ADM Zumwalt's Evaluation of LTJG Kerry

kerrycountry ^ | 2/04 | Thompson

[Bob]

From the New York Sun, 3/1/04, by Thomas Lipscomb

Taking a look at Mr. Kerry’s much-promoted Vietnam service, his military record was, indeed, remarkable in many ways. Last week, the former assistant secretary of defense and Fletcher School of Diplomacy professor, W. Scott Thompson, recalled a conversation with the late Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr. that clearly had a slightly different take on Mr. Kerry’s recollection of their discussions:

“[T]he fabled and distinguished chief of naval operations,Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, told me — 30 years ago when he was still CNO —that during his own command of U.S. naval forces in Vietnam, just prior to his anointment as CNO, young Kerry had created great problems for him and the other top brass,by killing so many non-combatant civilians and going after other non-military targets. ‘We had virtually to straitjacket him to keep him under control,’ the admiral said. ‘Bud’ Zumwalt got it right when he assessed Kerry as having large ambitions — but promised that his career in Vietnam would haunt him if he were ever on the national stage.” And this statement was made despite the fact Zumwalt had personally pinned a Silver Star on Mr. Kerry.

This is quoted on a blog from a published article, with a named source. I'll try to independently confirm this from the N.Y. Sun website.

[USNBandit]

The crusher on this is that it was a conversation. I could have sworn this came up several months ago on this same forum, but could only find reference to the same quote in the Taipei Times someone posted a while back. If if were in one of Zumwalt's books it would be easier to figure out, for sure who he is talking about.

After looking into this more I've found that it is quite probable both Kerry and Kerrey came to Zumwalt's attention. Zumwalt pushed John Kerry's Silver Star and awarded it himself. Zumwalt would have also known about Bob Kerrey with his CMH recommendation floating up the chain. Pretty damning if it is about John Kerry. We still have to figure out what happen to Kerry's "Kennedy" accent that he had back then and seems to have lost now. Yuck, yuck.