Posted on 07/21/2006 11:23:18 AM PDT by americaprd
PA GOP: SESTAK'S GOT NO R-E-S-P-E-C-T FOR UNIFORM
Violates Military Uniform Code by wearing uniform while campaigning,
Wears officer's uniform that does not match rank at which he retired
HARRISBURG - Republican State Committee Executive Director Scott Migli today questioned Joe Sestak, Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, for his repeated violations of federal law and U.S. Navy regulations as it relates to appropriate conduct for the wearing of military uniforms. Those violations include wearing his uniform while engaged in campaign activities and wearing a uniform that displays a rank above what the grade at which he retired from service.
"Joe Sestak's improper use of the military uniform for partisan campaign activities demonstrates a lack of respect for the uniform," said Migli. "You would never catch a veteran like Senator John McCain, or even Senator John Kerry for that matter, wearing their military uniform while on the campaign trail or inflating the rank at which they retired. The fact that Joe Sestak would stoop this low shows how desperate he is for attention."
Title 10, Subtitle A, Part 2 Chapter 45 Section 772 specifically states that retired military officers are only permitted to "bear the title and wear the uniform of his retired grade." Although he retired at the grade of a two star admiral, candidate Sestak has been photographed in the district wearing the uniform of a three star admiral, a clear violation of federal law. (Photograph available upon request).
Sestak, after declaring his candidacy has also worn his Navy uniform to various campaign events, including a parade in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania that he took part in and distributed campaign materials at, in support of his candidacy. Chapter 6, Section 10, Article 61002 of the United States Navy Uniform Regulations specifically states that "Retired personnel are prohibited from wearing the uniform in connection with personal enterprises, business activities, or while attending or participating in any demonstration, assembly or activity for the purpose of furthering personal or partisan views on political, social, economic, or religious issues."
"The only reason Joe Sestak took part in that parade is because he is an announced candidate and he was there in an attempt to attract votes," said Migli. "There is no excuse for that type of behavior. Everyone who has ever served in the military knows that there are very specific rules related to conduct that is appropriate in a military uniform. You wear the uniform of the rank at which you retired. You don't smoke or drink while in public in uniform. And you don't campaign while in uniform. Joe Sestak has demonstrated a complete lack of respect for these rules and the uniform itself."
There are unusual circumstances, not applicable to the present case, when a promotion occurs at retirement. For example, when an Air Force officer accepts the position of permanent head of a department at the Air Force Academy, they serve on active duty at the rank of Full Colonel. They are promoted to Brigadier General upon retirement, and receive BG retired pay and protocol rank. Again, not applicable to the present case, but there are unusual cases when it happens.
Oh, these folks need to be careful. He could have gotten a rank bump at retirement and be entitled to wear the three stars.
If they're wrong, they're going to really look stupid.
Currently? POTUS
The US Army even made a issue of noting that there is absolutely no distinction of "most decorated" within our ranks. It never stopped Hack.
The Navy Public Affairs Office says he retired as a 2 star.
"The Navy Public Affairs Office says he retired as a 2 star.
"
Do you have a link for that, and a date for the statement? Again, I'd be really careful on this one. This guy served 31 years in the Navy, ending up as one of the higher ranking officers in the Navy. Do I like him? I do not. He's a Dem. But, he served a career in the military. I'm really, really slow about making statements about career military guys.
As with everyone who serves, he has my thanks as a fellow veteran for his service. Now he's running for office. I think we should be able to attack him as a Dem, but I'd lay off the military stuff. It will backfire, especially if the critics don't have any military service to their credit.
From the article:
"Weldon attacked Sestak’s decision to continue owning a home in Virginia while only renting in Pennsylvania and questioned why Sestak did not move back to Pennsylvania when he was working at the Pentagon. Weldon commutes from Pennsylvania each day."
Weldon has already looked stupid once with this accusation. Sestak's young daughter has cancer, and they were living in VA so she could be treated there. I like Weldon, but wish he would focus on the important issues instead of bringing up all this petty little stuff. He can win on the issues, he just needs to start using them.
Yes. Campaigns run on petty crap generally lose. I wish people would learn that. Sestak is a retired Admiral, Rear or Vice. Few voters know or care about the difference between the two.
He moved to VA to help his kid get treatment? Well, that's a losing argument, too. Voters have kids.
What about real issues? What's Weldon saying about the difference between him and Sestak on real issues?
For Pete's sake! Now is not the time to lose elections by being petty.
OK, I went and read Weldon's biography at his campaign site. He has no military service. Yet, his campaign is attacking a career Naval Admiral over a question about what rank he's entitled to wear in retirement.
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
Leave it alone if you have no military record of your own. It won't wash with a lot of veterans, who don't like to see other veterans attacked.
Weldon isn't far enough ahead in the polls to screw around with veterans' votes. Yes, a lot of vets are strong Republicans, but not all of them.
I'll give you an example I know really, really well. My father, who had never in his life voted for a Democrat, voted for Kerry in 2004. Why? For one single reason: the attacks on Kerry's service.
I mean, he's been a lifelong Republican, and hates liberals, but he refused to vote for GWB over that. I told him he was wrong, but he does what he wants and for the reasons he wants.
Weldon's campaign is playing a fool's game on this one.
I've been reading the newspapers here in Delaware county and Weldon's been hitting Sestak for his position on seeking to repeal the tax cuts, implementing taxes on capital gains, his support for the death tax, etc. He's also criticized his universal health care plan (ala Hillary Clinton) that would place medical decisions in the hands of bureaucrats.
He's also been critical of Sestak's tenure as Director of Defense Policy at the Clinton White House when we struck a deal with North Korea to give them nuclear reactors in exchange for their promise to halth misile development (we all know how that turned out).
Sestak was also in charge of defense policy when everything went down with china-Gate, relaxed export controls for big Dem donors, etc.
Weldon's also been critical of Sestak's Defense budgets during his time as Director of Defense Policy when troops weren't given a pay increase to match the increase of cost of living, funding was cut by a third to military family housing, and the transfer of funding for training to pay for Bosnia.
Sestak also was caught campaigining in a local high school classroom, has gotten the names of some local towns wrong, has been camapigning with Pelosi, has taken money from CIA leaker Mary McCarthy, and has had funrdaisers hosted by convicted felon Sandy Berger.
Despite what you say, you'd never catch McCain or even Kerry campaiging in military uniform.
Um, its not his campaign, its the state party
Clinton NSC Team Targets Weldon
By their donors ye shall know them...
It's a pretty big deal. Doubt he will repent, he's a dim, any tactic, even if it's illegal, is fine in their view, as long as it might help them win.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as officers go, don't they retire at the highest rank ever acheived, not just the rank held at the time of retirement? If he ever, even for one day, held a 3 star rank, but was later busted down to O-1 pay grade, he would still retire at the 3 star rank as far as retirement benefits are concerned.
As another poster noted, you have to be at a rank 2 years to retire with the 3 stars. I had heard somethign similar, although I can't vouch for the requied time.
Chairborne Ranger, PX Warrior, those two come to mind.
Homosexual?
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