Posted on 10/25/2004 10:16:07 AM PDT by jbwbubba
Kerry's Dishonorable Discharge Mark Alexander
October 23, 2004
"Never suppose that in any possible situation, or under any circumstances, it is best for you to do a dishonorable thing..." --Thomas Jefferson
"Reporting for duty"? For a guy who's hitched his entire presidential campaign to his military service record, John Kerry sure is parsimonious when it comes to releasing that record. As noted in this column on more than one occasion, Kerry has consistently refused to sign a Standard Form 180 authorizing the Department of Defense to release all of his records.
George W. Bush's military records were so spotless that Dan Rather gleefully trotted out some fabricated documents in order to kick up a little dust. Of course, if Rather were a real journalist rather than just a TV talking head, he might actually develop a source who could find out what the remaining (approximately 100) pages in Kerry's DoD service jacket reveal.
What, exactly, is Kerry hiding? It is already common knowledge that most of his celebrated heroics were spurious, and that most of his medals were without merit (see "Kerry's Quagmire" at http://FederalistPatriot.US/alexander/ ). But given that the cat's already out of the bag, why not just sign the Standard Form 180?
For his part, Kerry claims he received an "Honorable Discharge" and that all his records have been released and are posted on his website, Kerry-04.com -- uh, make that JohnKerry.com. But Kerry has refused to say when he received an Honorable Discharge. Indeed, some of his military records are posted on his site -- but not all of them. Here, an experienced eye can read enough into what has been released by Kerry to develop a good profile of what hasn't been released.
It is our considered opinion, therefore, that John Kerry was separated from the military under a less than honorable discharge.
Among Kerry's released records is a 1977 cover letter from Jimmy Carter's Navy Secretary, W. Graham Claytor. What is revealing about this document is that it notes Kerry's original discharge was subject to review by a "board of officers" -- yet no such review should be necessary for an Honorable Discharge.
The review was conducted in accordance with "Title 10, U.S. Code Section 1162 and 1163," which pertains to grounds for involuntary separation from military service.
As many Vietnam veterans who served their nation with dignity and honor will recall, Jimmy Carter's first official act as president was the signing of Executive Order 4483 --less than an hour after his inauguration on 21 January 1977. EO 4483 provided general amnesty for draft evaders, war protesters and other offenders of that era. Its corresponding, and equally dubious, DoD directive took effect in March of 1977, expanding that amnesty to include separation from military service by other than honorable discharges. The DoD specified an appeal procedure whereby discharges could be reviewed on an individual basis to determine whether the status of a particular discharge could be revised.
Having lost his first bid for Congress, Kerry no doubt decided that his political future would be brighter as a war hero rather than a war protestor. While there are several categories of discharges beneath honorable, including general, medical, bad conduct and other than honorable, it is very likely that Kerry's discharge was dishonorable.
Supporting this assertion is the fact that Kerry had all his medals mysteriously reinstated in 1985. He claims that he lost his medal certificates (perhaps these are what he famously threw over that Capitol fence in protest), but when a military officer is subject to a Dishonorable Discharge, in addition to the loss of pay benefits and allowances, all medals and honors are revoked. In any case, it would be a cinch for John Kerry to refute our claim by simply signing that Standard Form 180. But he won't. Nor will hard-hitting journalists like Katie Couric and Dr. Phil press him on this issue.
Thus, while Kerry can correctly say -- thanks to Jimmy Carter -- that he received an Honorable Discharge, he could also say with equal precision that he received "other than honorable discharge." His activities as a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War were, indeed, forgiven by Carter's EO 4483 and the subsequent DoD directive.
However, according to legal scholars, John Kerry's meetings with enemy agents from Communist North Vietnam on multiple occasions between 1970 and 1972 are not covered under EO 4483. For that reason, we delivered to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft on Monday of this week a "Petition for Investigation and Indictment," calling on the Department of Justice to determine conclusively whether Kerry's actions, in direct violation of UCMJ (Article 104 part 904), U.S. Code (18 USC Sec. 2381 and 18 USC Sec. 953) and other applicable laws and acts of Congress, constitute treason. (To read the text of the petitioners' request, go to http://patriotpetitions.us/kerry/letter.asp )
Why prosecute Kerry now?
In October, 2003, Mr. Kerry chose to make his disputed Vietnam War record the centerpiece of his campaign for the presidency. In response, the more than 180,000 signatories of the above-referenced petition chose to make Mr. Kerry's war record the centerpiece of their campaign to determine whether his actions are subject to the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3.
The pertinent language 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."
While it is clear that no action will be taken on the petitioners' request prior to 2 November, we remain committed to holding Senator Kerry accountable for his actions regardless of the outcome of his presidential bid. Indeed, we are all committed to serving Kerry with an irrevocable dishonorable discharge from public office.
Quote of the week...
"They're the men who served with John Kerry in Vietnam. They're his entire chain of command, most of the officers in Kerry's unit. ... And they're the men who spent years in North Vietnamese prison camps. Tortured for refusing to confess to what John Kerry accused them of being -- war criminals. ... Why is this relevant? Because character and honesty matter. Especially in a time of war." --Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and POWs for Truth in their most recent ad on Kerry's war record and character.
On cross-examination...
