James Rassman - Events in Vietnam

Events in Vietnam

Kerry was serving in the United States Navy at the time, as lieutenant and Officer-in-Charge of Swift Boat PCF-94, which for that period primarily patrolled in the Mekong River delta. On 13 March 1969, they had completed operations, had debarked some passengers but retained others, and this squadron of five PCF boats was headed out of the river to the bay. They approached a weir (a series of poles across the river, like thousands along the shore and the shoreline of the bay, across which nets could be strung). Some of the boats hugged the shore to the left, some to the right, in order to get around. As they tried to go around, the lead boat to the left, PCF-3, was blown clear out of the water with a command detonated mine (someone was nearby to remotely detonate it). According to Sen. Kerry's account, Kerry was already injured himself, and his boat (already damaged from a second explosion) came under heavy fire, when Kerry heard "man overboard". He says that he ordered that the crew turn the boat around and return to pick up Rassmann, who had fallen off the port side or stern of PCF-94. Rassmann was for some reason unable to climb up over the cargo net near the bow of PCF-94, so Kerry pulled him on deck. The incident earned Kerry a Bronze Star for bravery and his third Purple Heart.