Posted on 08/30/2004 9:46:39 AM PDT by Tacis
I have reviewed the available documents related to Kerry’s military service. They all appear to have been posted on Kerry’s site and then reposted on an amazing number of other sites. Where they came from, I.e., Kerry’s personal home file or in response to a request (Form 180?) to the Navy or a combination, is unknown. My source is a hostile site, “awolbush.com”.
In an “Officer Candidate (OCS) Agreement between the United States of American, Department of the Navy and ...Kerry,” “The Obligor [Kerry] agrees to serve a total period of six years in the Naval Reserve of the United States Navy, including active and inactive duty.” This page has no date but contextually can effective in early 1966. Several other forms show “Normal Date of Expiration of Enlistment” to be “17 FEB 72.”
In late 1969, Kerry asks to be released from active duty to run for Congress. In a letter dated 2 January 1970, Kerry was released from active duty and specifically notified that his status was “member of the Naval Reserve on inactive duty.” In additional to some housekeeping issues, this letter says, “In the event that you plan travel or residence in foreign countries for a period in excess of 30 days, notice of intent will be submitted to the command having custody of your service record.”
There are no official documents available indicating Kerry plan foreign travel in excess of 30 days. This could mean that he didn’t travel (we do know he was in Paris helping the Viet Cong), he traveled but didn’t comply with orders, or he traveled and complied with orders but is concealing the documents.
There is no document that explains why Kerry wasn’t discharged effective Feb, 72, how/why his period of enlistment was extended or what happened from 1972 to 1978. In a letter dated Feb 16 1978, the Secretary of the Navy informed Kerry that he was honorably discharged from the USNR. This decision was made after a board of officers met to determine whether “...officers of the Naval Reserve on inactive duty ... Should be retained on the rolls .. or separated from the naval service...” This language may be boilerplate or it may mean that a process preceded Kerry’s discharge. While this letter enclosed an Honorable Discharge Certificate, no such document appears to be available for review.
Thus, Kerry was not automatically discharged after the agreed to 6 year period of enlistment but was discharged exactly after 12 years. This may have been a simple result of war time policy. Yet, I’ve never heard Kerry brag about his 12 years of military service, a credential that might significantly add substance to his Nam experience of 16 weeks.
Most intriguing are the Kerry military documents after his discharge (not including the undated citations allegedly signed by Zumwalt and Lehman). The first is an undated list of the key events (there are 8) in Kerry’s service from “Inducted” to “Discharged for [sic]U. S. Naval Reserve.” This list is headed, “The following information was compiled from the service record of John Forbes Kerry by LCDR D. H. Myers, JAGC, USN, NAPC-06P, Office of Legal Counsel, Naval Military Personnel Command,” and ends with an entry that says, in part, “TYPD: 01/25/85.” There is no document that indicates why this list was written, what it was used for or what it means.
The second is a letter dated 24 May 1986 from LCDR Shultz of the Navy “National Personnel Records Center” in St. Louis to “Senator Kerry.” Shultz writes, “Your request of the 9th of May concerning documentation of your Naval Service ...” and list nine items/dates (substantially the same as the JAG list and adds as another item what appears to be the transition from officer candidate school to commissioning as an Ensign). The letter ends with, “If additional copies or information is required from your official Naval Records ...”
Thus, it appears that a Form 180 was not submitted, only a “request” for a specific list of documents included in the overall record. No copy of the May 9 request appears to be available for review. It might be that the 1985 JAG list was an accommodation and prepared for a Senator to identify only those selected documents that Kerry wanted to have officially sent to him. This would allow him and his office to claim that “you have all the official records that the Navy sent.”
Finally, on March 12, 2001 (“20010312”) a DD Form 215, Correction to DD 214, was issued, correcting the “Original” Form DD 214 dated 03-01-70, item 24. Four medals/ribbons are listed and then the entry, “Delete: Vietnam Service Medal; Add: Vietnam Service Medal with 4 bronze stars.” There is no document to show why the revision was made, who asked for it or what else was done to the record. This revision is instructive because, in a letter dated 27 March 1969, Kerry was notified that he was “...eligible for the Vietnam Service Medal with 02 stars.” Thus, after more than 30 years, Kerry is paying close enough attention to the differences between his records and the official records to ask that the official records be changed (in his favor) by two bronze stars on a service ribbon (didn’t he say he threw that away?).
In summary, it is clear that there must be additional documents in Kerry’s official Navy file, documents that he is concealing (by refusing to have them made public) and documents that he apparently has not requested of the Navy so that he can continue to claim that they don’t exist. We don’t know if the Navy court martialed Kerry in the early 70s for a treason related offense but there must be some dark secret involved for him to resist release of his WHOLE official file so tenaciously. Stated another way, he has released so much personal information (what appears to be Kerry’s social security number is contained in the records he has released), why would he NOT authorize an independent researcher to have his ENTIRE official Navy file.
No, Kerry is hiding something not related to his service in Viet Nam (it might involve his service FOR Viet Nam), but clearly related to his time in the USNR. And, the USNR is not about to reveal anything without specific authorization about a sitting Senator who might, God forbid, become the next CinC.
There are other items in the portion of Kerry’s military record not censored that are of interest. For example, he claims to speak Vietnamese.
Both of Kerry's trips to Vietnam (Gridley and Swifts) overlapped into two separate campaign periods. He legitimately qualified for two stars on each of them for a total of four.
I dont know, and maybe somebody with better knowledge than me can answer this. But if Kerry has 4 bronze stars like he says he should also have orders to that and or recognition letters for his service in such and such operation, such as mine for operation enduring freedom and operation iraqi freedom (WOT medal with one bronze star). Unless objectives are recognized.
bookmark
Very, interesting!!
I don't know military law but...wouldn't a court martial for treason be in the public record?
I think you're on to something concerning his reserve time. I've always wondered how a reserve naval officer could comport himself and say the myriad things he said (re: his superiors complicity in war crimes) and not be called on it was uncharicteristic of the military as I knew it from1968-1972.
research bump
Copped a plea or a gummint spy? Or both.
A worthy line of investigation.
I've been studing the FBI files and it is one option that I have been looking at. The VVAW was giving the US a lot of crap. Others in VVAW that were found to be in violation of the law were prosecuted, not Kerry, why?
But, Kerry was being investigated by the FBI. And a lot of what he did he wouldn't have needed to do as a mole in the VVAW.
Many possible scenarios here. Unless proven otherwise, Kerry could claim he went to Paris as the official 'unofficial' negotiator for the State Department. The advance team. Another straw to grab when he comes up for air.
Wasn't there something in the Nixon tapes concerning Kerry? Could it be that the Nixon WH had the DoD keep him on? Republicans held the WH until January 20, 1977.
The "Honorable Discharge" was issued during the Carter years.
Maybe the reason Kerry wasn't prosecuted is one word in the form of "Kennedy"...
That is correct - it was an official response by the Navy, in the form of a letter, to a specific request by Kerry in his 1986 election.
See more SUPPORTING POINTS & AUTHORITIES, II. Kerry avoided combat duty and officially joined the US Naval Reserve (like the National Guard)
Good research here. Thanks, Tacis!
How many of them had connections in high places in the majority party? Kerry carried water for Senator Fullbright.
Except each period required 6 months of service and he spent most of his time on the Gridley off the coast of California & traveling to Australia and then left SwiftBoats after 4 months.
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