Posted on 08/01/2004 7:23:20 AM PDT by MVV
John Kerry's service in Vietnam lasted 4 months and 12 days, beginning in November 1968 when he reported to Cam Rahn Bay for a month of training. His abbreviated combat tour ended shortly after he requested a transfer out of Vietnam on March 17, 1969, citing Navy instruction 1300.39 permitting personnel with three Purple Hearts to request reassignment. So far as we are able to determine, Kerry was the only Swift sailor ever to leave Vietnam without completing the standard one-year tour of duty, other than those who were seriously wounded or killed.
It is clear that at least one of Kerry's Purple Heart awards was the result of his own negligence, not enemy fire, and that Kerry went to unusual lengths to obtain the award after being turned down by his own commanding officer.
John Kerry has long insisted that using the three-injury loophole to leave combat early was his own idea, but Kerry's fellow Swift officer Thomas Wright, who served on occasion as the OIC (Officer in Charge) of Kerry's boat group, contradicts that claim. Wright reports that he "had a lot of trouble getting Kerry to follow orders," and that those who worked with Kerry found him "oriented towards his personal, rather than unit goals and objectives." He therefore requested that Kerry be removed from his boat group. After John Kerry qualified for his third Purple Heart, Thomas Wright and two fellow officers informed him of the obscure regulation, and told him to go home. Wright concluded, "We knew how the system worked and we didn’t want him in Coastal Division 11."
Constructing a complete picture of Kerry's service is difficult due to gaps in the Naval records provided by the Kerry campaign. These gaps include missing and incomplete fitness reports, missing medical records and missing records related to his medal awards.
For this reason we call upon Senator Kerry to authorize complete access to all his military records by filing a standard Form 180, a simple two-page release form.
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is in the process of researching John Kerry's time in Vietnam by conducting interviews with eyewitnesses to his activities, and we plan to add material to this section over the next several weeks as it becomes available. We will report the true circumstances of Kerry's medal awards and injuries, describe other controversial missions, and provide in-depth analysis of his fitness reports.
Kerry's Medals
1st Purple Heart: December 2, 1968
2nd Purple Heart: February 20, 1969
Silver Star: February 28, 1969
Bronze Star / 3rd Purple Heart: March 13, 1969
Other Missions
Sampan Incident: January 20, 1969.
Fitness Reports
Analysis of John Kerry's Fitness Reports
Well, if they can't get her to explain what she meant by anti-American, how do you expect them to get the "old fashioned way" out of her?
This election is in many ways a replay of 1864.
In fairness to the Democrats of 1864 though, McClellan was incompetent and just plain wrong, but he wasn't inherently a phony and a liar.
Obviously "shove it" frightened the media so badly that they are not going to question her about that...OR her handlers are not going to turn her loose again. But I have yet to hear of any media publicly questioning that statement. Not even the so-called conservative media. Would be a perfect opportunity to call once again for his military medical records. Can you imagine Laura Bush stating something so outrageous as that and the media not crawling all over her for weeks?
He would have been mortified if the Navy had tried to give him a Purple Heart for a "contusion". Absolutely mortified.
I had a worse injury (knee) than any of his when I fell off my bike at the age of nine!
Thanks for your powerful post, and God bless your dad too.
You're welcome, I too sent this to Rush and Sean! Sending to Michael Savage as well. FReegards.
I totally agree with you, he is neither fit nor morally ready to assume the highest position in our land~and yes the truth will come out.
Exactly!
Absolutely. I will follow your lead, sent this to every conservative person I know, with a few more to go, thanks.
You are welcome, and thank you for acknowledging my dad.
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