Posted on 06/09/2005 8:36:30 AM PDT by CHARLITE
A front page story in the Boston Globe claimed that: "Senator John F. Kerry, ending at least two years of refusal, has waived privacy restrictions and authorized the release of his full military and medical records." In another Globe story Kerry had promised "The truth in its entirety will come out." But did it?
Kerry's election hopes faltered last summer and fall as accusations of fraudulent and incomplete military records were aired. The fact that Kerry repeatedly refused to sign a single-page military form called the Standard Form 180, that would have released all his military records to the public, was taken as proof he had something to hide.
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth head John O'Neill, who raised many of the charges against Kerry during the campaign, was challenged by Kerry on "Meet the Press" in January. Kerry promised he would sign his Standard Form 180, but he wanted former Swift Boat officer O'Neill to sign as well.
All depends on how it's filled out
O'Neill did sign it and provided copies to the Chicago Sun-Times. According to O'Neill, "The Standard Form 180 could release 'the full military and medical records.' Or it could release just a few. It all depends on how it is filled out and where it was sent."
"There is nothing magic about signing a SF 180," said former Naval Judge Advocate General Mark Sullivan. "It is sort of like your checkbook. You can fill out a check for one dollar or a million. It is the same check form."
"And the Globe story says Kerry sent it to the Navy Personnel Command, which is only a limited storage location. So it is not surprising that the Globe then notes that what they received was largely 'duplication' of records previously released. The Navy Personnel Command primarily stores a subset of service records rather than a person's full military records. There is no doubt there are a lot of after-action records missing from what Kerry has released," said Sullivan.
Kerry's not talking
Washington Post reporter Michael Dobbs has already found a discrepancy confirmed by the Department of the Navy of "at least a hundred pages" missing from those already disclosed by Kerry.
"If you take a look at my SF 180," O'Neill said, "you will see I have authorized the total release of all my records to anyone requesting to see them. But without seeing how Kerry's SF 180 was filled out, everyone is only guessing about what was released."
So how an SF 180 is filled out is as important as signing it. But no one in the press has yet claimed to have seen a copy of Kerry's SF-180. When asked if she had a copy of Kerry's SF 180, the Globe's Managing Editor Mary Jane Wilkinson said, "I haven't seen it, and I don't know if anyone here has."
Kerry's Senate offices could not provide a copy of the Kerry SF 180 and would not answer inquiries. Is it possible that Kerry filled it out wrong or sent it to the wrong place?
O'Neill made Kerry an offer. "I'll be happy to bring one to Kerry's office and help him fill it out. And then we can take mine and his and deliver them to the right place together to make sure, as Kerry puts it, 'the truth in its entirety will come out.' "
Now that the Boston Globe has in its possession what it claims are Kerry's "full military and medical records," is the Globe ready to make these records available to the public? Wilkinson replied, "It is my understanding that Kerry will release these papers to anyone else now that he has signed the Form 180. The Boston Globe is not going to make available the papers we have received."
Thomas H. Lipscomb is a senior fellow at the Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at USC.
I love O'Neill
FYI ping
I've had a feeling for a while that Kerry has only partially revealed what is there.
Looks to me like Kerry never planned to satisfy the likes of John O'Neill, FR, and everybody else following this issue. The sole purpose was to do something to be used for talking points when the subject came up in the MSM, Sunday-morning news shows, future campaigns.
I just want to see the DD214.
Of course Kerry is unresponsive. He's been dead on arrival from the beginning!
He filled it out before he didn't fill it out.
What complete trash, and why now? He's chomping at the bit to start campaigning again. Misses the media attention. Wants to take advantage of the recent criticism of the war (bs prisoner abuse, etc.) He can't stay away from these incidiary issues and wants to re-live the '70s again.
His people still don't realize that it was his fellow vets who were his downfall. (and the families...and those currently serving).
He has no concept of the word honor.
(steely)
John Kerry, the storm continues to gather and it will not go away. I promise you that.
man...what kerri must be hiding- if he released the records that showed his GPA at Yale was worse then our President's could you imagine what else is there????
Do we need Kerry to sign a F-180 in order to see his F-180 he supposedly signed?
His DD214 is on he web-site - you might recall that he did not get accepted to Harvard Law because he was discharged with "less then honorable".
The admissions board noted that with that type of discharge, he would not be able to sit for the law exam and board in many states so, he was not accepted.
My understanding is the DD214 would reveal any disciplinary action he received as well as what kind of discharge he got...right?
.
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