[MindBender26]

Hmmm. Let's see who runs with this......

[PISANO]

Only those who SERVED would know this to be a fact. The general public will NOT. The MEDIA/PRESS will NEVER take the TIME necessary to explain this so EXCEPTIONAL catagories and LAUDATORY narratives will be quoted and the nothing negative will come of this.

[BJungNan]

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

[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.

[Phantom Lord]

Why can't I find this on DU?

[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.

[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.

[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)

[Boxsford]

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

[kabar]

Kerry's selective release of him military records raises more questions than it answers. One very curious question arises over Kerry's bronze star citation. It was signed by John Lehman (no date provided) who was Secretary of the Navy 5 Feb 1981 - 10 Apr 1987. Since the event he was awarded the Bonze Star for took place in 1969, I wonder what were the circumstances surrounding this belated award. Someone had to initiate this request well after the fact. Perhaps Kerry was trying to burnish his record in preparation for his first run at the Senate. It is also curious because the event cited involved the same guy who showed up at the Kerry campaign in Iowa. Someone needs to raise this question.

http://wid.ap.org/documents/kerry/stars.pdf

[BluH2o]

These poor fitness reports could explain why Kerry came out of the Navy with an attitude. He spent the next several years denigrating the U.S. military Vietnam effort, in public forum, at every opportunity.

[Saundra Duffy]

Kerry has only one message - HATE BUSH. People are getting sick of his wining, his complaining, his criticism. It's like that's all he can do - bash Bush. As the word slowly gets out about this creep, his numbers will keep going down. Kerry doesn't even support our troops at a time when they are in harms way, FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!

[lepton]

Right on the nose.

[TexKat]

Hmmm. Let's see who runs with this......

Hannity for sure, will use this info up until November. Hannity will shout it from the mountain tops.

[Helms]

"The remaining marks for “Judgment” was one step down and 9 of the 16"

56.25%...Liberals Lack Judgement

[Not A Snowbird]

Wow. That is not a good evaluation. I don't know how things were back in Vietnam, but during my 21 years marks began as outstanding and were lowered for each category that wasn't up to scratch. Any mark in the excellent category was noticeable, and an "above average" was the kiss of death.

[BunnySlippers]

The text you quoted is not from the link you posted. Where is the text from?

[MSSC6644]

I'm usually not so negative, but don't forget that BILL CLINTON, draft dodger, won the election twice, once against the incumbent George Bush.

[Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek]

Ketchup Boy may be a joke waiting for the punch line, but so is the military rating system - - - which is clearly drenched in illusion and dishonesty.

Have they gotten around to making officer ratings more realistic, or is it still being done in this stupid and dishonest manner?

[Hemingway's Ghost]

As a lowly Midshipman 3/C on summer cruise (i.e., only a few weeks after being a plebe), I wrote fitreps for the guys in the division I was assigned to on the USS (not going to say which ship JIC). The officer, who didn't feel like writing them himself, gave me a little guide other officers used on how to write fitreps---chock-filled with certain catchphrases, etc. He told me it was SOP to lift the catchphrases right from the guide.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT