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Why does John Kerry fail to mention his time on the USS GRIDLEY?
USS Gridley (CG-21) Website page on John Kerry ^ | 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Posted on 08/23/2004 3:15:07 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Why does John Kerry not mention the USS Gridley CG-21
Shipmates that actually served with him,
on the same ship,
at the same time remember him.
So since John Kerry is on the campaign trail I'll remind him.


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Crime/Corruption; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons; Politics/Elections; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: kerry; militaryrecord; ussgridley
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1 posted on 08/23/2004 3:15:08 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub
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To: The Sailor; kjfine; Old Sarge; USAF_TSgt; darkwing104; txradioguy; Long Cut; Jet Jaguar; armyboy; ..

Help John Kerry remember the USS Gridley CG-21 PING

GRIDLEY Crew members (67-68) say Kerry exaggerated in TOUR OF DUTY

"...John Kerry and I were shipmates in the guided missile cruiser USS
Gridley (CG-21) in 1967 and 1968. He served as First Lieutenant, the
officer in charge of the deck division, and I was Executive Officer,
or second in command..."

"...But there is also no doubt in my mind that his anti-war
activities while our troops were still fighting, dying and being
tortured in filthy Vietnam prisons were despicable.

For that reason, even aside from his anti-defense voting record in
the Senate, he is one ex-shipmate that I could never support as
commander-in-chief of the armed forces."

J. F. Kelly, Jr.

USS Gridley (CG-21) Executive Officer in 1967 and 1968.

GRIDLEY Website page on John Kerry

http://home.nycap.rr.com/pwcarter/the%20kerry%20page.html

Other crew members speak about John Kerry

(Looks like Kerry's shipmates, who did serve with him,
say he lied and told whoopers about his time on the GRIDLEY.

Remember these are not Swift Boat Vets,

BUT Kerry's crewmates who served with him on the GRIDLEY)

Examples follow:

"As everyone must surely know by now, John F. Kerry came on board
GRIDLEY as a boot Ensign when we returned from our 1967 Westpac
Cruise. He remained on GRIDLEY through the 1968 cruise. Politics
aside, shipmates of the time who have read TOUR OF DUTY, the
authorized campaign biography, will have something to say about the
chapter on GRIDLEY. "



1. Kerry never talked about his time on GRIDLEY. He says on page
74 that it is because “nothing much of note” happened while
he was
onboard. He uses words like monotony and tedious, when, despite
being a boot ensign he was given every opportunity for responsibility
by Captain Slifer and Commander Kelly (XO). He came aboard
designated for Electrical Officer (80100), a grunt position in the
Engineering Department and spent four months in that position. He
was assigned duty as First Lieutenant, as Commander Kelly recalls,
because of his knowledge of seamanship and his experiences with small
boats and sailing. Besides being responsible for the decks of the
ship, the First Lieutenant is also responsible for the ship’s
small
boats. He also was assigned collateral duties as Public Affairs
Officer. Despite all the responsibilities he was given, he gives the
impression that serving on GRIDLEY was somehow beneath him. He
certainly had less of an opportunity to collect “gongs” there.

2. Page 78 – “motivate 400 swabbies” – The First
Lieutenant is
responsible only for the personnel of 1st Division, not the entire
crew. 1st Division had a roster of about 30 in 1968. To the extent
that other divisions had responsibility for deck space, their
officers would have been responsible for motivating them.

3. Page 87 has Kerry “shuttling sailors and provisions”
between
GRIDLEY and KITTY HAWK in a small motor whaleboat out in the Gulf of
Tonkin. The regular method of travel between the two ships was via
helo. That is how I went over to the KITTY HAWK. If such an event
did occur, it would have been unusual and hardly a shuttle.

4. Later on page 87 Kerry talks about Olongapo in the Philippines.
He talks about bloated corpses floating in the river and starving
women with babies dying of malnutrition. Now Olongapo was a wild and
wooly town that existed solely for the entertainment of the US Navy,
but in over three years of calling there, I never saw a single
instance of either thing happening. Kerry uncovered this in his
first visit. If this was from his letters home then he was certainly
writing for dramatic effect. Balderdash.

5. The trip to Danang – GRIDLEY went into Danang for briefings
before going to Northern SAR. This section is so full of hyperbole
that the urge to giggle is almost uncontrollable. “The panic and
pressure onboard GRIDLEY, strapping on a .45, wondering if I would
have to use it, B-52’s howling overhead”. A B-52 over Danang
would
have been so high that only contrails would have been visible, cloud
cover permitting. David Simons confirmed my recollection that during
our brief stay in Danang Harbor, the sky was overcast to the point of
being ominous.

More seriously, no one can remember John Kerry going ashore. I was
part of the shore party that went to Monkey Mountain. We were taken
in a screened in truck (to protect against grenades being tossed in)
and made to unload our .45’s. The driver said that he did not
want
us newbies to shoot anyone by accident.

Neither Commander Kelly nor LCDR Rueckert (Kerry’s immediate
boss)
can recall approving a trip ashore for Ensign Kerry. The author uses
remarks of David Simons IC2 as a lead in to the Danang section. I
spoke to David and he has no personal knowledge of Kerry going ashore
at all. He did talk to a researcher and made some generic remarks
about Danang but had never discussed Danang with Kerry. He recalls
arguing with the researcher because he tried to put the
words “cowboy” in his mouth, which ended up in the book.

There is no mystery about the “gruesome site of a pile of dead
VC.”
We saw no sign of anything like this. However, our escort to Monkey
Mountain did tell us how the VC bodies were stacked up on the
LZ’s
after the TET Offensive, which had been several months before.
Ensign Kerry would have been told this story by members of the shore
party.

If, indeed, he got to the pier, because he was in charge of the
motor whaleboat, it certainly would not have been within his purview
to wander Danang, eating dog meat and drinking beer in a bar (under
arms). It also seems amazing that he had all these observations on
Vietnam in such a brief visit.

6. In command – Again with the hyperbole. Kerry makes much
about
being “in charge” of the ship after the Captain and XO. The
OOD is
in charge of the operation of the ship during his four hour watch but
hardly in charge of the ship. Kerry qualified almost immediately as
OOD(P), in port OOD but that is a given. For much of his time
onboard he would have been Junior Officer of the Deck when underway.
Although his fitness report as of 22 March says "he is qualified as
OOD(I) now" (Independent steaming – with no ships or land
anywhere
near) , only OOD(P) is listed under duties. His Fitness Report from
July 1968 lists two months as OOD(I) which would mean he qualified
after leaving the war zone.


2 posted on 08/23/2004 3:18:13 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (Hanoi Jane and Hanoi Kerry sitting in a tree, sitting in a tree F-R-E-N-C-H-I-N-G)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Because being aid-de-camp to the guy in charge of latrine/head cleaning details is not exactly getting elected material!!!


3 posted on 08/23/2004 3:19:21 PM PDT by RetiredArmy (The time is coming for all true Patriots to rise up and take back this Republic!)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

here's a list of kerry's medals and awards while he was on
the USS Gridley :



















.


4 posted on 08/23/2004 3:21:41 PM PDT by kingattax
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Were there any opportunities for a Purple Heart aboard Gridley?


5 posted on 08/23/2004 3:21:49 PM PDT by kddid (Find good in bad.)
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To: All

ATTN : ABC CBS CNN FOX NBC William B. Rood was not actually ON Kerry's boat

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1197046/posts


6 posted on 08/23/2004 3:21:52 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (Hanoi Jane and Hanoi Kerry sitting in a tree, sitting in a tree F-R-E-N-C-H-I-N-G)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub
Was it named for "Fire when ready, Gridley" fame?
7 posted on 08/23/2004 3:24:07 PM PDT by sonofatpatcher2 (Texas, Love & a .45-- What more could you want, campers? };^)
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"He was and to my recollection was well liked. Did he stalk the passageways showing his future presidential timber? Absolutely not. A reporter from the Chicago Tribune actually asked me that. When I told him that he was just another goofy Ensign, he was horrified and did not use that quote."

My favorite quote. This guy is a straight shooter.

8 posted on 08/23/2004 3:26:10 PM PDT by twgiles
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To: kingattax

Great post. Laughed out loud.


9 posted on 08/23/2004 3:30:44 PM PDT by Shannon
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To: All

Exposing Kerry's Vietnam "record" WITHOUT mention of Swift Boat Vets Thread

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1197486/posts


10 posted on 08/23/2004 3:31:48 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (Hanoi Jane and Hanoi Kerry sitting in a tree, sitting in a tree F-R-E-N-C-H-I-N-G)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Good Job, Tonk.


11 posted on 08/23/2004 3:36:06 PM PDT by Diver Dave (Stay Prayed Up)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

" There is no mystery about the “gruesome site of a pile of dead
VC.”
We saw no sign of anything like this. However, our escort to Monkey
Mountain did tell us how the VC bodies were stacked up on the
LZ’s
after the TET Offensive, which had been several months before.
Ensign Kerry would have been told this story by members of the shore
party. "

The lie about the bodies stacked like cordwood
continues in Michael Kranish's book-" John F Kerry, The Official Biography By The Boston Globe reporters Who Know Him Best,"
Page 67 :

" The ship stopped only briefly at a US base in Vietnam , where he noticed bodies of Vietcong piled like cordwood."


12 posted on 08/23/2004 3:37:48 PM PDT by Wild Irish Rogue ( When the going gets tough-John Kerry gets going-far away)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Thanks for the ping Tonk.


13 posted on 08/23/2004 3:39:44 PM PDT by laurenmarlowe
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub
Why Does John Kerry Fail to Mention the Time he has Served in the U.S. Senate?
14 posted on 08/23/2004 3:41:57 PM PDT by Cinnamon Girl
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To: kingattax
here's a list of kerry's medals and awards while he was on the USS Gridley :

(blank space)

Not true.

At that point in time, he would have already gotten his National Service Medal.

By going into the Vietnam operating area, he qualified for the Vietnam Service Medal (with one bronze star) and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

15 posted on 08/23/2004 3:48:10 PM PDT by Bob
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

bump


16 posted on 08/23/2004 3:51:11 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The democRATS are near the tipping point.)
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To: kingattax
Those are some impressive awards, especially this one...

.

.

.

.

.

.

17 posted on 08/23/2004 4:05:27 PM PDT by Chieftain (Support the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and expose Hanoi John's FRAUD!)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub
Freeper N. Theknow says:
"It’s faster than a checkbook, more powerful than a Democratic demagogue, able to lay waste to a liar Kerry with the single click of a mouse. It's a little bird of truth, it's plain to see Kerry's unfit... it's... it's...SuperFReep!

This is the BEST 'BANG for your POLITICAL BUCK' ever!

Want to join in the fun?
Click the logo to donate to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth!

18 posted on 08/23/2004 4:07:51 PM PDT by Chieftain (Support the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and expose Hanoi John's FRAUD!)
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To: Bob

I have to agree on that point. When I joined the reserves, I also got the National Defense Medal.


19 posted on 08/23/2004 4:11:55 PM PDT by Enterprise
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Keep them coming Tonk, its always a pleasure and an education reading your posts.


20 posted on 08/23/2004 4:16:25 PM PDT by boxerblues
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