Posted on 06/20/2005 8:24:53 PM PDT by hipaatwo
Via the Freedom of Information Act, a reader obtained copies of the Form 180s that were recently signed by John Kerry to permit, at long last, the release of his military records. I believe there may be a story about this in the New York Sun tomorrow, and no doubt more commentary will be forthcoming over the next few days. Here are the three documents that Kerry signed; on their face, I don't see anything wrong with them, but then, I'm no expert in military personnel records. We look forward to our readers' comments.
Go to the link..there are 3 pages.
To obscure the fact that by only requesting the active duty records, he's not requesting the entire record? Without the dates, we don't know if his reserve records were released or not. I doubt that they were.
A reserve officer is a USN officer. All or virtually all, depending on the dates, ROTC graduates, and Officer Training School (name varies with time and by service) graduates receive reserve commissions. Only Academy grads get regular commissions as a matter of course. Then sometime after one makes 0-3 (Lt. in Navy and CG, Captain in the other services) one "meets" a regular commission board, if one is on extended active duty, which is different than active duty for training or temporary active duty. If the officer passes that board, then the are offered a regular commission. Reserve officers are first to be RIFed if and when a RIF occurs, and they are less likely to get the career enhancing assignments. Reserve officers who had served as enlisted members may choose to serve in their highest enlisted rank until eligible for retirement, as which point they can choose to retire in the highest rank held.
I believe he "claimed" to have signed it several times on the campaign trail, and then several more times since the election.
I'm following the same story on LGF, and there are a lot of negative comments about powerline. did I miss something?
The Navy recycled service numbers sometime after WWII. Service numbers were 6 digits. Rather than adding another numeral, service numbers from deceased shipmates were used but designated by a letter.....at my time an A or a B initially. By the time I got out there were Cs.
Example: SN 12 34 56, deceased. SN reassigned to a new recruit, B12 34 56. These were called Dead men's numbers.
How are you doing, Nutcracker! Missed ya!
You are right, he did claim a lot of things. But I thought I saw an interview a few months ago that he claimed he was sent records and he had to go through them to see what was in there.
If there was any truth to that, these dates don't jive with that interview I'm trying to recall.
no, they don't.
'nother flip-flop.
At some point all service numbers became ones social security numbers, which unless my fingers have failed me, have 9 digits. I know this was before 1971, when I entered the AF Reserve as an AFROTC cadet. (ROTC cadets join the reserve, inactive, as E-1, unless they have prior enlisted time, in which case they join at their highest enlisted rank, but they never attend basic training, just the ROTC stuff again unless they already have, the same is true of OTS cadets).
....
Turns out I was half right the changeover to SSN occurred as follows:
Army and Air Force July 1, 1969
Navy and Marine Corps January 1, 1972
Coast Guard October 1, 1974
Oh, I see. Thanks for the explanation.
Miss you too Biglook. Been trying to apply my Nutcracker in Chief title to getting our WTC Memorial back.
Did you have any affects of that earthquake in your part of the world? The tidal wave thread?
He filled out these forms?
He refers to himself as "Senator Kerry" on his request? Odd.
We need someone who's competant to fill out these frms for the Senator.
Do you somehow think you'd find somebody "competent" on his staff? Think you're asking for too much here.
INSTRUCTION AND INFORMATION SHEET FOR SF 180, REQUEST PERTAINING TO MILITARY RECORDS
1. Information needed to locate records. Certain identifying information is necessary to determine the location of an individual's record of military service. Please try to answer each item on the SF 180. If you do not have and cannot obtain the information for an item, show "NA," meaning the information is "not available." Include as much of the requested information as you can.
2. Restrictions on release of information. Release of information is subject to restrictions imposed by the military services consistent with Department of Defense regulations and the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act of 1974. The service member (either past or present) or the member's legal guardian has access to almost any information contained in that member's own record. Others requesting information from military personnel/health records must have the release authorization in Section III of the SF 180 signed by the member or legal guardian, but if the appropriate signature cannot be obtained, only limited types of information can be provided. If the former member is deceased, surviving next of kin may, under certain circumstances, be entitled to greater access to a deceased veteran's records than a member of the public. The next of kin may be any of the following: unremarried surviving spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother. Employers and others needing proof of military service are expected to accept the information shown on documents issued by the military service departments at the time a service member is separated.
3. Where reply may be sent. The reply may be sent to the member or any other address designated by the member or other authorized requester.
