Posted on 08/27/2004 4:41:58 AM PDT by kristinn
In the midst of the controversy between the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and Kerry campaign representatives about Kerry's service in Vietnam, new questions have arisen.
The Kerry campaign has repeatedly stated that the official naval records prove the truth of Kerry's assertions about his service.
But the official records on Kerry's Web site only add to the confusion. The DD214 form, an official Defense Department document summarizing Kerry's military career posted on johnkerry.com, includes a "Silver Star with combat V."
But according to a U.S. Navy spokesman, "Kerry's record is incorrect. The Navy has never issued a 'combat V' to anyone for a Silver Star."
Naval regulations do not allow for the use of a "combat V" for the Silver Star, the third-highest decoration the Navy awards. None of the other services has ever granted a Silver Star "combat V," either.
Fake claims not uncommon
B.G. Burkett, a Vietnam veteran himself, received the highest award the Army gives to a civilian, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award, for his book Stolen Valor. Burkett pored through thousands of military service records, uncovering phony claims of awards and fake claims of military service. "I've run across several claims for Silver Stars with combat V's, but they were all in fake records," he said.
Burkett recently filed a complaint that led last month to the sentencing of Navy Capt. Roger D. Edwards to 115 days in the brig for falsification of his records.
Kerry's Web site also lists two different citations for the Silver Star. One was issued by the commander in chief of the Pacific Command (CINCPAC), Adm. John Hyland. The other, issued by Secretary of the Navy John Lehman during the Reagan administration, contained some revisions and additional language. "By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty, Lieutenant (j.g.) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself... ."
One award, three citations
But a third citation exists that appears to be the earliest. And it is not on the Kerry campaign Web site. It was issued by Vice Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, commander of U.S. naval forces in Vietnam. This citation lacks the language in the Hyland citation or that added by the Lehman version, but includes another 170 words in a detailed description of Kerry's attack on a Viet Cong ambush, his killing of an enemy soldier carrying a loaded rocket launcher, as well as military equipment captured and a body count of dead enemy.
Maj. Anthony Milavic, a retired Marine Vietnam veteran, calls the issuance of three citations for the same medal "bizarre." Milavic hosts Milinet, an Internet forum popular with the military community that is intended "to provide a forum in military/political affairs."
Normally in the case of a lost citation, Milavec points out, the awardee simply asked for a copy to be sent to him from his service personnel records office where it remains on file. "I have never heard of multi-citations from three different people for the same medal award," he said. Nor has Burkett: "It is even stranger to have three different descriptions of the awardee's conduct in the citations for the same award."
So far, there are also two varying citations for Kerry's Bronze Star, one by Zumwalt and the other by Lehman as secretary of the Navy, both posted on johnkerry.com.
Kerry's Web site also carries a DD215 form revising his DD214, issued March 12, 2001, which adds four bronze campaign stars to his Vietnam service medal. The campaign stars are issued for participation in any of the 17 Department of Defense named campaigns that extended from 1962 to the cease-fire in 1973.
However, according to the Navy spokesman, Kerry should only have two campaign stars: one for "Counteroffensive, Phase VI," and one for "Tet69, Counteroffensive."
94 pages of records unreleased?
Reporting by the Washington Post's Michael Dobbs points out that although the Kerry campaign insists that it has released Kerry's full military records, the Post was only able to get six pages of records under its Freedom of Information Act request out of the "at least a hundred pages" a Naval Personnel Office spokesman called the "full file."
What could that more than 100 pages contain? Questions have been raised about President Bush's drill attendance in the reserves, but Bush received his honorable discharge on schedule. Kerry, who should have been discharged from the Navy about the same time -- July 1, 1972 -- wasn't given the discharge he has on his campaign Web site until July 13, 1978. What delayed the discharge for six years? This raises serious questions about Kerry's performance while in the reserves that are far more potentially damaging than those raised against Bush.
Experts point out that even the official military records get screwed up. Milavic is trying to get mistakes in his own DD214 file corrected. In his opinion, "these entries are not prima facie evidence of lying or unethical behavior on the part of Kerry or anyone else with screwed-up DD214s."
