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SBV
v. SBV
In this page,
statements made by one or more members of the so-called "Swift
Boat Veterans for Truth" (SBV) are compared/contrasted with
contradictory statements made by the same or other members of SBV.
This collection was put together based on an idea suggested by reader
JS.
Note
that the TRUTH of the claims by SBV members is more thoroughly
examined in the other sections of this website. This page merely
shows how they can't even get their stories straight. Note that the
quotes under the categories [NOW], [THEN], etc. are from SBV members,
unless otherwise specified. PREFACE Reader
PT suggests "How Many Swift Boat Vets does it take to tell a
lie?" Well,
one to claim he was not in Cambodia, one to claim he was not within 50
miles or so of Cambodia, one to claim that he was within 100 yards of
Cambodia, one to claim he was in Cambodia, one to claim there is no
"watery border" between Vietnam and Cambodia, one to claim
that there is, one to claim that no Swift Boats could have entered
Cambodia, one to claim that they did. And all of
this just from one Swift Boat Veteran from Texas.
Read on...
TOPIC
1. KERRY'S
FIRST PURPLE HEART
1.1 Forearm
or not?
1.2
"Turned down" Purple Heart or not?
1.3 Kerry
"requested" Purple Heart or not?
1.4
"Learned" from people "with" Kerry at the time or
not?
1.5 Three
or four or is it "possibly four" men with Kerry?
1.6 Scrape
or not?
2. KERRY'S
BRONZE STAR
2.1 Enemy
fire or not? 2.2
Enemy fire required for Purple Heart or not? 2.3
Kerry "wrote" report or not? 2.4
Medal "simply" based on "Kerry's" report or not?
2.5 Kerry
"fled" or not?
3. KERRY'S
SILVER STAR
3.1 Kerry
"simply" shot the guy or not? Heroic or not? Regrets or not?
What's the prevailing mood today, Mr. Elliott?
3.2 Medal
based simply on "Kerry's" report or not?
3.3 Enemy
fire or not?
3.4 SBV
member saw teenager in "loincloth" being shot or not?
4. KERRY
AND CAMBODIA
4.1 O'Neill
in Cambodia or not? Was 50 miles from Cambodia border or 100 feet from
border or at the border or inside Cambodia? Was the border with
Cambodia watery or not? Impossible to go into Cambodia by Swift Boat
or not? What is it Mr. O'Neill?
What is the swift boat veteran "truth" as of 5 minutes ago
and what will it be 5 minutes later?
5. KERRY -
OTHER
5.1 Knew
Kerry "well" or not?
5.2 Swear
based on personal knowledge or not?
6. KERRY'S
LEADERSHIP/CHARACTER/CAPABILITIES
6.1 Good
("honest") man or not?
6.2 Lacks
the capacity to lead or not?
6.3
"Unfit" to be Commander-in-Chief ? Really? How touching! 6.4
Cowardly or not?
1.
KERRY'S FIRST PURPLE HEART
1.1
Forearm or not?
[NOW]
Grant
Hibbard, today: "He had a little scratch on his
forearm"
[THEN]
Grant
Hibbard, two weeks after the "little scratch" incident in
1968 that so deeply troubled Hibbard: "Of 16 categories for
rating, including professional knowledge, moral courage and loyalty,
Mr. Hibbard checked “not observed” in 12. Mr. Hibbard gave Mr.
Kerry the highest rating of “one of the top few” in three
categories—initiative, cooperation and personal behavior. He gave
Mr. Kerry the second-best rating, “above the majority,” in
military bearing."
Kerry's
medical report from 1969 (which Letson claims to have authored but
did not): "3 DEC 1968 U.S. NAVAL SUPPORT FACILITY CAM RANH
BAY RVN FPO Shrapnel in left arm above elbow. Shrapnel
removed and appl. Bacitracin. Ret. to duty"
1.2
"Turned down" Purple Heart or not?
