"Can someone please answer this question: What was K's status when he testified before Congress, went to Paris, etc??.
Active Navy reserves? Inactive?" ......
I think he resigned his commision. Not sure when, tho. If he was no longer in the Navy, why was he in uniform?
1/3/70 Changes status to inactive duty in the Naval reserve
7/1/72 Transferred to standby reserve
So to answer your question, he was still in the Navy when he testified and when he went to Paris.
See Post #74 for links to some of Kerry's discharge papers.
Re: Kerry's status
He was both. He started out his anti-war protests while still on active duty. He even writes of taking unauthorized leave to go to a rally.
He was then transferred to the Active Reserves from 1970-72. This period is when he was testifying to Congress and doing more of his anti-war protesting. In 1972 he was transferred to the Standby Reserves, where he stayed to the end of his obligation in 1978.
Well kept secret by the Kerry campaign - he was supposeed to be attending drills as an Active Reservist from 1970-72. Their blogs and the commentary of the supporting media is that he was out of the Navy 70-72. Wrong! He signed a contract that after his active duty stint he would serve as a drilling Reservist. As such he was somewhatconstricted on his anti-chain of command demonstrations. Because of his high level friends in Congress (Fulbright, et al) the Navy wasn't going to touch him,
Hope that answers your question.
"What was K's status when he testified before Congress, went to Paris, etc??."
Navy Reserve (Inactive). He was still subject to the UCMJ.
He wasn't in uniform even though he was illegally wearing his ribbons on his shirt. He was in a costume that was meant to look like a uniform but it wasn't one.
He was still in the Navy Reserves when he testified. He remained in one sort or another of inactive Reserve status through July 1, 1972 at a bare minimum. That was the date he transferred to the Standby Reserves. I'm not sure exactly when he resigned his commission and left the Reserves but I believe that it was in the late '70s.