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Me#1You#10
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Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 6503
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 Posted: Thu May 13, 2004 11:56 pm Post subject: Kerry and Coastal 11 |
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I'm hoping someone out there may be able to shed some light on a seeming discrepancy between the The American Thinker article which Buddy posted and Kerry's Website.
As a reference, here's what I know thus far from the Kerry site:
| Quote: | Nov 17, 1968 - Coastal Division 14, Cam Ranh Bay
Dec 6, 1968 - Coastal Division 11, An Thoi
Dec 13, 1968 - Coastal Division 13, Cam Ranh
Late January, 1969 - Coastal Division 1, Vung Tau? |
According to the article,
| Quote: |
In Wright’s (Lieutenant Thomas W. Wright, OIC-PCF44 and senior Lieutenant, Coastal 11) view, it was important that the enemy understood that Swift boats were a competent, effective force that could dominate his location. To do that, you also had to control the people and their actions; to have them accept Swift boat crews and their authority. You couldn’t achieve that by indiscriminate use of weapons in free fire zones.
It got to a point where Wright told his divisional commander he no longer wanted Kerry in his boat group, so he was re-assigned to another one.(Coastal 13?) “I had an idea of his actions but didn’t have to be responsible for him.” Then Wright and like-minded boat officers took matters into their own hands. “When he got his third Purple Heart, three of us told him to leave. We knew how the system worked and we didn’t want him in Coastal Division 11. Kerry didn’t manipulate the system, we did.” |
Now, if I understand this, Wright got Kerry transferred out of his unit purportedly for "indiscriminate use of weapons in free fire zones". But, according to the Kerry site, Kerry was only assigned to Coastal 11 at An Thoi for 6 days, and was then re-assigned to Coastal 13, Cam Ranh. Was that sufficient time for Wright to make a valid determination that Kerry was indiscriminate in utilizing his weapons, or is the time frame incorrect on the Kerry site? Something doesn't seem to jibe, and, AFAIK, orders that would establish beyond a doubt Kerry's unit assignments have NOT been made public.
Wright goes on to say “When he got his third Purple Heart, three of us told him to leave. We knew how the system worked and we didn’t want him in Coastal Division 11."
Problem is, according to the award itself, his 3rd PH was awarded for injuries received on 13 Mar, '69, a time during which he would have been assigned to Coastal 1 (according to Kerry). Why would Wright make the above statement about "(not wanting) him in Coastal 11"?
Any help out there? |
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coffee
Founder
Joined: 07 May 2004
Posts: 66
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2004 1:26 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Nov 17, 1968 - Coastal Division 14, Cam Ranh Bay
Dec 6, 1968 - Coastal Division 11, An Thoi
Dec 13, 1968 - Coastal Division 13, Cam Ranh
Late January, 1969 - Coastal Division 1, Vung Tau? |
I believe that Coastal Division 13 was at Cat Lo and Coastal Division 11 (not Coastal Division 1 as quoted) was at An Thoi which was where he went in January. The boats moved around occasionally--dependent on where they were needed and the monsoon season. |
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Me#1You#10
Site Admin
Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 6503
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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| coffee wrote: |
I believe that Coastal Division 13 was at Cat Lo and Coastal Division 11 (not Coastal Division 1 as quoted) was at An Thoi which was where he went in January. The boats moved around occasionally--dependent on where they were needed and the monsoon season. |
Thanks...I "think" I now understand the various Kerry duty assignments. I believe the "Coastal 1" mis-information came from a Kerry source quoted in an article that was linked in this forum. Can't put my finger on it right now and I should have linked the information while I had it.
One thing appears almost certain though....Kerry's website timeline on his service record has another error, and, possibly, a deliberate obfuscation. At this point I'm unsure of it's import, but I have my suspicions.
I understand that the boats might change operational bases based on mission requirements or seasonal weather conditions, especially between bases that are proximate, like Cat Lo and An Thoi or Cat Lo and Cam Ranh. But those operational "detachments" wouldn't require orders re-assigning a skipper to a new command, would they? I assume that, in general, line officer re-assignment to a different command is to place him in command of a ship that is currently assigned to another unit.
Now, why does all this matter?
Well, I'm not sure, at this point, but I'm beginning to suspect that, as far as Kerry is concerned, the less said about An Thoi and Coastal 11, the better.
Again, for reference, here's his service narrative from his website....
| Quote: |
November 17, 1968 – Upon completion of his training, Kerry reports for duty to Coastal Squadron 1, Coastal Division 14, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam.
December 6, 1968 – Kerry moved to Coastal Division 11 at An Thoi on Phu Quoc Island
December 13, 1968 – Kerry moved to Coastal Division 13, Cam Ranh Bay
Late January, 1969 – Kerry joined his 5 man crew on PCF-94
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Note the descriptive change in style for the last one. No mention of re-assignment back to Coastal 11 at An Thoi where (and PLEASE correct this if I'm wrong) PCF-94 was assigned? If you were an interested reader of this Kerry website narrative, where would YOU think Kerry spent the final portion of his tour?
Could THIS be why?
| Quote: |
In Wright’s view, it was important that the enemy understood that Swift boats were a competent, effective force that could dominate his location. To do that, you also had to control the people and their actions; to have them accept Swift boat crews and their authority. You couldn’t achieve that by indiscriminate use of weapons in free fire zones.
It got to a point where Wright told his divisional commander he no longer wanted Kerry in his boat group, so he was re-assigned to another one. “I had an idea of his actions but didn’t have to be responsible for him.” Then Wright and like-minded boat officers took matters into their own hands. “When he got his third Purple Heart, three of us told him to leave. We knew how the system worked and we didn’t want him in Coastal Division 11. Kerry didn’t manipulate the system, we did.”
The American Thinker
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It is unfortunate that Mr. Dwyer didn't clarify what appears to be the fact that Kerry had been re-assigned BACK to Coastal 11. Because of that lack of clarity I had difficulty reconciling the statements attributed to Wright.
Last edited by Me#1You#10 on Tue May 18, 2004 8:59 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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Greenhat
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Joined: 09 May 2004
Posts: 405
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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Where are the Kerry defenders to tell us all his records are posted? 
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sparky
Former Member
Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 546
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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I've had similar discussions and I've gotten to the point where I can smell fish before I even dig into the thread.
This reminds me of discussions I've had about the trajectory of Vince Foster's bullet and whether Hillary (normally a lesbian) had an affair with him and killed him in an apartment she was renting.
I deeply regret even bothering with those cretins who thought that he was murdered. |
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Greenhat
LCDR
Joined: 09 May 2004
Posts: 405
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| Posted: Sun May 16, 2004 2:50 am Post subject: |
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In other words, Sparky, you can't defend it, so you pretend it is wacko. Thanks for the insight.
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