The Unpleasant Truth Behind the Awarding of John Kerry's Silver Star

The Bandit

[Aeronaut]

I used to be schizophrenic, but we're ok now

Roses are red, violets are blue,
I'm not schizophrenic, and neither am I.

[R. Scott]

…claim the enemy soldier had been lightly hit by .50 caliber fire…

Ain’t no such thing - hydro shock makes sure of it.

[Warrior Nurse]

My father earned a Silver Star in Korea(see my profile for the citation) I have the after action report for that particular battle and there were over 1800 enemy KIA and very few enemy wounded. Awards like the Medal of Honor, Navy or Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star are earned and there is not a shadow of a doubt about this.

[dalebert]

bump

[lainde]

bump!

[Miss Marple]

Kerry himself said that he did this, I suppose in an effort to make sure the media didn't portray him as deserting his "Band of Brothers."

I have maintained that this is why they support him (plus no doubt the fame factor and a large sack of Heinz foundation cash).

I don't have any documentation on this, but I am certain he said this in an interview. Of course, since the man lies constantly, he could have just been blathering for political effect.

I, too, would like more information on this. I also would like to know how he had enough clout to do this, if he indeed did.

[righthand man]

bttt

[kabar]

After reviewing Kerry's service records, as released by him, I cannot believe the media has not picked up on the John Lehman connection. It should set off all kinds of alarm bells, especially considering the current flap over whether he threw his medals away or not.

A very curious question arises over Kerry's multiple Silver (3) and Bronze (2) star citations. Two of the five were signed by John Lehman who was Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration 5 Feb 1981 - 10 Apr 1987. There are three Silver Star citations supplied by Kerry. One was signed by ADM Zumwalt, one by ADM Hyland, and one by Secretary Lehman. The Bronze Star citations were signed by Zumwalt and Lehman. Specifically,

Zumwalt: ADM Zumwalt served as Commander, US Naval Forces Vietnam from Sep 1968-May 1970. The Silver Star citation is more than likely the original citation taken from the award submission. Normally, as part of the nomination form, the nominator must provide a synopsis of the award (citation) that can fit on a single page suitable for framing with the certificate. Zumwalt's citation covered two pages. I suspect that Zumwalt forwarded the award to CINCPAC, ADM Hyland, for the final signature, including the citation. It is worth noting that the requirement to go to CINCPAC applied only to the Silver Star, hence only the Zumwalt and Lehman citations for the Bronze Star, i.e., Zumwalt as the final approving authority and Lehman for the replacement/reissue.

Hyland: CINCPAC probably edited the Zumwalt Silver Star citation to make it fit on to one page and to clean it up a bit to fit the existing format. ADM Hyland was CINCPAC 30 Nov 1967 - 05 Dec 1970

Lehman: Except for the last sentence, the Silver Star citation is the same as Hyland's. What makes this curious is that Secretary Lehman signed the citation at least over 12 and up to 18 years after the events occurred. Kerry served in Vietnam from November 1968 to April 1969. I doubt, in any event, that the final approval authority for Silver Stars had to go to SECNAV for approval. We also have photographic evidence that Kerry had the Silver Star medal pinned on in 1969. Kerry also acknowledges that he received them. My take is that Kerry requested replacement medals and due to the fact that Kerry was no longer an active duty service member, administrative requirements mandated that SECNAV's office had to approve the issue of the replacements once it was verified from official records that Kerry had actually earned them.

The bottom line is that Kerry probably did throw away his medals and then requested replacements in the 1980s. Someone needs to raise this issue with Kerry, i.e., why did Secretary Lehman sign duplicate Bronze and Silver Star citations at least 12 years after you left Vietnam? Kerry needs to release all of his military records including the nomination forms, which will give us the chronology and the approval chain of command.

Kerry's latest reaction on Good Morning America fits his MO. He wants it both ways. When he discovered that throwing away your medals was politically a negative, he came up with the story about his ribbons and someone else's medals. Kerry realized that he couldn't walk away from the story entirely, especially since he has the medals displayed prominently in his office. However, the fly in the ointment is that we now have the citations, released by him, signed by Lehman. If he indeed requested replacement medals, he has a real problem, i.e., he was telling the truth initially, lied in the 80s, and is lying now.

I recognize that confronting Kerry on his military service is fraught with problems politically, but I believe there are plenty of inconsistencies that need to be made public. His antiwar activities and associations (Fonda, Ramsey Clark, the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, et. al) also need to be exposed fully. The fact that Kerry was a member of the inactive Naval Reserves (1970-2) subject to involuntary recall and could meet with the Communist Vietnamese in Paris (per his sworn Congressional testimony) while our forces were engaged in hostilities is disgraceful. Kerry is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.

