Hook Dem
09-28-2004, 10:36 PM
"they (speaking of us Americans) know that John Kerry was not the war hero we thought he was," said Douglas Brinkley, the historian and author of a friendly biography of Mr. Kerry's war years, acknowledging that Mr. Kerry's opponents had succeeded in raising questions about his service."
Since that statement, Brinkley has come out and ammended to say that he was not speaking of himself, that he still believes John Kerry is a war hero. However, on Hannity & Colms show on FoxNews tonight, they interviewed BG Burkett, of "Stolen Honor" fame. Mr. Burkett is one of this nations foremost authorities on military personnel who have falsified their war records and/or rank. He has a few things to say in his book regarding John Kerry's war record, and they are not favorable. He and Glenna Whitley, have, over the years, exposed many military personnel who claimed veteran status, duty in Vietnam, ribbons and medals and ranks they never deserved. When he talks about John Kerry's war record, he speaks with authority.
During the course of the short interview, he said that John Kerry is not a hero in his mind. John Kerry has had to publicly admit that he was never in Cambodia, after all. BG Burkett said that he gained two of his Purple Heart medals by accidentally wounding himelf. This is born out in John Kerry's own book "Tour Of Duty" with David Brinkley. In his own book, the date that he supposedly received his first wound while on the Boston Whaler, was SEVEN days BEFORE he said later on in his book that they did not receive ANY enemy fire until Dec. 9th. SEVEN days later. His boat commander said they started firing but did not get any fire returned. Kerry's M-16 jammed and he picked up a grenade launcher and fired it. They were to close to the bank and the blow back from it knicked him. His boat commander chewed him out, it is said, for nearly getting them killed. Kerry tried to put himself in for a Purple Heart due to that small wound, which was covered with a bandaid. However, the boat commander told their commanding officer what really happened and he told Kerry to get out of his office, so the story goes. It appears that after he moved to another unit, he put in for a Purple Heart on the basis of the knick he received from a grenade HE fired from a launcher.
BG Burkett goes on to say that another Purple Heart was also self-inflicted. Kerry, and Rassman, and another were blowing up rice containers so the Viet Cong could not use them. He wounded himself. According to his own words in "Tour Of Duty", and in his Boston Globe biography, Kerry put his grenade in one but did not run fast enough and got his butt peppered with rice and grenade shards when it went off. He said they laughed about the incident. This was in the morning, on the day the #3 boat hit the mine later on that day. This injury was not enough to take him out of action.
Later in the day, during the blast from the underwater mine that blew up the #3 boat, Kerry gunned his boat, and left the scene, it is said, as the other boats opened fire on the banks, thinking they were being attacked. No enemy fired back. Kerry then came back. Rassman thinks he was being fired at by the enemy, but the others on the remaining three boats say they were firing over Rassman, not knowing, at that moment, that he was in the water. He fell off the boat. Kerry claims his boat took a grenade or hit an underwater mine, and that blood was running down the deck.. Others, who saw his boat, said there was no blood at all in it and no damage to his boat. Kerry had bruised his arm somehow. He left his boat, and went to the LST for treatment of his butt wounds, and his bruised arm. According to HIS report, he stayed there to help save the #3 boat. The other three boat crews say that is false. He was not there.
Then, in his after action report, it is said that he claimed he was wounded in the butt DURING the action of the #3 boat with the enemy firing on him... Everyone else says, no one was firing at them... Only Kerry and his boat say they were being fired at. So he put himself in for a Purple Heart, again, one that was self-inflicted, (earlier in the day!) and NOT by the enemy. Rassman got one also. I guess he had wounded himself that morning also.
Anyway, that is the story that I have read, part of it from John Kerry's own book, part of it from "Unfit For Command" and part of it from statements I have seen Kerry make. He cannot keep his stories straight.
Since that statement, Brinkley has come out and ammended to say that he was not speaking of himself, that he still believes John Kerry is a war hero. However, on Hannity & Colms show on FoxNews tonight, they interviewed BG Burkett, of "Stolen Honor" fame. Mr. Burkett is one of this nations foremost authorities on military personnel who have falsified their war records and/or rank. He has a few things to say in his book regarding John Kerry's war record, and they are not favorable. He and Glenna Whitley, have, over the years, exposed many military personnel who claimed veteran status, duty in Vietnam, ribbons and medals and ranks they never deserved. When he talks about John Kerry's war record, he speaks with authority.
During the course of the short interview, he said that John Kerry is not a hero in his mind. John Kerry has had to publicly admit that he was never in Cambodia, after all. BG Burkett said that he gained two of his Purple Heart medals by accidentally wounding himelf. This is born out in John Kerry's own book "Tour Of Duty" with David Brinkley. In his own book, the date that he supposedly received his first wound while on the Boston Whaler, was SEVEN days BEFORE he said later on in his book that they did not receive ANY enemy fire until Dec. 9th. SEVEN days later. His boat commander said they started firing but did not get any fire returned. Kerry's M-16 jammed and he picked up a grenade launcher and fired it. They were to close to the bank and the blow back from it knicked him. His boat commander chewed him out, it is said, for nearly getting them killed. Kerry tried to put himself in for a Purple Heart due to that small wound, which was covered with a bandaid. However, the boat commander told their commanding officer what really happened and he told Kerry to get out of his office, so the story goes. It appears that after he moved to another unit, he put in for a Purple Heart on the basis of the knick he received from a grenade HE fired from a launcher.
BG Burkett goes on to say that another Purple Heart was also self-inflicted. Kerry, and Rassman, and another were blowing up rice containers so the Viet Cong could not use them. He wounded himself. According to his own words in "Tour Of Duty", and in his Boston Globe biography, Kerry put his grenade in one but did not run fast enough and got his butt peppered with rice and grenade shards when it went off. He said they laughed about the incident. This was in the morning, on the day the #3 boat hit the mine later on that day. This injury was not enough to take him out of action.
Later in the day, during the blast from the underwater mine that blew up the #3 boat, Kerry gunned his boat, and left the scene, it is said, as the other boats opened fire on the banks, thinking they were being attacked. No enemy fired back. Kerry then came back. Rassman thinks he was being fired at by the enemy, but the others on the remaining three boats say they were firing over Rassman, not knowing, at that moment, that he was in the water. He fell off the boat. Kerry claims his boat took a grenade or hit an underwater mine, and that blood was running down the deck.. Others, who saw his boat, said there was no blood at all in it and no damage to his boat. Kerry had bruised his arm somehow. He left his boat, and went to the LST for treatment of his butt wounds, and his bruised arm. According to HIS report, he stayed there to help save the #3 boat. The other three boat crews say that is false. He was not there.
Then, in his after action report, it is said that he claimed he was wounded in the butt DURING the action of the #3 boat with the enemy firing on him... Everyone else says, no one was firing at them... Only Kerry and his boat say they were being fired at. So he put himself in for a Purple Heart, again, one that was self-inflicted, (earlier in the day!) and NOT by the enemy. Rassman got one also. I guess he had wounded himself that morning also.
Anyway, that is the story that I have read, part of it from John Kerry's own book, part of it from "Unfit For Command" and part of it from statements I have seen Kerry make. He cannot keep his stories straight.