On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 15:07:03 GMT, jo4hn wrote:
For those of you who may be interested, the following is the text of Mr.
Rood's account of events. Missing are the photographs which may be
found at www.latimes.com (requires a free sign-up).
FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNT
Officer Recalls Boat Mission With Kerry
By William B. Rood, Chicago Tribune
There were three Swift boats on the river that day in Vietnam more than
35 years ago — three officers and 15 crew members. Only two of those
officers remain to talk about what happened on Feb. 28, 1969.
One is John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate who won a
Silver Star for what happened on that date. I am the other.
Well, that should certainly silence any critics, two absolutely
impeccable witnesses remain, one a politician, the other a reporter. I'm
convinced.
.... snip
There's at least one mistake in that citation. The name of the river
where the main action occurred is wrong, a reminder that such documents
were often done in haste, authored for their signers by staffers. It's a
cautionary note for those trying to piece it all together. There's no
final authority on something that happened so long ago — not the
documents and not even the strained recollections of those of us who
were there.
So now no further criticism should be leveled since, after all, the
records are going to be rife with error, and only the memories of those who
were there is really all we have to go by. ... and since they are
"strained" memories, who knows who is right or wrong?
.... snip
With the debate over that long-ago day in February, they're all living
that war another time.
... and just *who* brought it up? Yeah, I know, when Kerry or the left
make a statement, no one should question it -- it happened, leave it at
that. The right (or even middle) should have let it alone when Kerry told
everyone he was a war hero and thus fit to lead the country. How dare
anyone question that? ... After all, what is the word of a retired navy
admiral and several retired navy captains in addition to others who served
with him? Why they pale to insignificance vs. the word of a politician and
a reporter.
*
William Rood is night city editor at the Chicago Tribune; previously, he
was a reporter and an editor at the Los Angeles Times. Both publications
are owned by Tribune Co.
mahalo,
jo4hn