"On more than one occasion, Senator Kerry has referred to the fight at Tora Bora in Afghanistan during late 2001 as a missed opportunity for America. He claims that our forces had Osama bin Laden cornered and allowed him to escape. ... As commander of the allied forces in the Middle East, I was responsible for the operation at Tora Bora, and I can tell you that the senator's understanding of events doesn't square with reality. ... Contrary to Senator Kerry, President Bush never 'took his eye off the ball' when it came to Osama bin Laden. The war on terrorism has a global focus. It cannot be divided into separate and unrelated wars, one in Afghanistan and another in Iraq. Both are part of the same effort to capture and kill terrorists before they are able to strike America again, potentially with weapons of mass destruction. Terrorist cells are operating in some 60 countries, and the United States, in coordination with dozens of allies, is waging this war on many fronts." --General Tommy Franks
And here I thought you were going to talk about a medical problem Francois had.
So, when are one of these officers going to come forward and say they were on this review? This would bypass the SF180 requirement, because they're not releasing "documents".
I'm beginning to think we'll never know what's in Kerry's military records. I wonder what the statute of limitations is for releasing this information to the general public. The Census has a 70 year rule....
"For a guy who's hitched his entire presidential campaign to his military service record, John Kerry sure is parsimonious when it comes to releasing that record..."
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The foundation of the entire liberal embodiment IS A LIVING LIE!!! And the LIE is so intense, that they believe it, and the YELLOW DOGS believe it. So adept and adjusted to lying are they, that Kerry built his platform on what most likely amounts TO A DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE...(effectively), for his treasonous, anti-American radical activity. THIS IS WHAT HE IS HIDING!!! --- to keep the BIG LIE ALIVE!! -- that this piece of excrement is something more than exactly that.
OMG. I'm too young to remember Carter's early years. Wow. I thought the Clinton era was deplorable! I'm glad I didn't understand things like this in Carter's day. Didn't the sane citizenry collectively shake their heads and moan, "what have we done" when he pulled things like this?
Yes, Carter, another product of liberal mental illness, did exactly that, which was probably the mechanism that negated some of the impact of Kerry's behavior. The opinion I hear is that Kerry was "asked to resign" which did not produce an Honorable Discharge. And Carter turned that around yield some form of letter for Kerry's service record that "pardoned" the situation.
It is my opinion that if we were to fully open Kerry military record, you would find exactly that...and not a normal honorable discharge as the rest of us received.
Carter was/is a utopian liberal lout. Kerry is not much different other than Carter was not a traitor.
well, the books have not been closed on Mr. Carter yet, have they?
So, when are one of these officers going to come forward and say they were on this review? This would bypass the SF180 requirement, because they're not releasing "documents".
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I gotta better idea. Lets tie him up and torture him (like the vets were tortured) and keep tightening the rope until the lying SOB signs the SF180 !!! (lickin' my chops)
Carter was not a traitor.
well, the books have not been closed on Mr. Carter yet, have they?
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YOU MAY HAVE A VERY VALID POINT!!!!
Hope he knows what he's talking about!!!
"I received an honorable discharge........after I received a dishonorable discharge." /sKerry voice.
Interesting read.
I hope JUSTICE will be done to Kerry and disgrace him.
May he be DAMNED here and in the heavens!
If we don't stop this bastard, America will be well on the path to becoming a banana republic!
I have yet to see any reference to the big fire that occurred at the St Louis military records center in 1972. My husbands records and hundreds of thousands total were destroyed in that fire. As a result, the affected vets can only get a substitute form DD214. In some cases, vets have had to rely on American Legion or VFW rosters to get vet benefits.
Can we expect Kerry to make a great revelation that this is why he "cannot release all records."
I know of that fire....however, I understand his records were also in his FBI files. ;o)
I agree with this article on everything, with one exception. Dishonorable Discharges are punitive in nature and only assigned via a Court-Martial. Should Kerry have been Court-martialed it would be a record open to the public like any other court document. Such information is not currently known to exist. I believe that an Administrative separation was used and his service characterized as General or Other-than-Honorable. Since he has since received his honorable upgrade, I would wager on General if I had to.
That being said I had a Kerry campaigner call me from DC, I'm in Wisconsin, last week. I kept him on the line for a good 45 minutes discussing the issues (mainly to keep him off the line with anyone else). I spoke about the lack of a form 180 and the 100+ pages the Navy says has not been released.
We spoke about taxes after I questioned him on his salary (60-80 range according to him), and he said that he only received about $500 in savings. I know this is a crock I make in the same range and I got at least $1500 - course he may not have kids. Then he had the gall to ask me if I wouldn't be willing to give that money up if it was to help social security or medicare or something. I didn't even let him finish - I said absolutely not. That money is for my little girls and my wife, allowing them the best life I can afford to them.
We actually had a fairly cordial discussion despite my fairly conservative talking points. At one point he was talking about the diviseness in DC since Bush came into office (not that ther wasn't any in Clinton's time). I stated that I had no problems with them killing each other as long as they kept it in the beltway - after all they're only politicians. He actually laughed with me.
He wrapped up the call, but not before I got in a rather serious comment about Kerry really needing to sign his form 180. Being a vet myself I think I was able to make it sound pretty convincing - I think. Anyway I felt I had done my duty for the day preventing anyone else's dinner from getting cold.
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