About Kerry's Purple Hearts And Reassignment

Boston Globe ^ | 6/16/2003 | Michael Kranish

[onedoug]

That in itself is great service to your country, not to mention those men.

Thank You. Everything Good, Always.

[D Rider]

How does one a Purple Heart the easy way? An inch this, an inch that way and a ding is a mortal wound.

But they wern't mortal, they were superficial.

My Uncle came home early in WWII, he did his 25 daylight raids. But that was the deal you do 25 and your done, and you were usually dead by 15.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Despite the democrats claims, fighter pilot duty IS dangerous just on its own.

This is the USAF squadron accidentis flying a series of ONLY 8-12 F-89, F-102, and F-106 fighters from Iceland (admittedly, more difficult than from the drier, warmer TX area!).

So, for an average of only 10 jets on duty in peacetime, they this number of crashes and accidetns:

Accidents and mishaps.

1) April 6, 1956. Northrop F-89D Scorpion, 54-199. 1st Lt. John N. Sexton was practising CGA approaches, and had just retracted his gear after his first approach, when a violent explosion in the engine section rocked the aircraft and smoke filled the cockpit. Lt. Sexton noted his position over the runway, and immediately decided to land wheels up. He touched down at the 4500 foot marker so gently that the aircraft just slid down the runway on its tanks and came to rest. Airframe damage was restricted to the pylon tanks and the rear lower section of the tailpipes. The aircraft was photographed with the unit in 1960. Photo: available

2) April 18, 1956. A Scorpion went down into the harbour off the end of runway 12, after a malfunction of the left engine. The pilot maneuvered his aircraft away from the fishing village of Ytri-Narðvík, and avoided collision with a fishing vessel. The aircraft stalled into the harbour and the pilot lost his life. The radar operator was saved. The pilot received a posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross for is valiant action in avoiding the loss of civilian life on the ground.

3) February 6, 1957,F-89D, 54-194 lost a nose wheel sliding off an ice coated runway while landing. Photo available

4) March 20, 1957, F-89D, 54-241 lost a wheel sliding off an ice coated runway during taxiing out for a scramble take off. Photo available.

5) April 20, 1957, F-89D, 54-198 suffered a flame out at 2000 ft (610 m), 24 km (13 NM) out of Keflavik. A wheels up landing was made but after sliding 3000 ft (914 m) down the runway it weered of onto the rocky shoulder and began shedding parts. The aircraft lost both engines, tail and all the lower fuselage. As it came to stop the left pylon tank began throwing burning fuel into the cockpit and the pilot elected to eject from the stationary wreck, thus becoming one of the first to actually save his life in this manner. Photo available

6) June 27, 1957. T-33A, 53-5077 was doing touch and go landings on runway 12 when suddenly after power was applied to go around, the nose settled to the runway, and then the whole aircraft. The aircraft slid down the runway on its belly, and came to a stop just off the edge of the runway on what is now called Charlie taxiway. There was no fire and no injury to the aircrew.

7) F-89D, 54-235 landed outside the runway most likely in 1959. The aircraft was written off, but the crew escaped. Another aircraft was lost without injury to the crew during the same year.

8) December 31, 1959, Lt. Ross (Pilot) and Lt. Slussar (R/O) were returning from a normal training mission and crashed in the traffic pattern, just short of the runway. Both were killed. Serial not known.

9) September 11, 1961, F-89D, 54-244 suffered an explosion in the left engine. The aircraft was landed safely.

10) March 21, 1962, F-89D, 54-248 suffered an explosion in the right engine while over Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe. The pilot did not want to eject over this icefield, and turned the aircraft towards Keflavik. The cockpit cleared of smoke in ten minutes, and the left engine kept going, although all communications were lost. The pilot brought the F-89 in to land without being able to contact the tower, and succeeded in landing even though a De Havilland L-20 Beaver was sitting on the approach end of the runway, waiting for take off clearance to search for the crippled F-89. The aircraft was written off bot was to be seen on the firedump even in 1965.

11) March 1. 1965. T-33A, 53-5470 suffered an hydraulic failure. Capt. John Turner was forced to land with the nose gear in partially extended position. He landed very softly and was able to ease the nose down so that the damage was confined to scratched plates on the nose underside. The a/c was operational two days later.

12) On the night of March 25, 1966, Capt. Cliff McCluney showed exceptional flying abilities, when he was leading a flight of "Deuces". When about 130 km (70 NM) out from Keflavik he experienced a failure of the oil system. He was able to keep his engine running until he was over the field. Then he was forced to shut it down and make a deadstick night landing, saving his aircraft and also averting possible loss of civilian life from a crashing aircraft.

13) On September 15, 1966, F-102A, 56-1403 crashed during a routine practice fly-by for a base open house. The aircraft nose over and dived into the ground.

