Kerry citation a 'total mystery' to ex-Navy chief (John Lehman)

Sun Times ^ | August 28, 2004 | Thomas Lipscomb

[Grampa Dave]

Kerry citation a 'total mystery' to ex-Navy chief

August 28, 2004

BY THOMAS LIPSCOMB

Former Navy Secretary John Lehman has no idea where a Silver Star citation displayed on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's campaign Web site came from, he said Friday. The citation appears over Lehman's signature.

"It is a total mystery to me. I never saw it. I never signed it. I never approved it. And the additional language it contains was not written by me," he said.

The additional language varied from the two previous citations, signed first by Adm. Elmo Zumwalt and then Adm. John Hyland, which themselves differ. The new material added in the Lehman citation reads in part: "By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty, Lieutenant (jg) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself...."

Asked how the citation could have been executed over his signature without his knowledge, Lehman said: "I have no idea. I can only imagine they were signed by an autopen." The autopen is a device often used in the routine execution of executive documents in government.

Kerry senior adviser Michael Meehan could not be reached for comment on Kerry's records.

Thomas Lipscomb is chairman of the Center for the Digital Future in New York

[Grampa Dave]

Kerri looks a little tanned from his boat trips in the Delta.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The "editing to fit the page" between the Zumwalt and Hyland Silver Star versions reduced the times taken under fire from 4 to 2, the enemy KIA from 11 to 0 and Kerry's chase and personal kill of the VC teen is gone. In short, it really isn't much of a heroic military citation anymore, containing only just a few remaining generalities. Fits better with a pacifist image however. Sounds like they may have been having problems confirming the supporting reports even then but didn't want to take the medal away.

ROFL!!!!!

So Kerry didn't like the EDITORS rewrite job.....

[Pilsner]

When folks call the new Kerry langauage "boilerplate" I think they mean that that is the type of language you find in every Silver Star citation. The citation never says "LT(jg)Mitty just kinda went through the motions on that mission but we were alloted a quota of medals by higher command and its his turn to get one" even if that is the case. By the way, I'm not saying that the Navy either did or does pass out medals like that. The modren Army though...

[Mike Fieschko]

The changed separation date on his DD-215 intrigues me however.

If Kerry was still in the Naval Reserve when he met with the North Vietnamese in Paris:

'When Kerry was asked by committee chairman Senator J. William Fulbright how he proposed to end the war, the former Navy lieutenant said it should be ended immediately and mentioned his involvement in peace talks in Paris.'

'"I have been to Paris," Kerry said. "I have talked with both delegations at the peace talks, that is to say the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government and of all eight of Madam Binh's points . . . ."'

The above two paragraphs are from the Boston Globe and are on the web Kerry spoke of meeting negotiators on Vietnam.

[ScottFromSpokane]

These "bronze stars" are not Bronze Star Medals, but bronze service stars for service in four different campaigns.

However, there's (sigh) some question about whether Kerry actually deserved all four of those stars.

Kerry's Web site also carries a DD215 form revising his DD214, issued March 12, 2001, which adds four bronze campaign stars to his Vietnam service medal. The campaign stars are issued for participation in any of the 17 Department of Defense named campaigns that extended from 1962 to the cease-fire in 1973.

However, according to the Navy spokesman, Kerry should only have two campaign stars: one for "Counteroffensive, Phase VI," and one for "Tet69, Counteroffensive."

[Grampa Dave]

Well, lets hope the wayback machine can find the pictures of the medal and the letter when they disappear.

Thanks!

[Jim Noble]

FR is already on the case. Please see the post yesterday by our hero, Nick Danger, who seems to show that the web citation was photoshopped to add the new language.

[sissyjane]

I wish that Lehman would be on Meet The Press tomorrow....

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for reposting the link re Kerry and what he said about Borda!

Hack is a vile rat maggot who hates GW and voted for al Ghorroid and attacks GW whenever he wants to.

[BobS]

Forgery. He should be strung up higher than those company executives were after Clinton left office.

[atomicpossum]

"Sgt. York" is coming on Turner Classic Movies right now. Time to watch the story of a REAL war hero.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Breaking News:

Flash: A Vietnam fisherman said he was on a river checking his fish weir when he noticed a man bobbing by in the current.

The fisherman said the man's name was Rassman and that he had been waiting 35 years for Kerry to come back and pick him up, if Kerry ever gets his March 13th, 1969 story down pat.

[Socratic]

"I bet he had some minion in Lehman's organization, who did it"

And knowing Kerry's French connections, I bet it was a filet minion.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

MSM = Managed Socialist Media

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

ROFL!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That could be his ole buddy Sanders mentioned upstream here somewhere.

[Mo1]

This is the first I have heard of Sanders and being "former deputy assistant secretary of the Navy," raises questions as WHEN this guy was deputy assistant secretary of the NAVY????

I wasn't aware of that either

[Bahbah]

"I spent some time reading the transcript of David Limbaugh's interview with O'Neill."

Where can I get this?

[OldFriend]

As Kerry said, he wanted something for framing.......

Looks like he framed Sec. Lehmann......who is no doubt NOT amused.

[atomicpossum]

That could be his ole buddy Sanders mentioned upstream here somewhere.

I don'tknow I'd trust a sailor named 'Wade.' :-)