Posted on 04/29/2004 7:38:53 PM PDT by ranair34
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By: Pass 'Doc' Meza Vietnam Veteran Of Five Proudly Served Tours Since becoming the Democratic Party presumptive nominee likely to challenge President G. W. Bush in the forthcoming November 2004 Presidential Election, he has had problems defending his Senatorial Voting Record. Aside from that, he has had to defend his “Other Record”, the Real Record of his Liberal Leaning Left Ideology, the betrayal of the Vietnam Veterans through his portrayal of them as murders and rapists. His involvement in the Vietnam Veterans Against The War and his slanderous lies that resulted from the “Winter Soldiers Investigations” sponsored by Hanoi Jane Fonda. His questionable conduct that earned him his Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts supposedly in four shorts months of service in Vietnam. Prior to becoming the front runner, he was able to stay in the background and divert most of the attention to the other candidates. Now that he is the focus of the spotlight he is not doing very well under the microscope! His use of his military service record and Vietnam Service are part of his centerpiece to portray him as a strong leader qualified to run this country, strong on Defense while in actually his Senatorial voting Records says just the opposite! He has opposed everything militarily in fact to the point of sponsoring bills to counter budgets requesting funds be redirected to other areas of his concerns. How can he be expected to be Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces if he has such disdain for the military? A presumptive presidential nominee that dishonored his Military Awards and the military by throwing his medals/ribbons over a makeshift wall towards the Capital Building housing members of Congress. He certainly can’t be expected to support the military and its needs to defend this nation. I daresay that he cannot expect loyalty from them if he can’t give them the same. My first question concerning his Silver Star would be, how does engaging a single, fleeing, unarmed; wounded enemy soldier and executing him constitute the requirement for it. In accordance with SECNAVINST 1650.1G from the Secretary of the Navy its purpose is the Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual. These are the guidelines that are used to justify the recommendations and the eventual awarding of any authorized Valorous, Meritorious, Achievement or Service Awards. DEFINITION. A military decoration is an award bestowed on an individual for a specific act or acts of gallantry or meritorious services. The opening stanza for the Silver Star begins with: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action. Where does this fit in the actions of Lt. (jg) John F. Kerry, when he engaged an unarmed already severely wounded Viet Cong combatant and by his own admission administered the “coup-de-grace?” His own gunner admits that he had seriously wounded the Viet Cong with 50 cal. machine gun fire and anyone that has see the damaged inflicted by 50 cal. rounds know that survivability is very low. An examination of Kerry’s war record notes that his Commanding Officer at the time questioned Kerry’s first Purple Heart, which he supposedly earned for a wound received just two weeks after arriving in country. “He had a little scratch on his forearm and he was holding a piece of shrapnel” recalls his Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Grant Hibbard. Hibbard goes on to say that, ”I don’t think that we got any fire and there this guy holding a little piece of shrapnel in his palm.” He also says that he couldn’t be certain whether Kerry actually came under fire on Dec. 2, 1968 and that is why he questions the Purple Heart Awarded for this action. He says that Kerry persisted but that he dropped the matter until he received correspondence referencing it and he finally acquiesced and said, “OK, if that’s what happened.” During the Vietnam War, Purple Hearts were often granted for minor wounds. This may have been true concerning the Navy but that was not the case with the Marine Corps Grunts and their Corpsmen or the Army’s Infantrymen and their medics. They usually bore the brunt of Ground Combat Operations and their wounds were more along the life threatening variety. Many “Grunts”, Marines and US Army Infantrymen, would ignore minor wounds not even bothering to report them, allow their field medics or corpsmen to treat them and continue their missions. They would not “Politic” for a Purple Heart for they considered it disloyal to leave the field for something minor and abandon their Brothers-in-Arms! Yes, the Purple Hearts were coming down in boxes but so were the body bags with casualties numbering 500 plus weekly. The proud Enlisted “Grunts” never selected the easy way out and yet we have one highly visible Officer and a Gentleman takes this route out of continued service in a combat zone. It should be remembered that this was an option available to Lt. (jg) John F. Kerry, not a mandate, yet he chose to cut and run! A characteristic that may come back to haunt us if he is elected President and Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces. Kerry said that he received treatment for a wound on Dec. 3, 1968 and IAW with the Purple Heart regulation in effect at the time said that a wound must “require treatment by a medical officer.” The Naval Historical Center cannot locate a copy of the original card for the incident, nonetheless confirmed that Kerry did receive the Purple Heart. The remaining two Purple Hearts do appear to have some merit with shrapnel involvement to his thigh and buttocks regions with some bruising to his upper torso when thrown against the bulkhead of his boat. The Initiation is as follows: A recommendation for an award may be submitted by any commission officer, senior to the individual being recommended, having knowledge of any act, achievement or service which may warrant such award. A recommendation originated by other than the commanding officer of the individual concerned must be forwarded to the commanding officer for endorsement. I wonder who initiated the award recommendation or was it based on his boat’s after action report and initiated by his commanding officer based on his knowledge of any act. This is very circumstantial as anyone can enhance his after action report to make himself look heroic. The Heroic Act(s) performed must render the individual conspicuous and well above the standard expected. An accumulation of minor acts of heroism normally does not justify the award, but unusual or exceptional cases will be decided on their merits. Based on all of the fore mentioned requirements, Lt. (jg) Kerry’s action does not meet the necessary criteria required by the Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual. I seriously questioned the higher echelon reviews and recommendation of said award. I know that for any other ground-pounding Marine or Army Infantrymen that served in Vietnam, you practically had to be short of dying before recognition for this high award would be given. These infantrymen and Marines were consistently exposed, on a day to day basis, to more potentially lethal confrontation then was Lt. (jg) Kerry. Purple Heart (PH)
John F. Kerry has taken issued with all of the questions surrounding his awards and in particular the awarding of the three Purple Hearts and how he came to earn them. The John F. Kerry that we saw today on “Good Morning America” is the same angry Vietnam Veteran of the 1970’s. His vicious attacks directed at President Bush in the last few weeks have revealed a fanatically ambitious man who is mean spirited, seeking higher office without regards to cost or concerns for probity and integrity in language or campaign tactics. He seems to forget that it was his supporter, the arrogant and obnoxious Michael Moore who in January called President Bush a “deserter” when referring to President Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. On a talk show on February 1, 2004, the Democratic National Chairman, Terry McAuliffe |
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