Boil it down: How many SwiftLiars actually claim to have seen first-hand

[Sparkly]

any of the things they're alleging? Tweety started to get at it tonight: scratch the surface, and it's pretty much rumor and hearsay among them.

Who are the actual first-hand sources? (Take away the "no gunfire the day he saved Rassmann" argument, cuz that one's dead now.) Thurlow says Gardner. Who else?

[Zynx]

1. Only a few of them claim to have been in the general area, but those

people have contradictory evidence to contend with.

[Sparkly]

3. If you take away the "no fire" assertion, what's left?

Who's saying they saw Kerry write an after action report, or "apply" for a purple heart, or scratch himself with shrapnel, or anything else?

Somebody's saying they saw him "flee" during the Bronze Star episode. I read the after action report, and there was fire coming from further up and down the river -- I'll look that up and quote it...

[Sparkly]

4. Here it is

http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/SpotReports_March1969.pdf

Says fire continued for about 5,000 meters. Page 3. He wasn't "fleeing," if anything he was going into further fire to fight back. There are many other reports which show he was a fighter, and didn't flee.

[DoBotherMe]

2. Gardner WAS NOT ON PCF94

he was on 44. He has no eyewitness account to any of Kerry's purple hearts or medals of valor.

[Sparkly]

5. Well, so far I can't even come up with a he-said/he-said

Lots of info here, btw:

http://www.eriposte.com/media/liars_inc/swiftboat.htm