Kerry is frozen in a time warp when it comes to his service in Vietnam. His preoccupation with his medals borders on being an obsession. If you check Kerry's released military records, you will notice that Kerry amended his DD214 with a DD215. Among other things, Kerry burnishes his Vietnam Service medal by adding four bronze service stars to reflect various campaigns. This was done in March 2001!!! Why anyone would go through that effort to make some meaningless changes is beyond me. Hundreds of thousands of veterans, including myself, could do it, but beyond self-gratification and ego, what is the point?

[bimbo]

I do not understand why people allow Kerry to place the focus on his few month in Vietnam, conveniently ignoring his more than 30 years of anti-war, anti-American activities since …
I’d also like to ask his crewmembers who selflessly supported Kerry’s hero fantasies, how they felt about his anti-American activities with Fonda and the VVAW when he arrived back in the world.

[joesnuffy]

"We were in a small canal and normally we would have tried to exit, but Mr. Kerry ordered us to charge," Short said. "While I shot high, he and Tommy Bellodeau charged under me, right at the guy, and we routed them. That's why Mr. Kerry won the Silver Star."

I was in that AO my whole tour... and in that area at that time...we were working off PBRs with the Mobile Riverine Force...and I dont ever recall seeing any Swift Boats in "Small Canals"....heck PBRs barely fit up small canals...

Beachind a Swift boat.....in a small canal?

[Carolinamom]

On more than one occasion recently, I have heard liberals say that Kerry volunteered for TWO TOURS in Vietnam. Last night, I heard Gail Sheehy say it again in her litany of Kerry's qualifications.

This distortion of the truth that his 2 assignments during his ONE abbreviated tour is deliberate or uninformed. It could be both, but given liberals' usual pattern, I lean toward the former.

[Miss Marple]

I think he was in the states between his two four-month assignments, so technically that would be two tours.

However, most people who don't pay attention vaguely know that a "tour" is normally something between 12 and 18 months. By talking about his "two tours", he isn't technically lying but it is definitely misleading, IMHO.

And I am darn sure that both tours were originally intended to keep him out of combat. The first was on a ship off-shore and he had nothing to do but supervise a small group of seamen.

When he was assigned to the swift boats for his second "tour", they were not engaged in much combat, but patrolled the coastline. Only after he was assigned to the swift boat did the mission change to patrolling the rivers. Hence, the rapid accumulation of Purple Hearts in order to get shipped home.

[Just mythoughts]

Another "block" in tearing down the JFKerry "hero" wall.

[jslade]

Thank you bttt.

[xzins]

Kerry's first "tour" was aboard a naval ship off the coast. It was in the waters for 4 months or so if I remember correctly. It was some kind of logistics ship I think. In other words, if you sailed aboard ship to a location off Vietnam today you would have essentially the same experience.

[Carolinamom]

I interpreted "tour" as enlistment and "two tours" as 2 separate enlistments. While I freely admit that I'm not very conversant w/military terms, I do think that the general non-military public might get the impression that I got, for it makes Kerry's Vietnam time sound impressive.

[Miss Marple]

I see your confusion. However, an enlistment is the length of time you commit to the service. For Kerry, that was, I believe, 4 years. "Tour" is short for "tour of duty" which is an extended assignment overseas. Most tours of duty for Viet Nam were 12 months in country for the Army. For the Navy and Air Force, they may have been a bit longer. However, normal tours were NOT four months. Even Al Gore was there longer than Kerry's second tour.

[twntaipan]

If the destructive device is nonfunctional and registered as a DEWAT (deactivated war trophy), federal paperwork still must be filed ...which if it exists should be available via Freedom of Information Act???

[kabar]

Kerry was on the USS Gridley 8 June 1967 to 20 July 1968. The ship was in WESTPAC combat operations from 9 Feb-27 March 1968 in the Gulf of Tonkin; and after upkeep in Subic, back in the Gulf of Tonkin 1 Apr-5 May 1968. Kerry's "first tour in Vietnam" was about 82 days or a little less than three months.

[kabar]

It is apparent that Kerry shopped his first PH around per the report from Hibbard. NAVSUPPACT Saigon approved the first PH award for the 2 December 1968 scratch on 28 Feb 1969 or almost 3 months afterward. Compare that time difference to the approval of PH #2 of Feb 20 1969 (approved 5 Mar 1969) and PH# 3 of 13 March 1969 (approved 17 APR 69). All of the certificates were signed on August 12, 1969.