[NOW]
Grant
Hibbard, today: "I turned down the Purple Heart
request"
[THEN]
Grant
Hibbard, April 2004: "I do remember some questions, some
correspondence about it. I finally said, 'Ok, if that's what
happened ... do whatever you want.' After that I don't know what
happened. Obviously, he got it. I don't know how"
Grant
Hibbard, two weeks after the "little scratch" incident in
1968 that so deeply troubled Hibbard: "Of 16 categories for
rating, including professional knowledge, moral courage and loyalty,
Mr. Hibbard checked “not observed” in 12. Mr. Hibbard gave Mr.
Kerry the highest rating of “one of the top few” in three
categories—initiative, cooperation and personal behavior. He gave
Mr. Kerry the second-best rating, “above the majority,” in
military bearing."
1.3
Kerry "requested" Purple Heart or not?
[NOW]
William
Schacte, today: "Kerry requested a Purple Heart"
Grant Hibbard, today:
"Hibbard said Kerry came into his
office "to apply for a Purple Heart," but that he turned
down Kerry's "Purple Heart request."
[THEN]
Grant
Hibbard, a few months ago: "But in a conflicting interview
this summer, Hibbard said Kerry did not directly ask for the medal
but a medical report."
1.4
"Learned" from people "with" Kerry at the time or
not?
[NOW]
Larry
Thurlow: "I learned that from the people who had been
with him [Kerry] at that time, when he reported that he received
an injury from hostile fire, when in fact, there was none...The
only name that comes to mind now is a guy that is actually a member
of our group...Steve Gardner."
[NOW]
Steve
Gardner: "Gardner admitted that "he was not on the
boat with Kerry during the incidents for which Kerry got his
medals," reported
The Columbus Dispatch on August 6."
1.5
Three, or is four, or is it "possibly four" men with Kerry?
[NOW]
John
O'Neill: "During his August 12 appearances on Crossfire
and on MSNBC's Hardball
with Chris Matthews, O'Neill claimed that [in addition to
the three men on the boat, including Kerry] another anti-Kerry
veteran, William
Schachte, served on a boat (a small whaler) with Kerry the night
Kerry received the injury that resulted in his first Purple
Heart."
[A LITTLE
LATER]
John
O'Neill: "When pressed on Crossfire by Former
Clinton White House special counsel Lanny
Davis about the number of men on the whaler, O'Neill could only
reply that "[t]here were at least three and possibly four men
on the whaler."..."
[SBV WEBSITE AT THAT
TIME]
SBV
website at that time: "While waiting to receive his own Swift boat
command, Kerry volunteered for a nighttime patrol mission
commanding a small, foam-filled "skimmer" craft
with two enlisted men."
[SBV WEBSITE SOME
DAYS LATER]
SBV
website some days later, after Media Matters pointed out how Schacte
and O'Neill's story contradicted SBV's website: "While
waiting to receive his own Swift boat command, Kerry volunteered for
a nighttime patrol mission on a small, foam-filled
"skimmer" craft under the command of Lt. William
Schachte. The two officers were accompanied by an enlisted man who
operated the outboard motor."
eRiposte note: Three men, four men,
or possibly four men? On top of that some compassionate
website editing...
1.6
Scrape or not?
[NOW]
Grant
Hibbard, today: "He had a tiny scratch...less than from a
rose thorn"
Grant
Hibbard, today: "...[Kerry's wound was like a] "scrape from a
fingernail"..."
[NOW/THEN]
Louis Letson, today:
"What
I saw was a small piece of metal sticking very superficially in the
skin of Kerry's arm. The metal fragment measured about 1 cm. in
length and was about 2 or 3 mm in diameter. It certainly did not
look like a round from a rifle. I simply removed the piece of metal
by lifting it out of the skin with forceps. I doubt that it
penetrated more than 3 or 4 mm."
eRiposte note: A "tiny
scratch" from a "fingernail scrape" that was
"sticking superficially" but "penetrated" no
more than 3-4 mm! How swift!
