SwiftVets.com

[jalexson]

The recommendation for Thurlow's bronze star indicates Thurlow was telling the truth about being unaware of any enemy fire. The only referenece to any enemy fire is the last line and that says he acted as if there wasn't any- which indicates he was unaware of it. If he has been aware of enemy fire it would have affected the way he helped the wounded. He would have made sure they were protected from it.

The mistake many people make in referring to eyewitness accounts is that they assume different accounts mean someone is lying. the more common explanation is that they viewed the situation differently or from different locations.


Two tendencies of the brain can affect perception in combat situations. One is the tendency of the brain to fill in gaps in information. If only some information is available the brain will add information that appears to be missing. In the case of the aftermath of the mine explosion the suppressive fire of the swiftboats could easily cause some to believe that there must also have been enemy fire.

The other tendency is to filter out sounds that appear to be unimportant. For example, someone with combat experience might filter out sounds of enemy fire that isn't close enough to be a threat. If the brain doesn't hear bullets hitting anything, then they aren't being fired at the listener. Generals in particularly are sometimes rumored to have this ability.


The only witness listed on Thurlow's recommendation is R.E. Lamert. He would have been the one stating that there was enemy fire. Or Capt. Elliott could have added the information based on Sandusky's account cited on the recommendation for Kerry's bronze star.
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