Gavin in Va Beach Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 ..at least according to this admiral... Admiral speaks out, disputes Kerry's account of 1st wound NEW YORK-BY ROBERT NOVAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST -- Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. said Thursday in his first on-the-record interview about the swift boat veterans dispute that "I was absolutely in the skimmer" in the early morning on Dec. 2, 1968, when Lt. (j.g.) John Kerry was involved in an incident that led to his first Purple Heart. "Kerry nicked himself with a M-79 [grenade launcher]," Schachte said in a telephone interview from his home in Charleston, S.C. He said, "Kerry requested a Purple Heart." Schachte, also a lieutenant junior grade, said he was in command of the small boat called a Boston whaler or skimmer, with Kerry aboard in his first combat mission in the Vietnam War. The third crew member was an enlisted man, whose name Schachte did not remember. Two enlisted men who appeared at the podium with Kerry at the Democratic National Convention in Boston have asserted that they were alone in the small boat with Kerry, with no other officer present. Schachte said it "was not possible" for Kerry to have gone out alone so soon after joining the swift boat command in late November 1968. Kerry supporters said no critics of the Democratic presidential nominee ever were aboard a boat with him in combat. Washington lawyer Lanny Davis has contended that Schachte was not aboard the Boston whaler and says the statement that Schachte was aboard in Unfit for Command undermines that critical book's credibility. Schachte until now has refused to speak out publicly on this question and agreed to give only two interviews. One was a television interview with Lisa Meyers of NBC News, for broadcast Thursday night. The second was a print interview with me, for publication today. Schachte described the use of the skimmer operating very close to shore as a technique that he personally designed to flush enemy forces on the banks of the Mekong River so that the larger swift boats could move in. Around 3 a.m. on Dec. 2, Schachte said, the skimmer -- code-named "Batman" -- fired a hand-held flare. He said that after Kerry's M-16 rifle jammed, the new officer picked up the M-79 and, "I heard a 'thunk.' There was no fire from the enemy," he said. Patrick Runyon and William Zaladonis are the two enlisted men who said they were aboard the skimmer and did not know Schachte. However, two other former officers interviewed Thursday confirmed that Schachte was the originator of the technique and always was aboard the Boston whaler for these missions. Grant Hibbard, who as a lieutenant commander was Schachte's superior officer, confirmed that Schachte always went on these skimmer missions and said, "I don't think he [Kerry] was alone" on his first assignment. Hibbard said he had told Kerry to "forget it" when he asked for a Purple Heart. John Kerry: I'm reporting for duty! (Unless I get a few paper cuts while working in the Oval Office, then I just might put in for the Congressional Medal of Honor and take early retirement. Don't worry, Pretty Boy John here can take over. He has great hair and he'll sue our enemies into submission!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRC Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 So, what is the over/under for how fast the lemmings will call this guy a liar, for not blindly towing the DNC party line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_BiB_ Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Sort of fits my theme, doesn't it? Won't matter to the lemmings. His first mission? No, no agenda here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Oh, to be SURE Dowd and Matthews and the rest of the crew will call this guy every name in the book. Bottom line: Flopenstein is in deep stevestojan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Being non-military, I'd like to ask a couple of questions regarding subjects I've seen mentioned here. If you have a certain number of medals, can you ask to leave your assignment? Can you ASK for medals, like Schachte mentions about Kerry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SD Jarhead Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 I've seen Marines write themselves up for medals in peacetime operations. It usually happens in a sneaky covert way because it is generally frowned upon by other Marines...you know "Blowing your own horn". But there is no rule against it. Usually the people who do this are those who are in a position to sneak things through. I currently work with a career administrator who wrote himself up for two of his service awards...what a POS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 I've seen Marines write themselves up for medals in peacetime operations. It usually happens in a sneaky covert way because it is generally frowned upon by other Marines...you know "Blowing your own horn". But there is no rule against it. Usually the people who do this are those who are in a position to sneak things through. I currently work with a career administrator who wrote himself up for two of his service awards...what a POS. 8874[/snapback] Does a collection of medals allow you to get transferred or, in this case, pulled out of a particular war??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABills Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Does a collection of medals allow you to get transferred or, in this case, pulled out of a particular war??? 8876[/snapback] I had never heard that. The only one that they yank you for that I knew of was for the Medal of Honor. That's usually because they want to use that person on recrioting drives, etc... Doesn't help if he gets killed later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_BiB_ Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Does a collection of medals allow you to get transferred or, in this case, pulled out of a particular war??? 8876[/snapback] It ends up being a command policy in theater, or maybe within the individual services in theater. The only medals I've ever heard it applied to are the Congressional and the PH. It usually takes so long to get the MOH approved that the individual will probably be out of it by the time it's awarded anyway. A guy I knew by the name of Bob Patterson won one as a SP4 in Viet Nam with the Cav. We served together in Korea in 1975. Matter of fact, flew over on the same plane. As I recall, he didn't actually get the award until more than a year after being recommended/nominated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin in Va Beach Posted August 27, 2004 Author Share Posted August 27, 2004 Does a collection of medals allow you to get transferred or, in this case, pulled out of a particular war??? 8876[/snapback] I read somewhere in these Kerry stories that after one's 3rd Purple Heart they can put in for an early out, which is apparently what Kerry did. An early out would certainly be motivation for some to try and get all the PH's they could as quickly as possible... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRC Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 I read somewhere in these Kerry stories that after one's 3rd Purple Heart they can put in for an early out, which is apparently what Kerry did. An early out would certainly be motivation for some to try and get all the PH's they could as quickly as possible... 8888[/snapback] How DARE you attack the credibility of a war hero. Typical Bush smear tactics. Why doesn't Bush release his records? Hmmm? You would think that since Bush wants to focus everything on Vietnam, he would be willing to release his military records. Sorry, the lemmings/parrots seem to be slacking off today, so I thought I would give the typical response from them. Now my head hurts. It is not easy making this stevestojan up. I don't know how they can do it on a regular basis. They make it look so easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_BiB_ Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 How DARE you attack the credibility of a war hero. Typical Bush smear tactics. Why doesn't Bush release his records? Hmmm? You would think that since Bush wants to focus everything on Vietnam, he would be willing to release his military records. Sorry, the lemmings/parrots seem to be slacking off today, so I thought I would give the typical response from them. Now my head hurts. It is not easy making this stevestojan up. I don't know how they can do it on a regular basis. They make it look so easy. 8903[/snapback] Wild, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RabidBillsFanVT Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 WAIT A SECOND!!!! They are just NOW coming out with this? FUNNY, because the last time I checked, once again...... SAILORS DON'T PUT IN FOR THEIR OWN AWARDS!!!!!!!!!!! He had to have been RECOMMENDED by a superior officer, and THEN upon approval through the proper chain of command, the award is given. It's nice that admirals can admit that their chain of command failed over 30 years ago... and they didn't object THEN, 10 years ago, 20 years ago. This smells... like all these other stories that don't come out of Kerry's mouth. I'm just tired of this crap... Get to November already! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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