Kerry's
medical report from 1969 (which Letson claims to have authored but
did not): "3 DEC 1968 U.S. NAVAL SUPPORT FACILITY CAM RANH
BAY RVN FPO Shrapnel in left arm above elbow. Shrapnel removed and
appl. Bacitracin. Ret. to duty"
2.
KERRY'S BRONZE STAR
2.1
Enemy fire or not?
[via Kevin
Drum, Political Animal]
[NOW]
Larry
Thurlow, today: "...there was no hostile enemy fire
directed at my boat or at any of the five boats operating on the
river that day."
Van
O'Dell, today: "There was no enemy
fire from either bank."
[THEN]
Larry
Thurlow's [OWN] Bronze Star citation, 1969 - which he accepted
without so much as a grunt back then: "...all units began
receiving enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire from the
river banks."
2.2
Enemy fire required for purple heart or not? [NOW]
Larry
Thurlow - on his own Bronze Star: "..."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."
[THEN]
George
Elliott in 1969, on Thurlow's Bronze Star: "All of these
actions by LTJG THURLOW took place under constant enemy small arms
fire which LTJG Thurlow completely ignored in providing immediate
assistance to the boat and crew."
eRiposte note:
Thurlow claims he thought his Bronze Star was
for a rescue he attempted even though there was no enemy fire - and
felt he deserved it (until this "recent revelation" of enemy fire) . He
is
critical, at the same time of Kerry having received a Bronze Star
for a rescue Kerry did in the supposed absence of enemy fire! So,
what is it Mr. Thurlow? Do you deserve a Bronze Star even if there
was no enemy fire? Or do you not?
2.3
Kerry wrote report or not? [NOW]
Roy
Hoffmann: "Adm. Roy Hoffmann, who commanded all Swift boats
in Vietnam, said he believed that Kerry wrote the March 13
after-action report on the basis of numerical identifiers at the top
of the form."
[THEN]
Roy
Hoffmann, a little later: "He later acknowledged that the
numbers referred to the Swift boat unit, and not to Kerry
personally. "It's not cast-iron," he said.
"
2.4
Medal simply based on "Kerry's" report or not? [NOW]
George
Elliott: "I did not expect my officers [Kerry] to be
submitting inaccurate reports"
[THEN]
George
Elliott, a little earlier: "The
group says Mr. Kerry himself wrote the reports that led to the
medal. But Mr. Elliott and [Adrian] Lonsdale, who handled reports
going up the line for recognition, have previously said that a medal
would be awarded only if there was corroboration from others and
that they had thoroughly corroborated the accounts."
2.5
Kerry "fled" or not?
[NOW]
Larry
Thurlow: "I was told to say, `On the river
that day, Kerry fled.' But `fled' connotes fear and I understood why Kerry
left, then returned, so I didn't use that word."
[THEN]
John
O'Neill: [Kerry] "admits that he fled and
everybody else stayed."
[John
O''Neill]: It's not what happened, Pat. ... John
Kerry fled.
[Jack
Chenoweth]: [Said Kerry's
boat] "fled the scene" [after a mine blast disabled PCF-3, and
returned only later] "when it was apparent that there was no
return fire."
[Larry
Thurlow]: "Kerry
fled while we stayed to fight," and returned only later
"after no return fire occurred."
eRiposte comment: Is
there any word left in the dictionary to describe these characters? Is there
a lower form of life on the planet?
3.
KERRY'S SILVER STAR
3.1
Kerry "simply" shot the guy or not? Heroic or not? Regrets or
not? What's the prevailing mood today, Mr. Elliott?
[NOW]
George
Elliott, now: "...[Kerry] 'lied
about what occurred in Vietnam . . . for example, in connection with
his Silver Star, I was never informed that he had simply shot a
wounded, fleeing Viet Cong in the back."