4. Charges for service. There is no charge for most services provided to members or their surviving next of kin. A nominal fee is charged for certain types of service. In most instances service fees cannot be determined in advance. If your request involves a service fee, you will be notified as soon as that determination is made.
5. Health and personnel records. Health records of persons on active duty are generally kept at the local servicing clinic, and usually are available from the Department of Veterans Affairs a week or two after the last day of active duty. (See page 2 of SF180 for record locations/addresses.)
6. Records at the National Personnel Records Center. Note that it takes at least three months, and often up to seven, for the file to reach the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis after the military obligation has ended (such as by discharge). If only a short time has passed, please send the inquiry to the address shown for active or current reserve members. Also, if the person has only been released from active duty but is still in a reserve status, the personnel record will stay at the location specified for reservists. A person can retain a reserve obligation for several years, even without attending meetings or receiving annual training. (See page 2 of SF180 for record locations/addresses.)
7. Definitions and abbreviations. DISCHARGED -- the individual has no current military status; HEALTH -- Records of physical examinations, dental treatment, and outpatient medical treatment received while in a duty status (does not include records of treatment while hospitalized); TDRL – Temporary Disability Retired List.
8. Service completed before World War I. National Archives Trust Fund (NATF) forms must be used to request these records. Obtain the forms by e-mail from inquire@nara.gov or write to the Code 6 address on page 2 of the SF 180.
PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 COMPLIANCE INFORMATION
The following information is provided in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(3) and applies to this form. Authority for collection of the information is 44 U.S.C. 2907, 3101, and 3103, and Public Law 104-134 (April 26, 1996), as amended in title 31, section 7701. Disclosure of the information is voluntary. If the requested information is not provided, it may delay servicing your inquiry because the facility servicing the service member's record may not have all of the information needed to locate it. The purpose of the information on this form is to assist the facility servicing the records (see the address list) in locating the correct military service record(s) or information to answer your inquiry. This form is then filed in the requested military service record as a record of disclosure. The form may also be disclosed to Department of Defense components, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Transportation (Coast Guard), or the National Archives and Records Administration when the original custodian of the military health and personnel records transfers all or part of those records to that agency. If the service member was a member of the National Guard, the form may also be disclosed to the Adjutant General of the appropriate state, District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, where he or she served.
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT
Public burden reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be five minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of the collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to National Archives and Records Administration (NHP), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. DO NOT SEND COMPLETED FORMS TO THIS ADDRESS. SEND COMPLETED FORMS AS INDICATED IN THE ADDRESS LIST ON PAGE 2 OF THE SF 180.
5. Service: Past and Present
a. Active Service
b. Reserve Service
c. National Guard
Since he only wrote US Navy under "Active Service" and "all years", I would assume only "all years" that he was in "Active Service" would be released. If he had wanted Reserve Service to be released, would he not have filled in that block as well? Also, his discharge would have been from Reserve Service, no?
"We need someone who's competant to fill out these frms for the Senator."
There is no need to sloppily fill out the form with bad handwriting.
The PDF file http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain_copies/standard_form_180.pdf
is designed so that you can type directly into it and print. All you'd have to write with a pen is a signature.
Perhaps, but the section in question is entitled "SECTION I - INFORMATION NEEDED TO LOCATE RECORDS (Furnish as much as possible.)", so it may not apply to what records are being requested. If I was working at the records center, that's the way I'd interpret it.
However you have to also understand that one, at least officers, doesn't get a DD-214 when you leave Reserve service, but rather some other form, depending on circumstances. (My DD-214 was issued when I left active duty. I have a form from the OK ANG, but none from my reserve time, unless you count my orders transferring me to the retired reserve list or my retirement certificate issued at the same time, but that's because I never resigned my commission) Kerry's DD-214 was dated 1978, IIRC, years after he separated from active duty, leading to the supposition that it was a "deleted" DD-214, issued after the original was corrected during the Carter administration.
I think it was more like maybe up to 6 months ago, IIRC.
That's the way I'm reading it as well. Yes, his final discharge would have been from the reserves; he was in the reserves for a number of years after his active duty ended.
Uh huh. Sorry. As a true blonde, I can personally verify for you that white out doesn't work on a computer screen. Trust me, I've tried.
That WTC memorial debacle enrages me too. Call up Guiliani to tell Bloomberg to get a backbone! It's turning into a circus.
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