Discussion Thread: Kerry's Appearance on GMA Regarding Medals

Good Morning America - ABC News

[Timeout]

Update:

I sent this information to my reporter friend. Haven't heard back.

But I also sent it to Patrick Healy at the Boston Globe. I focused only on why Lehman signed the last citation. Healy emailed me back within an hour, saying:
___________________________________________________
Dear _________, thanks for writing. This is interesting;
I don't have an explanation for it. Will look into -- thanks, Pat
___________________________________________________

Guess I'll have to start reading the Globe.

[Timeout]

Thanks for helping me keep it all staight.

[kabar]

Good news from the Globe, oddly enough. I have tried to think of some explanation for the Lehman involvement and can only come up with a Kerry initiated request for replacement medals. If it were just a matter of replacing the citations, I would assume the Navy would issue copies of the existing ones.

[Aliska]

and can only come up with a Kerry initiated request for replacement medals.

Would the Navy be likely to issue replacement medals to someone who threw theirs away? Somebody slip a replacement request through without knowing the particulars? Strange business no matter how you cut it.

If there were replacement medals, the paperwork leading up to that would be of interest how it was spun.

[Timeout]

Healy has been the main Globe reporter on Kerry for several years....and it hasn't all been complimentary. I think he doesn't like him.

[kabar]

Exactly. We don't have all of the paperwork. Kerry is so obsessed with his military record that he updated his decorations in March 2001 (DD215). Many of us could do that, especially with Unit citations, but there would be no real point in doing so. It really says something about Kerry's behavior, which goes beyond odd.

Re your point about replacing medals for those who threw them away, I doubt if Kerry would have given that as an explanation. Also, if he was a Senator or Lt. Governor at the time, I think the Navy would accommodate him just for PR and Congressional support.

[Aliska]

I think the Navy would accommodate him just for PR and Congressional support.

Depends on who you are, politics, I suppose.

If an ordinary person who worked for the government did something like that, or any number of other things, and if they were found out, they wouldn't fare too well career-wise.

For starters, you would be sent to counselling and your security clearance would be in jeopardy.

[TomEwall]

Good question. I still don't know what happened. He claimed:
1) He threw his medals (6, 7, 8, or 9)
2) He didn't throw his medals because he didn't have time to go home and get them
3) He threw his ribbons, and someone else's medals
4) He didn't want to throw medals, but they had a vote the night before, and the decision was made to throw medals.

A caller to the Rush Limbaugh show asked if they had voted the night before to throw the medals, then how could Kerry say the next day that he didn't have time to go get them? He would already of had them.

So which is it? Did he not get the medals because he didn't have time to get them? Or did he make up the story about the vote?

[MCFujiTanker]

I only have 2 medals but I have 6 ribbons...all medals have a ribbon, but some ribbons are just ribbons. The Navy has marksmanship ribbons, not a medal or badge. I had a Navy Unit Commendation...but it was only a ribbon, it didn't come with a medal. Semper Fidelis.

[prairiebreeze]

Thanks MC. And thanks for your service to country

Prairie