[A LITTLE LATER]
George
Elliott, a little later: ''I
still don't think he shot the guy in the back," Elliott said.
''It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with
those words. I'm the one in trouble here." Elliott said he was no
under personal or political pressure to sign the statement, but he did
feel ''time pressure" from those involved in the book. ''That's
no excuse," Elliott said. ''I knew it was wrong . . . In a hurry
I signed it and faxed it back. That was a mistake."
[A DAY OR SO LATER]
George
Elliott, a day or two after the previous statement: "...On Friday, a
member of that group who was one of Kerry's supervisors in Vietnam,
George Elliott, appeared to back off an earlier affidavit in which he
suggested Kerry did not deserve the Silver Star. In the affidavit, he
said, "I was never informed that he had simply shot a wounded,
fleeing Viet Cong in the back."
...
Elliott later issued another affidavit -- witnessed and notarized --
this time saying he was misquoted by the Globe and reaffirming his
belief that Kerry has "not been honest about what happened in
Vietnam."..." George
Elliott on his revised affidavit/statement: "I do not claim to have
personal knowledge as to how Kerry shot the wounded, fleeing Viet
Cong.
...
I have chosen to believe the other men. I absolutely do not know first
hand"
[THEN]
George
Elliott, not too long ago: "John was one of 50 young officers
who performed extremely well," Elliott said in an interview in
May. "I wrote his fitness report, and I stand by that."
George Elliott, years ago:
"When [Kerry] came back from the
well-publicized action where he beached his boat in middle of ambush
and chased a VC around a hootch and ended his life, when [Kerry] came
back and I heard his debrief, I said, 'John, I don't know whether you
should be court-martialed or given a medal, court-martialed for
leaving your ship, your post,'" Elliott recalled in an interview.
"But I ended up writing it up for a Silver Star, which is well
deserved, and I have no regrets or second thoughts at all about
that," Elliott said. A Silver Star, which the Navy said is its
fifth-highest medal, commends distinctive gallantry in action.
Asked why he had raised the issue of a court-martial, Elliott said he
did so "half tongue-in-cheek, because there was never any
question I wanted him to realize I didn't want him to leave his boat
unattended. That was in context of big-ship Navy — my background. A
C.O. [commanding officer] never leaves his ship in battle or anything
else. I realize this, first of all, it was pretty courageous to turn
into an ambush even though you usually find no more than two or three
people there. On the other hand, on an operation some time later, down
on the very tip of the peninsula, we had lost one boat and several men
in a big operation, and they were hit by a lot more than two or three
people."
Elliott stressed that he never questioned Kerry's decision to kill the
Viet Cong, and he appeared in Boston at Kerry's side during the 1996
Senate race to back up that aspect of Kerry's action.
...
Indeed, the Silver Star citation makes clear that Kerry's performance
on that day was both extraordinary and risky. "With utter
disregard for his own safety and the enemy rockets," the citation
says, Kerry "again ordered a charge on the enemy, beached his
boat only 10 feet from the Viet Cong rocket position and
personally led a landing party ashore in pursuit of the enemy .
. . The extraordinary daring and personal courage of Lt. Kerry
in attacking a numerically superior force in the face of intense fire
were responsible for the highly successful mission."
George
Elliott, 1996: "The fact that he chased an armed enemy down
is not something not to be looked down upon but it was an act of
courage. And the whole outfit served with honor..."[T]here was no
question that it was above and beyond anything that we had seen down
there in that case at that time frame...It just so happened that this
one was so outstanding that the Silver Star was eventually
awarded." [eRiposte note: More here.]
3.2
Medal based simply on "Kerry's" report or not?
[NOW]
SBV,
today: "The group says Mr. Kerry himself wrote the reports that led to the
medal [Silver Star]."
