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

I can't believe it! I'm reading the March Spot Report for 3/13/69, and I see a handwritten note in the upper right hand corner - "5 PCFs, Song Bay Hap, Rach Dong Kung (could Kerry be confusing this for the 3/18 incident), HF encountered plus MINE (MINE is underlined - what is "HF"?), 7 USN WIA, 1 MSF KIA (6T). The (Vietnamese) MSF was killed by a booby trap earlier in the day.

The SpotReport claims PCF-3 was hit by a mine but makes no mention of a second mine detonating. It also reports "heavy A/W and S/A fire from both banks" and "two other explosions were observed", but there's no mention of a second boat being hit.

The US WIA are listed as LTJG Richard Pees, ENS Kenneth Tryner, GMG3 Earl Hollister, RD3 Leslie Vorphal, GMG3 Wolfe, EN3 Arp and LTJG Kerry. No one had any bullet wounds. GMG3 Wolfe had shrapnel wounds. Except for Kerry, all the rest had injuries consistent with a mine explosion.

GMG3 Hollister was the forward (M-60) gunner on PCF-3 and was wounded by shrapnel in the groin, which is consistent with his position (standing in the bow of the boat with his torso below decks).

RD3 Vorphal was the coxwain aboard PCF-3 and suffered a back injury and concussion, injuries consistent with a mine explosion.

ENS Tryner was serving as OinC (in training) aboard PCF-3 and suffered a back injury and concussion, injuries consistent with a mine explosion.

LTJG Pees was OinC of PCF-3 and suffered a concussion and back injury, injuries consistent with a mine explosion.

There's no injury reports for Wolfe and Arp. I suspect Wolfe would have been the stern gunner and Arp may have been close to him. Since they would have been in the stern and not in an inclosed space (like the coxwain and OinC who would have been in the pilot house), they probably suffered less serious injuries. In fact they may have been the two that were thrown overboard by the explosion.

We all know about Kerry's wounds.

Sandusky has stated publicly that "men" (plural) "died" on that boat.
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0710a.html

“Del Sandusky, 58, of Elgin, Ill., and Clearwater, Fla., served under Kerry on a patrol boat in 1969. When another boat hit a mine, Kerry ordered the dead and injured brought on board and the sinking boat towed, six or seven miles, to the Gulf of Tonkin. Because Americans had died on the boat, Kerry, out of loyalty, wouldn't leave it behind for the enemy."

Sandusky describes the reason Kerry went back and got the boat and towed it was "out of loyalty" that men died on that boat. Makes him sound sooooo respectful of the casualties of war. God that's smarmy. Gives me the creeps.

I think I'm going to vomit.
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antimedia
USN OST-6 68-74
http://antimedia.blogspot.com/

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

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

I wasn't sure if it was Hostile Fire or Heavy Fire. I just wanted to be accurate.
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antimedia
USN OST-6 68-74
http://antimedia.blogspot.com/

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

In my opinion, it's simply Hostile Fire. The A/W and S/A for Automatic Weapons and Semi Automatic are more descriptive regarding the type of fire.

That's a problem when using abbreviations, they can be subject to misinterpretation. And when used in a non-standard way, they can be downright confusing.

According to the Naval Training Systems Command (NTSC) standard list of abbreviations, "HF" is not defined when used in a combat context. Neither is A/W or S/A, for that matter.

There are a bunch of military documents available online that define DoD, general and specific military and several lists of US Navy abbreviations. Swabbies are especially enamored with acronyms and abbreviations: CSUB, CSUBCINC, CINCSUBCINC...

However, that is assuming the one doing the writing of the notation is also familiar with them.
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cipher · Vice Admiral Joined: 10 Aug 2004 Posts: 902

baldeagl, I was over looking at your blogsphere. Pretty nice place you've got there.

Got a question for you. You know the CIA hat story by heart by now, the question I have is on this part of that story:

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

Well, I think I've fisked the covert ops with Swift boats pretty good - who wants to do covert ops in a boat that sounds like "a damn Greyhound bus" (according to Joe Muharsky who served with Kerry and support his bid for the Presidency) that you "could hear for miles away" (according to Jim Rassmann, the Green Beret that Kerry "rescued")?

But the Kerry camp could simply say that the CIA guy gave it to him when they extracted him rather than inserted him. Faulty memory and all that sort of thing.

Some of the other lies are going to be much harder to explain.
_________________
antimedia
USN OST-6 68-74
http://antimedia.blogspot.com/