Posted on 08/23/2004 6:48:42 PM PDT by AaronInCarolina
Much has been made recently about how extraordinary it was for John Kerry to receive 3 Purple Hearts, 1 Silver Star, and 1 Bronze Star in just 4 months of in-country service. In fact, it stands out like a sore thumb in its rapid rate of occurrence, far out of the statistical norm. Indeed, I have heard that using the 4 month time period, that if Kerry had served as long as Audie Murphy, he would have exceeded him in medal count if he continued receiving medals at the rate of 5 medals per 4 month period. This is astounding... but what is even more astounding is that the 4 month period is not the correct time period to use! It is much too long, and the correct time frame makes Kerry's award rate absurd almost to the point of miraculous (or fraudulent). As I was thinking about Kerry's rapid award rate it occurred to me that most of them occurred late in his time there. The only thing that forced a 4 month period was the first purple heart. But then I realized that it was not awarded until much later than December 2, 1968. So I went to Kerry's web site and examined the few official naval records that he makes available and discovered that the first purple heart was not awarded until February 28, 1969... a week after his 2nd Purple Heart was earned. Keep in mind that Kerry had been initially denied the first Purple Heart when he was in Coast Division 14 in December, and it was not until late February that he managed to secure approval for the 1st Purple Heart from another commander. This means that from February 20 (Date of 2nd Purple Heart) to March 13... Scarcely more that 3 weeks!... Kerry either earned or was rewarded 3 Purple Hearts, 1 Silver Star, and 1 Bronze Star! A literally unbelievable rate of commendation!! I see a unmistakable plan that went into effect somewhere around the middle of February which was completed less than a month later, and Kerry was gone from Viet Nam just like that!
Another peculiarity that I noticed looking at his Military Service award PDF file is that the Certificate for his 2nd Purple Heart commends him for the injury (bruise) received on March 13 (supposedly his third wound) and that the certificate for his 3rd Purple Heart commends him for the 2nd wound he had (the one he suffered on Feb. 20, 1969). He was submitting paperwork so fast to them that they couldn't even keep them straight! Another indication that he was gaming the system!
Here is a link to the Military Service Awards PDF document. Notice how the date of the approval of the first PH was not until Feb. 28, which was after his second injury on the 20th Feb, 1969.
Military Service Awards
The New Soldier by John Kerry and Vietnam Veterans Against the War
FREE Download of The New Soldier by John Kerry
and and Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Print and distibute the book that John Kerry "forgets" to mention!
The one book he refuses to bring up.
"honor" John Kerry
Help America know what a "hero" he was at the Winter Soldier
scam he and Jane Fonda pulled on the USA when he came home.
Make sure Kerry "fans" get their copy!
http://nomayo.mu.nu/archives/New%20Soldier%20Inro.pdf
http://nomayo.mu.nu/archives/New%20Soldier.pdf
http://nomayo.mu.nu/archives/New%20Soldier%20Epilogue.pdf
"Phony Vietnam veterans alleged in books
Guenter Lewy's 1978 book America in Vietnam (pages 316-317) and B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley's Stolen Valor (Verity Press, Inc., Dallas, Texas)(pages 113, 131-137) contain similar information about alleged flaws in Lane's book. Neither book, however, refutes any of the testimony given during the Winter Soldier Investigation.
Lawyer and leftist activist Mark Lane was one of the organizers of Winter Soldier. In 1970, Lane had published a book called Conversations With Americans purporting to be interviews with Vietnam veterans about war crimes, containing Vietnam tales of atrocities. Reporter Neil Sheehan showed some interviewed in Lane's book had never served in Vietnam and others had not been in the situations they described. Lane admitted he did not check military records, as confirmation of details was not relevant. Lane later confirmed these militarty records.
The following are often falsely listed as being participants in Winter Soldier, but were actually in Lane's book instead. This confusion is probably due to Stolen Valor having an explanation of Lane's history within the section on Winter Soldier.
Chuck Onan, stock room clerk in Beaufort, S.C.
Michael Schneider, deserted in Europe and deserted again in the USA.
Terry Whitmore, was in an unpopulated area of Vietnam.
Garry Gianninoto, medical corpsman at battalion headquarters.
VVAW leader and Winter Soldier co-organizer Al Hubbard lied about being an officer, and sustaining war injuries - but he never testified at Winter Soldier .
According to the investigative work of Burkett, Lewy and others, there were many imposters, liars, and plain nutjobs who infiltrated the ranks of the anti-war movement, and, in some cases, testified to war crimes and atrocities that never occurred in order to get attention, sympathy, and, in one documented case, medals and honors."
http://www.worldhistory.com/wiki/W/Winter-Soldier-Investigation.htm
OMG Bump for later reading.
Is it possible that the brass found a way to get rid of him without having to get rid of him in a more formal way? Hmmmm....
*ping*
Click the logo to donate to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth!
Now that sounds entirely feasible. If I recall, they did think that he was acting in a reckless fashion.
None the less, I would still like to view some stats on time served verses medals awarded ratios.
Good sleuthing!!!
bookmark
That brought me to the shocker of the interview. To hear John Kerry speak about his time in Vietnam is to hear a self-personified story of heroics. Lt. Wright remembers what happened after Kerry's third purple heart quite differently.
When he got his third purple heart, that evening, and we didn't particularly care what it was for, we knew that he had three. That evening, I and two other people went in and told him that we felt that he should go home. It was something that he could do ... He told us that he didn't want that, it was his intention to serve his country, and the next morning he was gone. And we were happy and didn't worry about it.
John Kerry was barely able to endure four months on SWIFT boat detail. Since I am sure the War on Terror will endure a bit longer than that, the idea of him commanding our troops with his unsteady hand is making me ... well ... seasick.
In fact, some of them are on the record saying exactly that. That it wasn't Kerry who gamed the system, it was the system that gamed Kerry to get him out before he caused even bigger trouble.
This is hugh ! How can he deny this when it's on his own web site ? What a fraud !
On johnkerry.com, you can look at his copies of all of his awards and dd-214. The Bronze Star and Silver Star which were awarded in 1969-70 were signed by SECNAV John Lehman. The only problem with that is that Lehman was SECNAV for RR in 1981. Any possibility that the awards needed to be cleaned up for a sitting Senator?
Truly amazing!
It is what he did when he came home that counts!
Makes me wonder if it wasn't "friendly fire"
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