[THEN]
George
Elliott and Adrian Lonsdale, today: "But
Mr. Elliott and Mr. Lonsdale, who handled reports going up the line
for recognition, have previously said that a medal would be awarded
only if there was corroboration from others and that they had
thoroughly corroborated the accounts.
"Witness reports were reviewed; battle reports were
reviewed," Mr. Lonsdale said at the 1996 news conference, adding,
"It was a very complete and carefully orchestrated
procedure." In his statements Mr. Elliott described the action
that day as "intense" and "unusual."..."
Roy
Hoffmann, years ago: "...Hoffmann said...he supported the actions on
the day Kerry won the Silver Star. "It took guts, and I admire
that," Hoffman said."
[NOW]
Larry
Clayton Lee, today: "..."I have no problems with him
getting the Silver Star," said Lee...
Rood wrote that Kerry gave the order to turn into the fire and charge
the Viet Cong, who were dug in along the river.
"That was the first time it had been done that I know of, and I
don't think it was ever done after that," Lee said of the tactic.
"I think it was great."..."
3.3
Enemy fire or not?
[NOW]
O'Neill,
today: "...[O'Neill] said the congratulatory note from
Hoffmann was based on the belief that Kerry was under heavy fire from
the Viet Cong. But O'Neill claimed that "didn't happen."..."
[NOW]
Larry
Clayton Lee, today: "..."I have no problems with him
getting the Silver Star," said Lee...
Rood wrote that Kerry gave the order to turn into the fire and charge
the Viet Cong, who were dug in along the river.
"That was the first time it had been done that I know of, and I
don't think it was ever done after that," Lee said of the tactic.
"I think it was great."..."
3.4
SBV member saw teenager in "loincloth" being shot or not?
[NOW]
O'Neill,
today: "The account in our book is very similar to Bill Roods
article except that Bill Rood's article makes the Vietcong killed by
John Kerry into an adult clothed in pajamas whereas our book describes
him as a young Vietcong in a loincloth...Mr. Larry Lee on Bill Rood's
boat confirmed our description."
[NOW]
Larry
Clayton Lee, today: "...Lee said he didn't see Kerry chase a
soldier behind a hooch — a thatched hut — and kill him, but he
said he doesn't question the account. "I was too busy firing my
gun," Lee said. "I didn't have time to check and see what he
was doing."..."
4.
KERRY AND CAMBODIA
4.1
O'Neill in Cambodia or not? Was 50 miles from Cambodia border or 100
feet from border or at the border or inside Cambodia? Was the border
with Cambodia watery or not? Impossible to go into Cambodia by Swift
Boat or not? What is it Mr. O'Neill?
What is the
swift boat veteran "truth" as of 5 minutes ago and what will
it be 5 minutes later?
[NOW]
O'Neill
and Corsi, today: "Kerry was never in Cambodia during
Christmas 1968, or at all during the Vietnam War. ... Areas closer
than 55 miles from the Cambodian border in the area of the Mekong
River were patrolled by PBRs, a small river patrol craft, and not by
Swift Boats. Preventing border crossings was considered so important
at the time that an LCU (a large, mechanized landing craft) and
several PBRs were stationed to ensure that no one could cross the
border."
O'Neill,
today: "How do I know he's [Kerry] not in Cambodia? I was on the
same river, George. I was there two months after him. Our patrol area
ran to Sedek, it was 50 miles from Cambodia. There isn't any watery
border. The Mekong River's like the Mississippi. There were gunboats
stationed right up there to stop people from coming. And our boats
didn't go north of, only slightly north of Sedek. So it was a made-up
story."
O'Neill,
today: "I was never in
Cambodia, and Kerry lied
when he said he was in Cambodia."
[NOW AND THEN]
O'Neill,
in 1971:
O'NEILL:
I was in
Cambodia, sir. I worked along the border on the water.
NIXON: In a swift boat?
O'NEILL: Yes, sir.
