from a long-time friend (Cobra driver, etc, RVN, 68-69)-posted with permission...

Lumpy
********

Subject: Kerry has some baggage

Kerry has some baggage alright and Rassman might be part of it. I’ll bet the SF Vets have already held court on this. It would be interesting to know.

Jim

-----Original Message----- From: J.P.

From: "Richard Williamson"

To: "J.P."

Subject: Rubbing elbows with the elite?or scratch mine and ill scratch yours

Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2004 21:48:00 -0700

Guys, This is about Rassman.

I have been waiting and waiting for someone to jump on this puppy.

First of all I knew Rassman was fired (forced to retire???) from the LAPD because of sexual improprieties with illegals.

God what a class act, taking advantage of the most vulnerable. This "Post" is from Ben Lyons.

Ben was in my Company in 1968. He went to VN and ended up in SOG. He was a legendary Recon man and is written up in John Plaster's most recent book on SOG...

He is as real as the real deal gets, in other words, Ben is a HERO and a man of great HONOR. He crashed and burned in Central America on a jump that resulted in him becoming a para-pelagic.

John E. Cleckner Sr. Redding, CA.

On Sunday, August 29, 2004, at 04:46 PM, Paul Longgrear wrote:

Greetings Paul, Danny and friends:

Man, the above comment by Paul about Rassman is too good to pass up!

You see, my very first assignment in Vietnam was in the IV Corps Mike Force, A-403. I signed in in mid-July '69.

B-40 was the B Team for Mike Force "A" Teams and A-403 and A-405 lived with the B-Team at Can Tho.

Then Lt. James Rassman was in Can Tho and I think on A-405. He was on A-403 for the previous 2.5/3 months and before that, he was on A-404 (Based in the town of Cao Lan-sp?) the airboat battalion of the Mike Force.

This was his assignment when he and other USSF worked with Kerry and the "Swifties".

The airboat guys with their Chinese Nungs ("Strikers") say 15 or so troops, used to load up on these Swift boats and patrol the river banks, looking for Commies. I'm not sure exactly why A-404 wasn't using their airboats on this one but I believe it's because they were in for maintenance. Also, the airboats only had one .30 cal.machine gun while Swifts had several .50 cal, some 7.62mm MG's, and grenade launchers much more covering firepower for troops on shore.

Rassman's Commanding Officer (CO) on A-404 eventually took over A-403 while I was on 403. Plus, I worked with most of the A-403 guys who served with Rassman before they and he rotated back to the States.

So, in the almost six months I was on A-403 (mid-July to late Dec.

'69), I personally served with several men who personally served with LT. Rassman- they knew him well!

Right off the bat, I suspected that he was a bit "odd" in that when I heard his name mentioned, it was NOT; "Lieutenant Rassman" or "Jim Rassman", it was always -"Rassman" and in the context of a jerk! Now I know why!

Rassman had two major problems; the first was what we all suffered from when new in VN-a case of the "dumbass".

His second problem is what got a lot of guys killed or shot up; the combination of dumbass AND stupid decision making!

As a very young leader and in a nasty business, he was expected to do stupid things, as we all were, BUT at some point, one wises up OR gets shipped out, this is why Rassman was "shipped out" of A-404 and into A-403.

In the last few days, I've had a chat with both of these A-Team Commanders and very good friends and here's what happened:

The 403 CO needed a lieutenant and the 404 Commander wanted to get rid of one- you guessed it; Rassman, who by this time, say Spring of 1969, was getting close to ending his tour anyway. So, off goes Rassman to Can Tho and since two A Teams (403/405) plus the B-Team folks shared the same club/chow hall, I, a lowly "Enlisted Swine", got to rub elbows with the "jerk and infamous", one each- Lt.Rassman!

So, 35 years later, who would have thunk that a, at best, "par" infantry leader (I'll cut him some slack because he was in a front line combat infantry outfit, not hiding out in Oxford or some cushy REMF job and for his full 12 months, so pegging his as totally worthless, would not be fair -NOT that he deserves that slack mind you but fair is fair.)

would end up on center stage of US politics with one phony and treasonous son of a b---h; not me!- "Rassman"- naawwww!!

