James Rassmann (born c. 1948) is a former Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department lieutenant who served with the U.S. Army's 5th Special Forces Group in the Vietnam War in 1968 and 1969. Now a resident of the U.S. state of Oregon, he has credited U.S. Senator John Kerry with having rescued him from the Bay Hap River on March 13, 1969. After having not seen Kerry for more than 30 years, he contacted the Kerry campaign and asked how he could help. He expressed that he had attempted to contact Kerry, whom he credits with saving his life, in 1984, but Kerry said he did not receive any message from Rassmann. Rassmann was a registered Republican at the time he stepped forward to contradict the Republican attack ads . He said that he voted for Democrats Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, but also Republicans Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. In January 2004, Rassmann officially changed his registration to the Democratic Party. Rassmann declared his support for Kerry in the Presidential race and the Kerry campaign engineered a meeting. The surprise reunion is credited with rousing veteran support for Kerry and propelling him to a victory in the Iowa caucus and beyond.
Rassman continued to challenge the Swift Boat Veterans' account of events throughout the campaign. He traveled with Kerry on the campaign trail in May. In August 2004 he and former Senator Max Cleland, along with several other veterans and members of the U.S. Senate, attempted to hand-deliver a letter to President George W. Bush, requesting that he condemn the Swift Boat group's TV ads.
Continued political activity
Rassman has stayed active in politics; in 2006 he was one of several veterans who criticized then-Senator Hillary Clinton's support of the Iraq War.