O'Neill
now:
"In
an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, O'Neill did not
dispute what he said to Nixon, but insisted he was never actually in
Cambodia.
"I think I made it very clear that I was on the border,
which is exactly where I was for three months. I was about 100
yards from Cambodia," O'Neill said in clarifying the June
16, 1971, conversation with Nixon."
5.
KERRY OTHER
5.1
Knew Kerry "well" or not?
[NOW]
Roy
Hoffmann, today: " I knew him well, because I operated very closely
with him."
[NOW AND THEN]
Roy
Hoffmann, a little earlier: "...Hoffman acknowledged he had
no first-hand knowledge to discredit Kerry's claims to valor and said
that although Kerry was under his command, he really didn't know
Kerry much personally. [Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel]"
Roy
Hoffmann, a little earlier: " Well, I can tell you that I did not
know Kerry personally. I didn't ride the boat with him."
5.2
Swear based on personal knowledge or not?
[NOW]
Alfred
French, earlier: " I am able to swear, as I do hereby swear, that
all facts and statements contained in this affidavit are true and
correct and within my personal knowledge and belief."
Alfred
French, earlier: " I served with John Kerry. . . . He is lying about
his record."
[A LITTLE LATER]
Alfred
French, a little later: " I was not a witness to these events but my
friends were."
6.
KERRY'S LEADERSHIP, CHARACTER OR CAPABILITIES
6.1
Good ("honest") man or not?
Kevin
Drum, Political Animal
[NOW]
Roy
Hoffmann, today: "John
Kerry has not been honest."
[THEN]
Roy
Hoffmann, 2003: "I am not going to say anything negative
about him — he's a good man."
[NOW]
George
Elliot, today: "John Kerry has not been honest about what
happened in Vietnam."
[THEN]
George
Elliot, 1996: "The fact that he chased an armed enemy down
is something not to be looked down upon, but it was an act of
courage."
...
[NOW]
Grant
Hibbard, today: "He betrayed all his shipmates. He lied
before the Senate."
[THEN]
Grant
Hibbard's evaluation of Kerry, 1968: "Mr. Hibbard gave
Mr. Kerry the highest rating of 'one of the top few' in three
categories—initiative, cooperation and personal behavior. He gave
Mr. Kerry the second-best rating, 'above the majority,' in military
bearing."
6.2
Lacks the capacity to lead or not?
Other
[NOW]
Adrian
Lonsdale, today: "He lacks the capacity to lead."
[THEN]
Adrian
Lonsdale, 1996: "He was among the finest of those Swift
boat drivers."
Adrian
Lonsdale, 1996: "As far as I was concerned, the war was won over
there in that part for that period. And it was mainly won because of
the bravado and the courage of the young officers that ran the
boats, the SWIFT boats and the Coast Guard cutters and Senator Kerry
was no exception."
Adrian
Lonsdale, years ago: "I don't like what he said after the war...But
he was a good naval officer."
6.3
"Unfit" to be Commander-in-Chief ? Really? How touching!
[NOW]
Roy
Hoffmann, now: "Our thesis is just simply that Kerry is not fit to
be the commander in chief of the armed forces of the United States...I
was on many combat missions with boats in the same group against the
same enemies at the same time, and I know enough about Kerry to feel
very confident that he is not qualified."
[THEN]
Roy
Hoffmann, years ago: "...Hoffmann said...he supported the actions on
the day Kerry won the Silver Star. "It took guts, and I admire
that," Hoffman said...."
Roy
Hoffmann, years ago: "...Hoffman and Kerry had few direct dealings
in Vietnam. A Los Angeles Times examination of Navy archives found
that Hoffman praised Kerry's performance in cabled messages after
several river skirmishes..."
George
Elliott, 1969: In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive
action LTJG Kerry was unsurpassed. He constantly reviewed tactics
and lessons learned in river operations and applied his experience
at every opportunity. On one occasion while in tactical command of a
three boat operation his units were taken under fire from ambush.