I've asked his commander from 404 (The A Team he was Executive Officer (XO) of when on Swift boats) if he thought that Rassman and Kerry had a "thing" going with medals-"you lie for me and I'll lie for you" kinda deal and he really didn't think so. Rassman was not well thought of and that reputation was earned but at least he was not medal hungry, OR at least not up until the time he got dumped off Kerry's boat!

While on those operations, the SF and Navy guys talked about making it through the next 24 hours without getting drilled and buying some n----e when the operation is over- typical GI stuff BUT not Kerry! His focus was on the US Senate and he sure was not humble about his aspirations, either.

Rassman voted for Democrats in the last two, maybe three presidential elections, so his political heart is that of a Democrat, even though he's supposed to be a registered Republican.

Take the above two paragraphs, add a "Rassman hunch" that maybe Kerry is going places politically and he (Rassman) could use a "chit" later on in life, because Rassman's military career was on "short final"- it is NOT inconceivable to me anyway, that Rassman bent the hell out of the truth or just outright lied, when Kerry went back to pluck him out of the drink!

Those boats had an immediate action drill (IA drill) in that if a boat(s) was blown by what was usually an electrically command detonated mine (The Commies would blow these things and then just leave or maybe squeeze off a magazine of AK and run vs. slugging it out with a bunch of .50 cal machine guns.) placed in the river channel. That IA drill was that each boat hoses down the closest river bank with ALL their machine guns, clear what may be the "kill zone" and then reevaluate the tactical situation.

When that boat was blown/disabled but not destroyed by a command mine, all the gunners opened up on the river banks, Kerry's boat cleared the kill zone and that acceleration tossed Rassman into the drink.

When Rassman popped to the surface, he must have thought he was in the middle of "World War Five" with all those machine guns going off, but what he didn't know, at that moment in time, was that there was LITTLE/INEFFECTIVE to NO incoming!

The proof of ineffective to NO enemy fire is that when the rest of the boats, I think four or five, were covering the disabled boat, NO boats/crew members were hit by enemy lead! Now, these boats are about 50 feet long- say four/five boats moving very slow around the disabled boat in the middle of the river, that's about 250 feet of "boat" and NONE ventilated by "heavy enemy fire" that Rassman/Kerry/a few others say was snapping around Kerry when he pulled Rassman from the water! Really!! (This is the action where Kerry got the Bonze Star with "V"device and I believe another Purple Heart.)

My point in the above is that; ONCE Rassman was safely back on Kerry's boat, his "pucker factor" back down to a somewhat "normal" flutter and certainly once on shore and heading for or drinking a beer, the fact that LITTLE to NO incoming bullets was the NORM, would have been kicked around by those present and THIS is the moment when Rassman had his chance to pass the "Character Test" but chose otherwise!

It's impossible to get into another persons head during a shoot-out BUT those of you who have been in some gun fights know exactly what I'm getting at: Once the smoke clears, troops accounted for, holes if any are patched up/med-evaced, and equipment cared for, only THEN do the FACTS of that gunfight become known to ALL in it- such as Rassman, Kerry and the "Swift Boat Vets for Truth"!!

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, he has trashed, by his former association, the honorable name of my US Army Special Forces and since we are all judged by the company we keep, his support for a self-serving, phony, and Traitor scum-bag like John Forbes Kerry sure judges him poorly!

A few closing comments:

I would love to know what that once scrawny, now porky turd is getting from Genghis Kerry in exchange for the total loss of professional respect that any combat soldier deserves. Surely, a man wouldn't sell his "soul"

to a slug like Kerry for those "15 Minutes"- OR would he?

Finally, as his former CO on A-404 said to me a week ago and tongue in cheek

-I hope!-: "Watch Kerry win, Rassman (A retired (Fired) ) Los Angeles County deputy sheriff.) ends up as head "dick" in the FBI and goes to NAILING those that said "naughty" things about him!" How sweet is that!

Danny, Paul and "You All"; Take Care and if any of you want to send my note to your friends, please do so BUT only in full, with no editing.

I'm tired of seeing/hearing about this jerk hob-nobing with Kerry and sliming by default, Special Forces and the IV Corps Mike Force.

Later, "Ben" Lyons, (USA-SF, Ret.) ======