Posted on 08/30/2004 6:35:35 AM PDT by no dems
KERRY ON BOORDA
The current dispute over Kerry’s medals is a good time to recall the tragic suicide of the Navy's Admiral Mike Boorda in 1996.
Kate O’Beirne summarized it well:
“In 1996, a left-wing news service raised questions about two small "V" clips that the chief of Naval operations wore over two of the medals on his chest full of them. The clips are awarded for valor under fire, and there was some doubt about whether Boorda's two tours in Vietnam aboard combat ships qualified him for the awards, although the Washington Post reported that a 1965 Navy manual appeared to support Boorda's right to wear the clips. Unlike Kerry, the awards did not provide grounds for Boorda to shorten his tours of duty.
Hours before he was scheduled to meet with Newsweek reporters to discuss the controversy, the admiral went to his home at the Navy Yard and shot himself in the chest. The CNO had been in command of the Navy during a troubled period and his leadership was being criticized by its senior officers. Still, among the notes he left was one to "the sailors" expressing his fear that the controversy over his decorations might harm the Navy. Boorda had lied about his age to join the Navy and was the first CNO to rise through the enlisted ranks.”
What did John Kerry have to say at the time about the matter? Let us consult the Boston Herald of May 18, 1996:
Veterans said yesterday that although they would take offense at someone falsely wearing a "V" combat pin, they couldn't see how this could drive Navy Adm. Jeremy Michael Boorda to suicide.
“Is it wrong? Yes, it is very wrong. Sufficient to question his leadership position? The answer is yes, which he clearly understood,” said Sen. John Kerry, a Navy combat veteran who served in Vietnam.
Citing uncertainty of whether Boorda deliberately wore the pins improperly, Kerry added: “If he made a mistake, in my judgment it wasn't worth his life, so I'm very sad about it.”
And let us consult the Boston Globe for the same day:
“The military is a rigorous culture that places a high premium on battlefield accomplishment,” said Sen. John F. Kerry, who received numerous decorations, including a Bronze Star with a "V" pin, as a Navy lieutenant in Vietnam.
“In a sense, there's nothing that says more about your career than when you fought, where you fought and how you fought,” Kerry said.
“If you wind up being less than what you’re pretending to be, there is a major confrontation with value and self-esteem and your sense of how others view you.”
Of Boorda and his apparent violation, Kerry said: “When you are the chief of them all, it has to weigh even more heavily.”
Kerry‘s records refer to a "Silver Star with combat V." The Chicago Sun-Times has reported a U.S. Navy spokesman said, "Kerry's record is incorrect. The Navy has never issued a 'combat V' to anyone for a Silver Star." Naval regulations do not allow for the use of a "combat V" for the Silver Star, the third-highest decoration the Navy awards. None of the other services has ever granted a Silver Star "combat V," either.
If John Kerry has been touting a “V” that the Navy says he does not deserve, these quotes are going to be flung back in his face.
UPDATE: A retired Navy veteran who reads the Kerry Spot observes, "The fact that "with Combat V" to the Silver Star Medal appears on his DD214 is an unnecessary embellishment. One I might add the member is responsible for. Every member discharged from the service is asked to review their DD214 for accuracy. It's your last chance to get the record straight."
So on the one hand, the "V" is deserved in the sense that Kerry demonstrated valor when he got the Silver Star. On the other hand, the Navy doesn't give out Silver Stars with Vs, because it would be redundant — it would be like an award for valor under fire, marked with an extra v to mark... even more valor under fire.
You should read this.
Don't expect the Old Media to fling anything back at Mr. Kerry's equine face. Only if there is a firestorm in the New Media.
“If you wind up being less than what you’re pretending to be, there is a major confrontation with value and self-esteem and your sense of how others view you.”
The eternally brave LTJG is conflicted between himself and himself, neither of which is real.
I heard someone comment that the last Naval officer that qualified was John Paul Jones. Well, John Kerry is no John Paul Jones.
I heard someone comment that the last Naval officer that qualified was John Paul Jones. Well, John Kerry is no John Paul Jones.
Kerry's entire life was patched together to arrive at this moment. Looks like its slipping away.
He was a much tougherman than that.
It is my understanding that Boorda was also the one standing up to the Clinton Admin over many of the things Clinton was doing to the Navy including having Chinese Naval Officers present on AEGIS cruisers during exercises.
Of Boorda and his apparent violation, Kerry said: “When you are the chief of them all, it has to weigh even more heavily.”
Ah...as in Commander in Chief?....guess Mr. Kerry and the Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth have something else in common...
go figure
Another convienient death on the Clinton's 'Road to the White House"....there are many....
imo
I cannot read Boorda's name without recalling the way Rush mimicked Dem Congressman Tom Lantos' line to Craig Livingstone: "Admiral Boorda had the decency to commit suicide," pronounced with an facsimile of Lantos' heavy Eastern European accent. A sad story but a funny gig.
Too bad that Kerry does not take the same option.
Totally agree... embellsihing your awards and war hero status for political gain is to cheapen its true meaning of patriotism for those of us who have served with distinction.
Come look at this.
The purpose of the 'V' designation,
is to make a distinction between,
been there,,, and,
been there under combat,
,
or something else?
I agree. When this happened, I also felt there was more to this story. The story here, however, is Kerry's remarks in response. Oh, if someone could find a format in which to throw this in his "horse" face.
HEY, WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF GETTING THIS TO SEAN HANNITY?
C'mon now. Don't hold back. Speak your mind. LOL !!
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