Well, I'm glad we cleared THAT up.

The bandit · Commander Joined: 15 May 2004 Posts: 349

Oh what a bunch of bacon grease! Where is Gibson in the Medal picture for Feb. 28? Why does this sound so much like what Rood was blowing right after Kerry called Rood on the phone?

See a Feb 28 analysis here: Kerry's Silver Star Analysis

From the Globe:

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."

Wonder why all the sudden he is so talkative?
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The bandit · Commander Joined: 15 May 2004 Posts: 349

Interesting to note that Doug Reese did not observe any wounds other then the leg wound and he was there in less than 10 mins after the shooting. So now we have a description of a entry and exit wound from the guys side as evidence he was turning to fire? Or was he just crawling hurt or dragging his leg which would had provided a sideways shot? No one see's nothing with the guy within 60 feet of the boat? Why even bother getting off the boat! From Kerry's movie it looks like anyone would had a clear shot of anyone in front of them.
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OldDem · Seaman Recruit Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 5

There are now so many different accounts eminating from Kerry and his supporters of what happened on the 28th of February I'm hoping a computer geek will make a spread sheet. Here are some of the sources:

1. Three different citations for the Silver Star.

2. John Kerry's macho version told to Gerald Nicosia in Home to War: "I wanted to see some of the enemy and fight 'em. So we did, and we beat the hell out of 'em." [page. 71.]

3. Brinkleys version, Tour of Duty, constructed from interviews with Kerry and entries in Michael Medeiros' personal journal. In this version Bill Rood's boat stayed down river at the site of the original beaching. Further only three sailors went ashore where the VC with the rocket launcher was killed: Kerry, Medeiros and Belodeau. Finally the VC according to this version popped out of a "spider hole."

4. Fred Short's version given in an interview with the Boston Globe. Short is the origin for identifying the VC as a teenager in a loin cloth. He said this kid did not pop out of a "spider hole" but stepped out of the bushes.

5. Bill Rood's version which is directly contradicted by Brinkley, [pp. 290, 292.]

6. Gibson's version which is also contradicted by Brinkley as only three sailors from PCF-94 went ashore, [p. 292.]

My favorite line on the whole incident was written by Brinkley in summation: "Camouflaged contraband materiel lay everywhere and they (Kerry, Medeiros and Belodeau) confisticated everything from VC flags to American-made 20-mm shell casings and sewing machines of potentially nefarious intent."

jalexson · Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 7:50 pm Post subject:

This is sounding more and more like one of those bus wrecks in which more people claim to have been injured than were on the bus at the time. If the PCF94 had two officers, why hasn't someone mentioned it until now. I don't recall the link right now, but I've also seen a statement by Kerry that only his crew was on the boat even though Doug Reese says Ruff Puffs were on there.
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"That awful power, the public opinion of a nation, is created in America by a horde of ignorant, self-complacent simpletons who failed at ditching and shoe making and fetched up in journalism on their way to the poor house."
-- Mark Twain

ord33 · Rear Admiral Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 670 Location: Ohio

Lets not forget another individual (who is not to be spoken of on this website) made references to being aboard PCF-94 as well.