One of the most concise description (and logical) descriptons of Rasmussen's Tale

[dude1394]

From www.MichNews.com

rasmussen case

Guest Commentary
Why James Rassman Is Honestly Mistaken About John Kerry Saving His Life And Kerry Is Shamelessly Exploiting The Situation
By Grant K. Holcomb
Aug 21, 2004, 09:07

I do not doubt the sincerity of James Rassman.

However, my own experience and review of such part of the record as is available for review convinces me that Mr. Rassman is right about then Lieutenant John Kerry pulling him out of the water but wrong about Kerry heroically saving his life.

I was an Operations Officer for 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment during the first Gulf War.

I was on active duty U.S. Marine Corps Officer for over a decade.

I have watched how men behave under fire.

It is my opinion that Mr. Rassman actually believes that he was under enemy fire and that now Presidential candidate John Kerry is shamefully exploiting the situation for personal political gain.

It is also my opinion that, if a proper investigation is conducted, that Kerry's "band of brothers" will reveal significantly embarrassing facts.

The right questions have not been asked and Senator Kerry has not fully released his medical files, which I believe would disprove his claim.

I cross referenced multiple statements from Senator Kerry, Mr. Rassman, and several other officers and sailors who participated in the "Sea Lords" tactical operation.

I use a military "findings of fact" format presented in chronological order.

Kerry and Rassman contradict themselves several times. However, multiple versions match on several points with other first hand accounts so I weighed those findings as being the most accurate.

The closer the date of the statements to the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the more embellished and divergent Kerry's and Rassman's statements became as compared to older first hand observations.

The Kerry Presidential campaign news release dated January 17, 2004, appended to this article, represents the most divergent, carefully crafted, and falsified account of the incident I was able to find.

Here are my findings:

1.) On March 13, 1969, five U.S. Navy "Swift" boats participated in operation Sea Lords in Bay Hap River and Dong Cung Canal. Sea Lords was a "sweeping" operation conducted in conjunction with U.S. Army ground forces. At the end of the operation (approximately 5 hours), the Swift boats extracted the ground troops and began exiting the river.

2.) LTJG John Kerry USN was the Officer-in-Charge of Swift boat PCF-94.

3.) 1st LT James Rassman USA was on Kerry's boat.

4.) Rassman was a Green Beret and was not trained in U.S. Navy Swift boat operations.

5.) Rassman was a passenger on Kerry's boat and did not serve with Kerry as a crewman.

6.) Rassman did not command or have "his own" Swift boat.

7.) Swift boats do not operate independently and the commanders and crews of the other Swift boats in Kerry's Swift boat squadron had direct and daily first hand observation of his conduct and actions.

8.) Shortly after the Swift boats started their exit of the river, Swift boat PCF-3 was hit by a command detonated mine. The entire crew was wounded and two crew members were thrown into the water. Rassman was not in this boat. Only one mine explosion was observed.

9.) Kerry's Swift boat was on the opposite side of the waterway from where Swift boat PCF-3 was damaged by the mine.

10.) Kerry had his driver speed away from the incident site hitting something in the river. This collision resulted in an injury to Kerry's right arm. At that time, supposedly responding to a bow gun being jammed, Rassman was heading to the bow and was subsequently knocked out of Kerry's boat.

11.) Three of the Swift boats remained at the scene with the damaged Swift boat PCF-3. Kerry's Swift boat accelerated away leaving Rassman in the water.

12.) Rassman spent a significant amount of his time in the water intentionally submerged, holding his breath in an attempt to evade what he thought was enemy fire.

13.) After the mine explosion, the Swift boats provided suppression fire against both shorelines in anticipation of an ambush. It is a sound and proven tactical decision to go on the offense against an ambush. Turning and running only exposes your back to the enemy presenting them with a much better target. Running from an ambush without firing also allows the enemy to easily establish accurate weapons fire. Kerry and his driver knew this.

14.) The commanders of four of the Swift boats state that they were not receiving enemy fire after the mine explosion.

15.) The weapons fire heard by Rassman was from the twin 50 caliber weapons being fired by the Swift boats, not enemy fire. Rassman assumed that such a significant amount of weapons fire coming from the Swift boats must be in response to enemy fire. The lack of any bullet holes in any of the five Swift boats following the incident presents reliable forensic evidence that there was no enemy weapons fire. Also, none of the personnel involved in the incident received any bullet wounds during the incident. In a waterway less than a football field wide, if the enemy on both sides of the river were in covered positions with clear fields of fire, Rassman and many others would be dead.

16.) Kerry returned to the scene and picked up Rassman at the same time another Swift boat approached Rassman for an attempted pick up. Rassman stated in an interview with Los Angeles Times on 3/13/04 that Kerry pulled him into the boat using his good arm.

17.) Rassman wrote the recommendation that resulted in Kerry receiving a medal.

18.) Rassman, as an assistant administrative officer with the responsibility for writing awards and decorations for his Green Beret unit, recommended that Kerry receive a Silver Star. Rassman believed then, as he does now, that he was actually under enemy fire. The officers in charge of the other Swift boats have presented affidavits to the contrary. Why Rassman was on Kerry's boat and why were they together on an earlier occasion when Kerry threw a hand grenade into a rice bin are unclear.

19.) An official statement from an officer is rarely questioned. The U.S. Navy chain of command at the time of the incident acted in good faith on Rassman's recommendation for a medal. However, the U.S. Navy issued Kerry a Bronze Star instead of a Silver Star.

20.) An act of heroism is defined as going "above and beyond the call of duty". It was Kerry's duty to pick up Rassman when he fell out of Kerry's boat, not an act of heroism. Kerry could have been charged for dereliction of duty if he had not done so. If the U.S. Navy higher chain of command knew that there was no enemy weapons fire, the medal would not have been awarded.

21.) Rassman is mistaken about Kerry "saving his life". Swift boat PCF-51 picked up the other men in the water from Swift boat PCF-3 and could have also picked up Rassman as well.

22.) If Kerry's medical records are ever produced, they should show that Kerry was not wounded by enemy fire during this incident.

If this incident is scrutinized, Kerry's "band of brothers" will collapse and, in turn, so will the artificial foundation of Kerry's presidential campaign.

As a child I asked my WWII Marine Corps veteran father about the scars on his body. It was not until I became a Marine that I realized they were bullet wounds. I found a box of his medals and had to use an Encyclopedia to find out what a Purple Heart, Silver Star, and Bronze Star were.

The day before my Marines crossed the line of departure to clear the minefields in Operation Desert Storm, I was ordered to report to my Battalion Commander. He was surrounded by a number of somber looking officers and clutched a red cross message - the only thing a Marine in combat fears. He notified me that my father had passed away.

My father died alone after drinking himself to death. He took to his grave what happened to him in combat. I do not talk to my little boy or my beloved wife about what I experienced in combat. Why should they be exposed to my demons? I thank God that I am alive and have a family that loves me and that I live in the greatest nation in history.

Appended is a news release from the Kerry Presidential campaign.

Reading this statement left with me with a perception that Kerry's lack of integrity is accompanied by a self-regard so excessive that it empowers him to act in an unethical and manipulative fashion.

By making this exaggerated event the cornerstone of his Presidential campaign, Senator Kerry profoundly disrespects the Office of the President, the citizens of our great nation, and generations of men and woman who have sacrificed their lives in the defense of our nation.

John Kerry is a dangerous man and is not qualified to hold any public office.


Email Grant K. Holcomb

[dude1394]

And another, using wapo and kerry site documents.

rasmussen event

[Evilmav2]

That's an excellent analysis. Thanks for posting it Dude...