The Kerry Medals Mystery

The Boston Globe ^ | 4/29/04 | Jeff Jacoby

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

IF JOHN KERRY hadn't already clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, his medals meltdown on "Good Morning America" this week would have sunk his campaign. Much as Howard Dean's crazed "I Have A Scream" speech jolted voters into wondering whether someone so hotheaded should be allowed anywhere near the nuclear trigger, Kerry's abusive tirade on ABC gave millions of viewers a foretaste of how far presidential discourse will sink if Kerry becomes president.

[boxerblues]

Kerry is sinkng faster than I would like him to. We need him to at least make it to the convention otherwise who knows what the sneaky DNC has in store for us.

[clee1]

A Boston, Taxitucetts paper carried this????

That long-ago episode is an issue today only because Kerry's versions of it have changed so many times and because it so perfectly typifies his lifelong habit of saying one thing today and something else tomorrow -- and then denying having done so.

This country barely survived 8 years under the control of a pathological liar and his communist wife - we cannot risk any more time with a lying lefty at the helm.

[Mensch]

The Torricelli Option

[boxerblues]

The Dems did it once and got away with it, whats from stopping them if Kerry slips to far down?

[longtermmemmory]

Would someone please explain these ribbons. The way the media is describing this, it is as if kerry removed the attached ribbon off the medal and threw that. After watching this story fester for the last few days it now appears the "ribbons" is the strips worn above the left pocket.

I find it defies common sense to equate the color strips equal to a piece of metal.

News reporters would be well advised to explicitly demonstrate what the heck everyone means by ribons and medals.

[maryz]

A Boston, Taxitucetts paper carried this????

Jeff Jacoby is the resident token conservative at the liberal Boston Globe. But the Globe has run a few negative stories on the same topic.

I don't know whether it's relevant or not, but I read that the Globe was the first to ask Kerry to release his military records (innocently, I think, before this whole kerfuffle started), and he refused (undoubtedly in his usual gracious manner!).

[maryz]

Would someone please explain these ribbons.

John Kerry is the only one who knows -- if even he remembers after the numerous versions he's come up with. Everyone else is trying to get him to explain.

[clee1]

It would suck to be the 'token'. The home of Kennedy and Kerry would be too much to take.

[Bonaparte]

Jacoby is the Globe's token conservative. In fact, they tried unsucessfully to show him the door.

I love the way Karen Hughes has been goading the Kerry campaign into stating as many times as possible that Kerry tossed his ribbons (as opposed to his medals) on the ground. She's got to know that among the crucial undecideds, there is strong support for our efforts in the WOT and the fact that Kerry desecrated any symbols of military honor doesn't play well with them. His inconsistencies are just the frosting on the cake.

[longtermmemmory]

up until now the only ribbons in medals were those attached to the metal of the medal. I have NEVER heard of this BS about ribbons being the same as the entire award.

any military folks in the know out there?

[Bonaparte]

If Kerry goes down at or before convention time, the dems will simply come up with another low-life. That's all they've got.

[boxerblues]

Its a little complicated due to the wording. The medals are the big ones, the ribbons are smaller version of the medals and the ribbons are the bars on the uniform


US Army Medals

[BigSkyFreeper]

The Boston Globe joins the Village Voice and ABC in blasting Kerry's gaffes because the Democrats want him to step aside now. When this whole Kerry facade is over, they'll all be back to bashing Bush and Republicans. Typical Liberalism, "pretend to be something your not".

[clee1]

"Medals" (or "decorations") are awarded for various reasons: wounds, gallantry, outstanding performance, assignment to a theater of war, etc. The "medal" is a metal stamping attached to a clothing pin via a multicolored, unique-for-each-medal, "ribbon" of cloth. The real "medals" themselves are only rarely worn - most often on "formal" uniforms; i.e., "mess" dress, etc.

Inside the box the "medals" come in, there is a "ribbon" - the common name of a rectangle of cloth over a frame - which is colored the same way/pattern as the "ribbon" from the real "medal". This "ribbon" is a representation of the "medal", ands is worn on the semi-dress uniforms and for less formal occasions - "ribbons" are NOT worn on field uniforms. A collection of "ribbons" is usually referred to as "fruit salad" for the obvious reason.

There should never be any confusion between the two - Medals and ribbons are all "decorations" - which one is worn is a function of time, circumstance, and/or prescribed uniform.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Maybe they'll dig up Paul Wellstone and run him again. Nah, maybe not, they actually cheered his death.

[Ronin]

Medals are just that. The medals, suspended on a colored ribbon that is attached to the uniform on formal occasions. Most active duty military personnel have very few opportunities to actually wear their medals.

Ribbons, on the other hand, are very small, rectangular squares of cloth that you wear on a dress uniform indicating that you have received the medal. Collectively, those squares are commonly known as a person's fruit salad.

The thing is, the ribbons themselves are pretty much disposable. They get dirty, can't be cleaned and have to be replaced. Throwing a ribbon over a fence in a fit of anger would seem a meaningless gesture to me if a person were keeping the medal the ribbon represented.

Anyone with a proper military ID card can go into a uniform shop and buy any ribbon they want, up to and including a MOH ribbon. That's why people sometime get in trouble by augmenting their fruit salad with decorations they haven't earned.

Medals on the other hand, are pretty darn hard to replace. You get one, the one you are awarded, and if you are smart, you cherish it and keep it safe because they are not on sale, officially, and if you chuck it over the fence, as Kerry may or may not have done, the only way you are going to be able to replace it is illegally.

Well, illegally might be too strong a word, but it would not be in any way I could consider honest. I am sure there is a mechanism for replacing medals lost in disasters or theft, but I have no personal experience with it.

[Allegra]

Kerry is sinkng faster than I would like him to. We need him to at least make it to the convention otherwise who knows what the sneaky DNC has in store for us.

I agree. September-ish would have been a better time for Kerry to start melting down.

It'll be interesting to see what happens at the DNC.

[maryz]

When this whole Kerry facade is over, they'll all be back to bashing Bush and Republicans.

You mean there was a let-up in Bush-bashing and I missed it?? I knew I shouldn't have taken that nap Tuesday!

[maryz]

Medals and ribbons are all "decorations" - which one is worn is a function of time, circumstance, and/or prescribed uniform.

I have no first-hand knowledge, but I've been reading and hearing over and over that, although all medals come with ribbons, there are also ribbons (e.g., campaign ribbons) that don't have an associated medal. Which further goes to make Kerry's "interchangeability" claim nonsense (or so I'm told).