14) On March 25, 1968, F-102A, 56-1396 suffered an engine failure about 185 km (100 NM) east of Keflavik. The pilot successfully ejected after gliding approx. 75 km (40 NM). He was picked up by a rescue helicopter. During this time two Selfridge based HC-97s were stationed at Keflavik on a trial basis, and one of those was overhead within 20 minutes, and directed the rescue helicopter to the site.

15) On January 22, 1973, F-102A 56-1321 crashed into the ocean about 30 km (17 NM) from Keflavik. This brought an end to 58 months of accident free flying for the 57th.

16) January 27, 1975. F-4C 63-7475 could not get the gear to lower after a routine training flight. The aircrew jettisoned the centerline fuel tank and made a gear up landing on the main tanks. The pilot Major Martindale was commended for his professional landing. The only damage was to the underwing tanks and the underside of the nose. The aircraft was repaired on site in just 39 days.

[Hon]

And just for the record, Kerry already had a pilot's license before he volunteered for the Navy. He claims to have loved flying all his life.

But not enough to be a pilot in Vietnam--or even the National Guard apparently.

[tinamina]

Any chance that John Kerry's connection to the Pershing family (his first marriage was in their house, he graduated from Yale and was fellow Skull and Bones member with Richard Warren Pershing, grandson of the famous General of the Armies, J. J. Pershing) would give him access to the Pentagon which would allow for his easy medals and early discharge?

[wtc911]

The point is that in order to get the PH you have to be where you can get killed and that can't be defined as "easy" any way you cut it.

About your uncle, where did he serve? My dad was 15th Air Force in Africa and Italy.

[TankerKC]

...burned its pilot alive...

No. According to your post the aircraft were lost, not the pilots. You'll need a better stat to prove your point.

[Hon]

"connection to the Pershing family"

That is chicken feed. By the time he went to Vietnam Kerry was already well connected with the Kennedys. He dated Jackie's half-sister and worked on Ted's Senatorial campaign.

[D Rider]

The point is that in order to get the PH you have to be where you can get killed and that can't be defined as "easy" any way you cut it.

never said it was. But many don't get purple hearts till their tour is finished for them.

About your uncle, where did he serve? My dad was 15th Air Force in Africa and Italy.

He doesn't give many details, but he flew out of England. He was a tailgunner.

[boop]

Amen! Kerry wants to run on his service in Vietnam. But this is ALL cancelled out by what he did when he got back to the states. He all but accused his fellow vets of genocide. Which way is it?

[wtc911]

That would have been the 8th. Glad he made it.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

A Purple Heart earned due to a wound from an American M40 grenade is earned falsely, is it not? I thought a Purple Heart is to be awarded to wounds inflicted by the enemy in combat, not wounds inflicted by friendly fire.

[wtc911]

It is awarded for combat wounds without discrimination.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Pretty minor distinction:

If 1 in 4 planes crash in peacetime, in "normal" military flight, THAT is imminent danger: Most often, ejection itsef severely wounds the pilot: broken bones, tears, internal injuries.


Here, we see by his own words that Kerry was only superficially wounded: And his Silver Star was (partially) earned by shooting a wounded VC in the back who was running away.

Quit picking on trivia.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

[The Purple Heart] is awarded for combat wounds without discrimination.

Not quite, but Army Regulation 600-8-22, paragraph 2-8b(6)(b), states that "Individuals wounded or killed as a result of “friendly fire” in the “heat of battle” will be awarded the Purple Heart as long as the“friendly” projectile or agent was released with the full intent of inflicting damage or destroying enemy troops or equipment."

In short, the origin of a wound being friendly fire isn't, in and of itself, disqualifying. I did find it interesting that a wound must have required treatment by a medical officer to qualify.

[TankerKC]

Pretty minor distinction:

No. The difference between crashing and dying is huge.

Besides, you are overstating this. 112 of 340 F-106 aircraft were lost in crashes or ground fires over a 29 years span. Do you know how many successful flights that is? I don't know the answer, but I can tell you that the aircraft could easily have had as many as 200 flights per year…that is a very conservative estimate. That would be 70800 total flights per year. Or, 2053200 flights over the 29 years. Even if you counted all 112 mishaps (some were ground fires) that is a 0.0055% accident rate. The fatality rate would be much lower that that.

[metalurgist]

So, another sleeper has awoken.

[Polybius]

How does one a Purple Heart the easy way? An inch this, an inch that way and a ding is a mortal wound.

The same thing can be said for not being hit at all.

Kerry's three Purple Hearts resulted in his missing two days of service for one of them and missing zero days of service for the other two.

He could have slipped and skinned his knee on the deck for all we know.

When asked by the Boston Globe for permission to see what medical treatment he received for those three Purple Hearts that required a grand total of two days of convalescence, Kerry refused to allow that information to be made public.

There are Purple Hearts that are earned and there are Purple Hearts that are handed out like Geedunk Medals.

''Just give me the aspirin. I already got a Purple Heart.''

[cookcounty]

3 1/2 months ----thats less than Gore's 5 months.