John kerry

Plot thickens after checking records

August 27, 2004

BY THOMAS LIPSCOMB




In the midst of the controversy between the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and Kerry campaign representatives about Kerry's service in Vietnam, new questions have arisen.

The Kerry campaign has repeatedly stated that the official naval records prove the truth of Kerry's assertions about his service.

But the official records on Kerry's Web site only add to the confusion. The DD214 form, an official Defense Department document summarizing Kerry's military career posted on johnkerry.com, includes a "Silver Star with combat V."

But according to a U.S. Navy spokesman, "Kerry's record is incorrect. The Navy has never issued a 'combat V' to anyone for a Silver Star."

Naval regulations do not allow for the use of a "combat V" for the Silver Star, the third-highest decoration the Navy awards. None of the other services has ever granted a Silver Star "combat V," either.

Fake claims not uncommon



B.G. Burkett, a Vietnam veteran himself, received the highest award the Army gives to a civilian, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award, for his book Stolen Valor. Burkett pored through thousands of military service records, uncovering phony claims of awards and fake claims of military service. "I've run across several claims for Silver Stars with combat V's, but they were all in fake records," he said.

Burkett recently filed a complaint that led last month to the sentencing of Navy Capt. Roger D. Edwards to 115 days in the brig for falsification of his records.

Kerry's Web site also lists two different citations for the Silver Star. One was issued by the commander in chief of the Pacific Command (CINCPAC), Adm. John Hyland. The other, issued by Secretary of the Navy John Lehman during the Reagan administration, contained some revisions and additional language. "By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty, Lieutenant (j.g.) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself... ."

One award, three citations



But a third citation exists that appears to be the earliest. And it is not on the Kerry campaign Web site. It was issued by Vice Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, commander of U.S. naval forces in Vietnam. This citation lacks the language in the Hyland citation or that added by the Lehman version, but includes another 170 words in a detailed description of Kerry's attack on a Viet Cong ambush, his killing of an enemy soldier carrying a loaded rocket launcher, as well as military equipment captured and a body count of dead enemy.

Maj. Anthony Milavic, a retired Marine Vietnam veteran, calls the issuance of three citations for the same medal "bizarre." Milavic hosts Milinet, an Internet forum popular with the military community that is intended "to provide a forum in military/political affairs."

Normally in the case of a lost citation, Milavec points out, the awardee simply asked for a copy to be sent to him from his service personnel records office where it remains on file. "I have never heard of multi-citations from three different people for the same medal award," he said. Nor has Burkett: "It is even stranger to have three different descriptions of the awardee's conduct in the citations for the same award."

So far, there are also two varying citations for Kerry's Bronze Star, one by Zumwalt and the other by Lehman as secretary of the Navy, both posted on johnkerry.com.

Kerry's Web site also carries a DD215 form revising his DD214, issued March 12, 2001, which adds four bronze campaign stars to his Vietnam service medal. The campaign stars are issued for participation in any of the 17 Department of Defense named campaigns that extended from 1962 to the cease-fire in 1973.

However, according to the Navy spokesman, Kerry should only have two campaign stars: one for "Counteroffensive, Phase VI," and one for "Tet69, Counteroffensive."

94 pages of records unreleased?



Reporting by the Washington Post's Michael Dobbs points out that although the Kerry campaign insists that it has released Kerry's full military records, the Post was only able to get six pages of records under its Freedom of Information Act request out of the "at least a hundred pages" a Naval Personnel Office spokesman called the "full file."

What could that more than 100 pages contain? Questions have been raised about President Bush's drill attendance in the reserves, but Bush received his honorable discharge on schedule. Kerry, who should have been discharged from the Navy about the same time -- July 1, 1972 -- wasn't given the discharge he has on his campaign Web site until July 13, 1978. What delayed the discharge for six years? This raises serious questions about Kerry's performance while in the reserves that are far more potentially damaging than those raised against Bush.

Experts point out that even the official military records get screwed up. Milavic is trying to get mistakes in his own DD214 file corrected. In his opinion, "these entries are not prima facie evidence of lying or unethical behavior on the part of Kerry or anyone else with screwed-up DD214s."

Burkett, who has spent years working with the FBI, Department of Justice and all of the military services uncovering fraudulent files in the official records, is less charitable: "The multiple citations and variations in the official record are reason for suspicion in itself, even disregarding the current swift boat veterans' controversy."

Thomas Lipscomb is chairman of the Center for the Digital Future in New York

http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-lips27.html

 

Character IS the issue

By Butch

You might want to read this. Then again, maybe not.

 

A good job, Butch. I skimmed it, printed it to read later tonight when I can finally go home and have a glass of wine.

And a great looking web site, too.

 

There has been SO MUCH stuff happen since I wrote that Hedwig. There is just no possible way I can keep up with these people, and all their flip flops, fake "documents" and lies.

Gonna have to revert to the experts to handle this.

powerline.com


lol

 

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/007760.php

 

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/007760.php

 

Thanks for the link. I spent about an hour yesterday trying to find the latest status on the forgeries and couldn't find anything. It's like it's dropped off the face of the earth.

Does Dan Rather still have a job?

 

• KERRY POLL RANK LOWER THAN DUKAKIS, JESSE JACKSON, MARTHA STEWART, PUTIN
  Tue Sep 14 2004 12:06:00 ET
  
  In last week's WASHINGTONPOSTWABCNEWS Poll, John F. Kerry was viewed favorably by 36 percent of registered voters, down 18 points over the past six months.
  
  But just how low Kerry's standing has fallen cannot be appreciated fully without comparing his standing with that of other household names in GALLUP polls over the years, the POST's Dana Milbank reported on Tuesday.
  
  Kerry finds himself in a dead heat with Martha Stewart and Joseph McCarthy, and behind Herbert Hoover -- although he narrowly beats O.J. Simpson.
  
  Michael Jordan: 83 (2000)
  
  Tony Blair: 76 (2003)
  
  Pope John Paul II: 73 (2003)
  
  Democratic Party: 54 (2004)
  
  John Ashcroft: 49 (2003)
  
  Michael Dukakis: 47 (1988)
  
  Prince Charles: 45 (2003)
  
  Herbert Hoover: 43 (1944)
  
  Jesse Jackson: 38 (2003)
  
  Vladimir Putin: 38 (2003)
  
  John Kerry: 36 (2004)
  
  Martha Stewart: 36 (2004)
  
  Joseph McCarthy: 35 (1954)
  
  END

Should be game, set, match.

lol

 

I sure hope so!

 

Special Tactical Advisory from the DNC

CHARGE VOTER INTIMIDATION, WHETHER OR NOT IT EXISTS!!



We know the Dems hired thousands of atty's (operatives) to be on "stand by" for the November election.

Now emerges the rest of their strategy.

The Kerry/Edwards campaign, and the Democratic National Committee are advising election operatives to immediately begin declaring voter [fraud] intimidation -- whether it exists or not.

The 66-page action plan will be issued by the Kerry/Edwards campaign and the Democratic National Committee states. Among them certainly Florida.

"If no signs of intimidation techniques have emerged yet, launch a pre-emptive strike anyway."

[emph. mine]


Still developing:

[/quote]

 

And hopefully backfiring.

If enough people see this, don't you think they'd start to figure out that a lot of what they hear isn't true?