LTJG Kerry rapidly assessed the situation and ordered his units to
turn directly into the ambush. This decision resulted in routing the
attackers with several enemy KIA.
LTJG Kerry emerges as the acknowledged leader in his peer group. His
bearing and appearance are above reproach. He has of his own
volition learned the Vietnamese language and is instrumental in the
successful Vietnamese training program.
During the period of this report LTJG Kerry has been awarded the
Silver Star medal, the Bronze Star medal, the Purple Heart medal
(2nd and 3rd awards).
[Evaluation co-signed by Joseph Streuli and George M. Elliott on
January 28, 1969, and March 17, 1969, respectively]
... exhibited all of the traits of an officer in a combat
environment. He frequently exhibited a high sense of imagination and
judgment in planning operations against the enemy in the Mekong
Delta.
Larry
Thurlow, many years ago: "He was extremely brave, and I wouldn't
argue that point."
Grant
Hibbard, years ago: "One of the top few in his willingness to
seek and accept responsibility."
...[Quoted by Alan Colmes as follows]: Here is what Grant Hubbard
[sic], who's now part of your group, here's what he had to say back
then about John Kerry. And he signed -- let's put it up on the
screen -- a report on Kerry. He said on initiative, one of the top
few. Cooperation, one of the top few. Personal behavior, one of the
top few...[E]verything he [Hibbard] did observe him [Kerry] on he
[Kerry] was superlative.
6.4
Cowardly or not?
[NOW]
Steve
Gardner, today:
"...Whenever
a firefight started he always pulled up stakes and got the hell out
of Dodge...He’s another Bill Clinton and that’s exactly what he
is...I don’t care how much John Kerry’s changed after he moved
off my boat, his initial patterns of behavior when I met him and
served under him was somebody who ran from the enemy, rather than
engaged it."
[NOW/THEN]
Larry
Thurlow, many years ago: "He was extremely brave, and I wouldn't
argue that point."
Larry
Clayton Lee, today: "..."I have no problems with him
getting the Silver Star," said Lee...
Rood wrote that Kerry gave the order to turn into the fire and charge
the Viet Cong, who were dug in along the river.
"That was the first time it had been done that I know of, and I
don't think it was ever done after that," Lee said of the tactic.
"I think it was great."..."
Roy
Hoffmann, years ago: "...Hoffmann said...he supported the actions on
the day Kerry won the Silver Star. "It took guts, and I admire
that," Hoffman said...."
Roy
Hoffmann, years ago: "...Hoffman and Kerry had few direct dealings
in Vietnam. A Los Angeles Times examination of Navy archives found
that Hoffman praised Kerry's performance in cabled messages after
several river skirmishes..."
George
Elliott, 1969: In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive
action LTJG Kerry was unsurpassed. He constantly reviewed tactics
and lessons learned in river operations and applied his experience
at every opportunity. On one occasion while in tactical command of a
three boat operation his units were taken under fire from ambush.
LTJG Kerry rapidly assessed the situation and ordered his units to
turn directly into the ambush. This decision resulted in routing the
attackers with several enemy KIA.
LTJG Kerry emerges as the acknowledged leader in his peer group. His
bearing and appearance are above reproach. He has of his own
volition learned the Vietnamese language and is instrumental in the
successful Vietnamese training program.
During the period of this report LTJG Kerry has been awarded the
Silver Star medal, the Bronze Star medal, the Purple Heart medal
(2nd and 3rd awards).
[Evaluation co-signed by Joseph Streuli and George M. Elliott on
January 28, 1969, and March 17, 1969, respectively]
... exhibited all of the traits of an officer in a combat
environment. He frequently exhibited a high sense of imagination and
judgment in planning operations against the enemy in the Mekong
Delta.
Roy
Hoffmann, today:
"...He
was aggressive...He was a 'loose cannon.'..."
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