Kerry Sandbagged Into Releasing Bad Performance Report From Navy Service In Vietnam.

The Smoking Gun ^ | U.S. Navy

[MindBender26]

John Kerry has just released his "Officer's Fitness Report" from his service in Vietnam. Kerry officials, with no knowledge of military operations, think the report is laudatory. In reality, it is disasterous.

Back in the Vietnam days, officers’ ratings were vastly inflated. To even be considered for promotion or a better assignment, an officer needed top grades in all categories. For example, in his book Colin Powell described how a dispute between his wife and his division commander’s wife led to one mark in one category out of 14 being less than perfect, and how, until it was corrected by a general further up the chain of command, it would have stopped Powell at one star.

Back then, the verbal descriptions of an officer’s service were always laudatory, and virtually meaningless. Many raters used standard paragraphs to describe every subordinate from a future member of the Joint Chiefs to “Beatle Bailey with gold bars” in glowing terms.

The actual rating was effectively “coded” into the comparative section. There a Navy officer was rated in 16 categories such as “Loyalty,” Judgment,” “Courage,” Personal Behavior,” etc. Each officer would receive one of nine rankings, ranging from “Exceptional” to “One of the Top Few,” “Above the Majority,” down to “Unsatisfactory” in each of those 16 categories. Anything less than perfect in any of the 16 categories was a clear indication of an undesirable officer.

Remember, these rankings were highly inflated, with at least 60% of the officers having perfect rankings in all 16 categories. Most of the others would receive one ranking less than perfect in one category…. and their careers were effectively over.

Lt. Kerry received only 6 of 16 rankings in the highest category. The remaining marks for “Judgment” was one step down and 9 of the 16 other marks were two steps down. When ranking these Efficiency Reports arithmetically, when one “down point” could end a career, Kerry had 19 “down points.”

Is there any wonder why the Navy had no objection to his early return from Vietnam and his subsequent early removal from the service. They wanted him away from the guns, where he couldn’t hurt Americans.

The Kerry Clowns tell us their man is fit to run the military and protect us. They are proven wrong for at least three reasons:

1. Kerry’s prior anti-US statements shown to be lies.

2. Kerry’s poor military performance, as shown in this report released today.

3. The lack of the senior staff’s knowledge as to what this report really means, and how it further diminishes his campaign…. and his stature, such as it is.

[EternalHope]

This article is absolutely correct, at least as far as the Air Force is concerned. I was an officer in the Air Force at the same time, and this was known by literally every officer.

This was a VERY BAD performance report.

That Kerry's staff did not know this speaks volumes.

[Semper Paratus]

I was involved in a project at Coast HQ in late 70's that microfiched all officer fitness reports and had to review the records before and after fiching.

What I saw was most Ensigns got hammered on at least a couple of categories especially in the CO's written comments. By the time an officer got the 'scambled eggs' on his visor they were usually perfect.

[Phantom Lord]

Why can't I find this on DU?

[Protagoras]

Thanks

[Agnes Heep]

Back then, the verbal descriptions of an officer’s service were always laudatory, and virtually meaningless. Many raters used standard paragraphs to describe every subordinate from a future member of the Joint Chiefs to “Beatle Bailey with gold bars" in glowing terms.

I work with Air Force personnel and this apparently is still true.

[Protagoras]

It's a vanity by the poster. A good one, but a vanity. I asked the same question.

[jdege]

When I was doing OERs, it wasn't where the marks were that mattered, but where they were with respect to other officers rated by the same officer.

In other words, if you got all 2's, and the average officer rated by the officer that rated you got 3's, you were doing quite well, and if the average officer got 1's, you were doing poorly.

This statistical tracking of how each rating officer ranked rated officers was introduced for the sole purpose of breaking the fence-posts problem that existed in the previous reporting system.

I don't know when this was introduced. But if Kerry was in service prior to that introduction, anything other than straight 1's was a weak showing, and 3's in more than half the categories was a clear career-killer.

[Punditstar]

Kerry is an absolute fraud-- I hope America recognizes this before election day.

[MEG33]

Have you heard John O'Neill?

[JoeSixPack1]

1 missed mark on an officer's fitness report back in the early 70's, USMC, kept you in rank. After three passes at promotion because of that one missed mark on a single quarterly fitness report, you were sent packing with an honorable & a pension.

I just about fell out of my chair reading about kerry's fitness reports. Total shitbird with zero chance of promotion beyonf a field bump, or frag.

[Howlin]

Over here.

[MACVSOG68]

Fitreps are always inflated, not just during the Vietnam Era. That being said, one mark or two below perfect isn't a major deal for a LTjg, especially since he is noted as being new to the command. It is fairly common to downgrade a new check in for ranking reasons and then move him up. You have to leave room to do this. 9 below might be a different story but I don't know that this is that big of a deal.

That's absolutely right. I would not tap his VN record and hope for some smoking gun. His fitrep wasn't great, but did not indicate anything terrible either. There is so much more to work with by outing his VVAW record and his record in the Senate.

[BluH2o]

The question is whether the mainstream press is going to be concerned with the relatively low ranking. My fear is that they won't be.

Since many of the senior editor, journalist types, were dodging the draft back in that era, Kerry will get a pass. We'll be told that was years ago, what relevance does it have today? This, in spite of the fact Kerry's whole political career revolves around his stint in Vietnam. The next few days should be interesting.

[Arrowhead1952]

They wanted him away from the guns, where he couldn’t hurt Americans.

Wonder how many of the John Kerry was "unofficially credited" with killing 20 enemy fighters were Americans? HUM......

(John Kerry was "unofficially credited" with killing 20 enemy fighters)

[MindBender26]

>"Army O-3 veteran here (70-76; USAREUR and ASA)..."

My Man!!!!

Same-same 65-71, Two tours RVN, 4th PsyWar Bn (the "Mind Benders" - 26 was the radio call suffix.)

Two tours; One for God and Country.... second one because had so much fun the first time!!!

[Airborne Longhorn]

HOOOO--AAAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

[Wooly]

When I take what I know from serving in the Navy and apply it to John Kerry, what I come up with is an Officer who the command was wanting to get rid of. So in the Vietnam era this meant giving an Officer a medal to make him a hero and transferring his butt out of the command.

[MindBender26]

>The link shows only the document. Where does the information in the thread come from about the rankings?

Six years experience in being ranked, ranking and reviewing others rankings (writing a "concurring review" of the original review)

This situation was heavily covered in the military press for a number of years, leading to current system where they try, with some success, to prevent "ranking inflation"

Think Hack also wrote about it in one book or memo.

[Boxsford]

Did you see this? Maybe Bush would like to debate Kerry's records with reports like this coming out.

[Howlin]

and Hillary is making herself more and more visible.

Just look at the articles about her in the last few days here at FR:

HERE