Text 2436, 70 rader
Skriven 2004-09-20 14:54:27 av John Hull (1:379/1.99)
Ärende: New documents support Swiftboat Vets
============================================
The Navy has released some new after action reports that support the story the
Swiftboat Vets tell regarding Kerry's actions in Vietnam.


Sunday, Sept. 19, 2004 11:49 p.m. EDT
New Navy After-Action Report Backs Swiftvets

A never-before-published after-action report obtained from Navy archives by
"Unfit for Command" co-author Jerome Corsi confirms key contradictions cited by
the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth about John Kerry's Vietnam battle claims. 

The documents contain battle damage reports from a March 1969 incident that
show Kerry's PCF-94 Swift Boat sustained no bullet-hole damage after being
exposed to what the report claims was "heavy A/W and S/A from both banks" of
the Bay Hap River that lasted "for about 5000 meters." 

The episode is the most famous of Kerry's combat exploits, the one where he
claims to have rescued Special Forces officer James Rassmann while under heavy
fire after PCF-94 was hit by a mine. 

The explosion tossed Rassman overboard. 

But despite the supposed barrage of gunfire, the after-action report lists
damage to PCF-94 as follows: 

"Two stbd and one port main cabin windows blown out. VRC-46 radio and all
remote units pilot house inop. AC wiring shorted out. Onan generator inop.
Steerage control after helm inop. Stbd bilge pump broken. Screws curled and
chipped. Radar gear box frozen. Main engines experienced RPM drop." 

Nowhere is any bullet-hole damage noted. 

In an interview with NewsMax on Friday, Corsi said that the damage noted in the
Navy report was consistent with the description of the event given in "Unifit
for Command," where Kerry boatmates say there was no enemy fire after the mine
explosion under another boat, PCF-3. 

"PCF-94 would have been riddled with holes if it were being shot at for 5000
meters," he said. 

The Navy documents also detail the wounds suffered by Kerry's crew during the
Rassmann episode, including back injuries, abrasions and shrapnel wounds - some
of which were sustained in the mine explosion. 

The list makes no mention of any bullet wounds to any crewmember. 

Kerry's injuries are chronicled in the report as "shrapnel wound left buttock
and contusion abrasions [minor]." The Swiftvets have claimed taht Kerry's
shrapnel wound was sustained not during the March 13 mine explosion but when
Kerry tossed a hand grenade into a rice storage bin at close range earlier in
the day. 

Corsi echoed claims of the Swiftvets, who say that Kerry himself likely
authored several of the key after-action reports, suggesting that the
contradictions stem from the fact that he embellished parts of the story
without making sure they were consistent with other parts of his report. 

The documents were obtained by the best-selling author from Building 57 at The
Naval Yard in Washington, D.C., where the Naval Historical Archives are
available to the public.



John 

America:  First, Last, and Always!
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