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I saw the following posting on freerepublic earlier today (I'm new around here), and when I said the words "General Discharge" to my father, an 84 year old vet of WW II (Battle of the Bulge, etc), he about fell out of his chair and said, "You've got to be kidding! If that's true, then THAT'S IT!"

Here's the posting, from back in September:

John Kerry not awarded Honorable Discharge until March 2001
Authentiseal

Posted on 09/29/2004 9:19:32 PM PDT by TomVan

Kerry's Military Records

This is more than an eye opener. Unlike McCain, Bush, and Gore... Kerry has adamantly refused to authorize the release of his military records. Most think it's because of his phony battle medals. I think the real reason is below. He was not granted an Honorable Discharge until March 2001, almost 30 years after his ostensible service term had ended! This is very much out of the ordinary, and highly suspect.

There are 5 classes of Discharge: Honorable, General, Other Than Honorable, Bad Conduct, and Dishonorable.

My guess is that he was Discharged in the '70s, but not Honorably. He appealed this sometime while Clinton was doing trouser-tricks in the Oval Office. Political pressure was applied, and the Honorable Discharge was then granted. His file is probably rife with reports of this, submissions and hearings on the appeal, reports of his "giving aid and comfort" to the enemy, along with protests that were filed with respect to his alleged valor under fire.

This will blow up in his face before October 15th.

On 18 Feb. 1966 John Kerry signed a 6 year enlistment contract with the Navy (plus a 6-month extension during wartime).

On 18 Feb. 1966 John Kerry also signed an Officer Candidate contract for 6 years -- 5 years of ACTIVE duty &ACTIVE Naval Reserves, and 1 year of inactive standby reserves (See items #4 &$5).

Because John Kerry was discharged from TOTAL ACTIVE DUTY of only 3 years and 18 days on 3 Jan. 1970, he was then required to attend 48 drills per year, and not more than 17 days active duty for training. Kerry was also subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Additionally, Kerry, as a commissioned officer, was prohibited from making adverse statements against his chain of command or statements against his country, especially during time of war. It is also interesting to note that Kerry did not obtain an honorable discharge until Mar. 12, 2001 even though his service obligation should have ended July 1, 1972.

Lt. John Kerry's letter of 21 Nov. 1969 asking for an early release from active US Navy duty falsely states "My current regular period of obligated service would be completed in December of this year."

On Jan. 3, 1970 Lt. John Kerry was transferred to the Naval Reserve Manpower Center in Bainridge, Maryland.

Where are Kerry's Performance Records for 2 years of obligated Ready Reserve, the 48 drills per year required and his 17 days of active duty per year training while Kerry was in the Ready Reserves? Have these records been released?

Has anyone ever talked to Kerry's Commanding Officer at the Naval Reserve Center where Kerry drilled?

On 1 July 1972 Lt. John Kerry was transferred to Standby Reserve - Inactive.

On 16 February 1978 Lt. John Kerry was discharged from US Naval Reserve.

Below are some of the crimes Lt. Kerry USNR committed as a Ready Reservist, while he was acting as a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War:

1. Lt. Kerry attended many rallies where the Vietcong flag was displayed while our flag was desecrated, defiled, and mocked, thereby giving aid and comfort to the enemy. 2. Lt. Kerry was involved in a meeting that voted on assassinating members of the US Senate. 3. Lt. Kerry lied under oath against fellow soldiers before the US Senate about crimes committed in Vietnam. 4. Lt. Kerry professed to being a war criminal on national television, and condemned the military and the USA. 5. Lt. Kerry met with NVA and Vietcong communist leaders in Paris, in direct violation of the UCMJ and the U.S. Constitution.

Lt. Kerry by his own words &actions violated the UCMJ and the U.S. Code while serving as a Navy officer. Lt. Kerry stands in violation of Article 3, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution. Lt. Kerry's 1970 meeting with NVA Communists in Paris is in direct violation of the UCMJ's Article 104 part 904, and U.S. Code 18 U.S.C. 953. That meeting, and Kerry's subsequent support of the communists while leading mass protests against our military in the year that followed, also place him in direct violation of our Constitution's Article 3, Section 3, which defines treason as "giving aid and comfort" to the enemy in time of warfare.

The Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3, states, "No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President ... having previously taken an oath . to support the Constitution of the United States, [who has] engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."

A. L. "Steve" Nash, MAC Ret, UDT/SEAL SEAL Authentication Team -Director AuthentiSEAL Phone 707 438 0120 "The only service where all investigators are US Navy SEALs" www.authentiseal.org

In 1971 I worked at the stockade in Ft Riley Kansas for three months. We processed about 25 people a day receiving discharges other than Honorable. About 95 percent were called Undesirable Discharges, which meant the Army did not want these people because of their behavior. We had an occasional Bad Conduct discharge and that was usually associated with someone who committed a felony and had completed their sentence in the stockade. Hitting an officer would earn you a Bad Conduct. We never saw a dishonorable and the civilians who had worked there for years said they had never seen one either. An enlisted man who was being discharged but had Vietnam Service with no problems would often get a General Discharge in recognition of having served honorably in Vietnam. On occasion some poor guy would get a dear John letter, go awol, turn himself in, and then accept a General Discharge. I don't know how the Navy handled it and I have no doubt the process was much different for Officers then for enlisted men. But, the fact remains, if John Kerry got anything less than a certificate saying HONORABLE DISCHARGE he is absolute toast. The media will drag this story out and discuss every single detail of what a General Discharge means and Kerry will be ruined.

I dunno.....like I said, it's hugely difficult to whack an officer or enlisted person serving in the Individual Ready Reserve for doing something while in a civilian status and not on official orders. I'm not saying it's impossible, but I never saw it in my 21 years on active duty in the Navy.

He could've received a General or Other Than Honorable discharge characterization, I'm not disputing that. A General characterization is relatively easy to award at discharge.

In Kerry's case, it could be having one or more (usually the limit is two) Non-Judicial Punishments (in the Navy, we call them Captain's or Admiral's Mast). In the case of most officers, their NJPs are in front of the Admiral having courts-martial convening authority over the officer's unit), and so therefore they appear at "Admiral's Mast". Most often, enlisted personnel go to Captain's Mast (in front of the Commanding Officer of their unit).

For an officer, 2 (or even 1, if the NJP is serious enough) Masts would be enough for the Department of the Navy to direct a General discharge at release from active duty AND fulfillment of his IRR commitment. An officer does not automatically receive his official discharge certificate until such fulfillment has occurred (I know...I've been retired for 5 years, and I won't receive mine until I'm too old to be retained with a designator number on the Officer Retired List; probably at age 52 ;-)

In order for LT(jg) Kerry to have received an Other Than Honorable discharge, he would've had to be screened at at least 2 NJP proceedings or one summary or special court martial. Such trial proceedings, in the case of a Special Court Martial, are not permanently sealed and are available under Freedom of Information Act procedures. I don't think that he could've been whacked at a court martial, as there is no way in this climate that such knowledge wouldn't have already gotten out.

When a servicemember petitions for an upgrade to his or her discharge classification (say, General up to Honorable), the Board of Correction of Naval Records (BCNR) hears the appeal and makes a decision. This can be affected by all sorts of evidence, but rarely does the Board hear arguments from a Congressperson as to the suitability for upgrade of one of their constituents, though it has happened in the past.

BCNR records are harder to get at, due to the sensitivity of the nature of the request (change of service characterization), and usually these records are given out only grudgingly, if at all. It is conceivable that LT(jg) Kerry and his sponsors (influential people in the Washington D.C. power elite) were successful in an appeal, if were one to have taken place.

This could explain why he has never made available all of his officer fitness reports or a complete DD-214 (certificate of release or discharge from active duty, which all service members receive upon leaving the military) history.

Stranger and stranger.....

Again, B