Burkett, who has spent years working with the FBI, Department of Justice and all of the military services uncovering fraudulent files in the official records, is less charitable: "The multiple citations and variations in the official record are reason for suspicion in itself, even disregarding the current swift boat veterans' controversy."
I cannot understand the length of time it took kerry to be discharged.
Was he still active service when he was writing books with upside down American flags on the cover mocking Iwa Jima troops from WWII?
Was he in the naval reserves while he was doing all of this crap-or was he in the reserves at all?
And could the years of delay have been due to kerry fighting, with his lawyers alongside, to overturn an action taken against him by the military? Like a 'dishonorable discharge'...or would that be ridiculous to consider because such discharges are not given to medal holders, regardless of their actions after receiving um? Duuno. But the TIME TABLE IS WEIRD.
And if this kerry anti- war group, that considered assassinations of US senators, WAS part of the reason for Watergate scandal ( a suspected collusion between kerry's groups and the DNC?) then......whoa baby-here comes another huge can of worms!
Still and all...things have not seemed to have changed much between kerry, the press and the DNC. What a creepy cabal.
(Howlin-pretty good 'Cap' control for moi! hehe)
It just keeps getting better! You gotta' read this.
24 - "I saw alot of valor that went unrecognized, and some medals awarded that were unwarranted. Winning medals wasn't the point and it doesn't separate the heroes from the every day grunt."
I agree - so I really can't vilify Kerry (while he was in 'Nam) - there was a lot of valor that went unrecognized, and unrewarded. And on occasion there was a glory hound, who 'spun' the stories/paperwork to collect extra 'fruit salad'.
However, I personally think that Kerry 'spun' his reports to get medals and purple hearts to get his butt out of the war, when he found out just how 'hot' it was. And he had a job/purpose - to get back and run for president (yes even then it was his plan).
And his actions after he got back to the 'world' got a bunch of my friends and comrads killed - and got me spit upon.
I believe that you have this story wrong. The one I recall was about a Navy admiral (or USMC general?) who was exposed for wearing a medal he had not earned. In the midst of the uproar that ensued he committed suicide.
18 - "given the very late discharge date "
In those days, reserve officers were in for long periods of time, and were required to perform certain amounts of active duty, active reserve and inactive reserve time.
Kerry applied for an early 'release from active duty', to run for congress. This was granted, but he was still in the reserves for many years, and all the time he was out there lying and protesting, he was still an officer in the Navy reserve.
He should have been recalled to active duty and tried for treason.
This will make a very nice bookmark for my copy of "Unfit For Command." Thanks!
Bookmarked
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Nothing new on Mc G. Just the usual dem corruption in his delaying his resignation until after the point at which we can run a special election to replace him.
My sense is that he is resigning because he will likely get indicted for fund raising irregularities soon, not because he is gay.
I think that there is a segment of the population in NJ that loves Bush because of how he is handling the war against terror.
Two medals - Navy Achievement Medal and Navy Commendation Medal. Despite the Clinton/Dalton/Zumwalt/Boorda family spin to the contrary, Boorda was not and is still not authorized the Combat V on either medal.
Kerry citation a 'total mystery' to ex-Navy chief LEHMAN
August 28, 2004
Former Navy Secretary John Lehman has no idea where a Silver Star citation displayed on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's campaign Web site came from, he said Friday. The citation appears over Lehman's signature.
"It is a total mystery to me. I never saw it. I never signed it. I never approved it. And the additional language it contains was not written by me," he said.
The additional language varied from the two previous citations, signed first by Adm. Elmo Zumwalt and then Adm. John Hyland, which themselves differ. The new material added in the Lehman citation reads in part: "By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty, Lieutenant (jg) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself...."
Asked how the citation could have been executed over his signature without his knowledge, Lehman said: "I have no idea. I can only imagine they were signed by an autopen." The autopen is a device often used in the routine execution of executive documents in government.
Kerry senior adviser Michael Meehan could not be reached for comment on Kerry's records.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-lips28.html
BTTT!
Drudge had this reporter on last night. Why isn't this getting more attention?
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