Posted on 10/13/2004 12:54:03 AM PDT by politicket
Edited on 10/13/2004 1:07:27 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Excerpt:
Mystery Surrounds Kerry's Navy Discharge
BY THOMAS LIPSCOMB - Special to the Sun
October 13, 2004
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/3107
An official Navy document on Senator Kerry's campaign Web site listed as Mr. Kerry's "Honorable Discharge from the Reserves" opens a door on a well kept secret about his military service.
The document is a form cover letter in the name of the Carter administration's secretary of the Navy, W. Graham Claytor. It describes Mr. Kerry's discharge as being subsequent to the review of "a board of officers." This in it self is unusual. There is nothing about an ordinary honorable discharge action in the Navy that requires a review by a board of officers.
According to the secretary of the Navy's document, the "authority of reference" this board was using in considering Mr. Kerry's record was "Title 10, U.S. Code Section 1162 and 1163. "This section refers to the grounds for involuntary separation from the service. What was being reviewed, then, was Mr. Kerry's involuntary separation from the service. And it couldn't have been an honorable discharge, or there would have been no point in any review at all. The review was likely held to improve Mr. Kerry's status of discharge from a less than honorable discharge to an honorable discharge.
A Kerry campaign spokesman, David Wade, was asked whether Mr. Kerry had ever been a victim of an attempt to deny him an honorable discharge. There has been no response to that inquiry.
The document is dated February 16, 1978. But Mr. Kerry's military commitment began with his six-year enlistment contract with the Navy on February 18, 1966. His commitment should have terminated in 1972. It is highly unlikely that either the man who at that time was a Vietnam Veterans Against the War leader, John Kerry, requested or the Navy accepted an additional six year reserve commitment. And the Claytor document indicates proceedings to reverse a less than honorable discharge that took place sometime prior to February 1978.
The most routine time for Mr. Kerry's discharge would have been at the end of his six-year obligation, in 1972. But how was it most likely to have come about?
For some reason, not apparently. Judicial Watch has been trying to get records released I know, but there's that stubborn 180 that needs to be signed.
Wade Sanders is a long friend of Kerry.
Besides being an asst SecNav, he specializes in "correcting" military records for those whose who claim their records are wrong.
What a nice combination for a friend to have. We exposed Wade Sanders when he wrote an "letter to the editor" for a Colorado Newspaper backing Kerry versus the Swift Vets.
Below is the link to the search on Wade Sanders:
http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=Wade%20Sanders
Some of us feel that some Pentagon leftovers from his days as asstSECNav used Lehman's auto pen to rewrite the recommendations for Kerry's medals.
Senator Warner,
Yesterday on C-SPAN, I heard you reiterate your disappointing statement on John Kerry's medals, which you stated initially on August 15 on CNN's Late Edition, Specifically, you stated that, "We did extraordinary, careful checking on that type of medal [the Silver Star], a very high one, when it goes through the secretary," Warner said. "I feel that he deserved it."
I believe that you are incorrect that the Secretary of the Navy was the final approving authority for the Silver Star. ADM Hyland, CINCPAC (Nov 30, 1967 - Dec 5, 1970) was the final approving authority for Kerry's Silver Star and ADM Zumwalt, COMNAVUSFOR Vietnam (Sep 1968-May 1970) for his Bronze Star. We have photographic evidence that Kerry had the Silver Star and Bronze Star medals pinned on in 1969. Kerry also acknowledges that he received them.
Former SECNAV John Lehman (5 Feb 1981 - 10 Apr 1987) has stated that he issued, at Senator Kerry's request, replacement citations (and perhaps medals), during his tenure. The Silver Star Citation signed by Secretary Lehman has been slightly altered, i.e., the last sentence, from the Hyland version. The Bronze Star citation remained unchanged from the Zumwalt citation. Why would the Navy issue a new citation signed by the Secretary of the Navy rather than just provide a copy of the original citation?
I understand that as a former Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and then Secretary of the Navy, you must defend the integrity of the process. Also, you don't want to criticize a fellow veteran and senator. That said, I believe before you state categorically that Senator Kerry deserves his medals and that his award were carefully scrutinized by the Navy, you need to base such observations on the facts. Unlike President Bush, Senator Kerry has refused to release all of his military records, which would enable us to see the award recommendation forms and who was the final approving authority and how long it took to process the award.
As a matter of fairness and objectivity, you should be calling on Senator Kerry to release all of him military records. Senator Kerry's campaign has now admitted that his first Purple Heart may not have been the result of hostile fire or contact, a prerequisite for the awarding of the Purple Heart medal.
As a former naval officer and Vietnam veteran, I have great respect for those who wore and wear the uniform. Senator Kerry dishonored and slandered his comrades with allegations that atrocities were a matter of American policy and condoned by the entire chain of command including the Secretary of the Navy and the President of the United States. If the charges in John O'Neill's book, Unfit for Command, are true then Kerry has also lied and cheated to get his awards. This is despicable. I was fortunate to receive a medal with a Combat "V" distinguishing device. Kerry's actions raises questions about everyone's awards.
As my representative, I ask you to join the effort to have John Kerry authorize release of all of his military records immediately. If the process is as fair and transparent as you assert, you should be in the vanguard of this effort. If there is nothing to hide, why not release them?
When the little old lady typist story was breaking, Drudge had an exclusive interview with her.
I think he'd like to break something new in this story.
Well, I hope he hurries. The iron is hot!
Kerry's only response to the swift vets was to sic lawyers on them and his butt buddies in the MSM.
The last thing he wants is for this to get into the MSM. So he will not respond until forced to.
Then he will be the victim of the evil/vile Nixon.
Great letter.
Please let us know what type of response, if any, you get.
Had the citations been misplaced/or destroyed he would have rec'd a copy of the original citations. There would not have been a need for new citations/signatures, correct?
Am I too conspiratorial in believing that maybe Ahnold knew something about this (maybe not details) when he praised Nixon at the RNC?
It was one of the PARTICIPANTS of the swiftvets forum that brought this to the surface.
Finally the MSM may start to pick up this issue - he has bad paper and it was covered up.
This is the link to the story re your thread last night.
great comments, thanks for the ping.
Its simple: He re-upped for another six years in Cambodia, keeping the world safe from Richard Nixon!
...have you noticed that the talking point from the Bush camp is a curt "President Bush received an HONORABLE DISCHARGE.
Had the same thought. Pieces forming into a mosaic.
"Am I too conspiratorial in believing that maybe Ahnold knew something about this (maybe not details) when he praised Nixon at the RNC?"
I think that Arnold like a lot us feel that Nixon was framed and removed from office by the MSM and the Washington Compost. The lies of Woodward et al about Deep Throat, now are starting to gel with a lot of us.
The left mediots via the MSM "removed Nixon as President and set up the election of Jimmy Carter with their lies and spins."
Hopefully, Arnold and others can wash off a lot of trash piled on Nixon. Trash that was fabricated lies by the MSM and the current leaders of the Rat Party.
Just a quibble, but IIRC the DUI story was detonated only about three days before the election (maybe on a Saturday?). If someone does the research and finds me wrong, let me know!
Powerline Blog has posted this.
Navy veteran opinion-
I dont know if this is posted yet, but this reeks to me of a discharge upgrade through the US Navy Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR).
This would account for the time delay, medal re-issues, and a bunch of Kerry's actions.
Good letter. You're right -- the ball to keep our collective eyes on are the trips to Paris, their timing, and just who he met with and under what circumstances.
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