[MJY1288]

What makes a *medal* official is the Citation that accompanies it. The medal is an ornament representing an action. The replacement medals are no different from the originals. Forget the symantics, what we are debating here is the difference between the original Citations and the replacement Citations that are signed over a decade later and have been altered.

[Robert A Cook PE]

See my comments (Kerry got three re-writes!) in nbr 363.

[kabar]

We began this discussion by talking about getting replacement medals. You indicated that you could buy them in the Exchange. The citation authorizes the wearing of the medal. The official medal is provided in a presentation case and is manufactured for the USG according to certain specifications. Knock off medals aren't the same.

There is no significant difference between the citations signed by Lehman and Hyland and Zumwalt excpt for one sentence on the Silver Star citation, which could just be new boilerplate. It needs to be questioned. This is a non-issue as far as I am concerned. The real question is why there is need for a second citation signed by Lehman for both the Silver and Bronze Stars. We posit, but don't know, that it is part of the administrative procedures for replacement medals. Kerry claims that he has his original medals. The plot thickens.

I also wonder why Kerry felt it necessary to update his DD214 in March 2001.