Senator John Kerry Sails Through Confirmation Hearing: God Bless Him

[uscitizen]

Senator John Kerry Sails Through Confirmation Hearing: God Bless Him​

'

This highly decorated, combat veteran has done America proud through most all of his life. We need more men and women like him. He even had the usually rabid GOP attack dogs on his side or running silent,



John Kerry Tears Up During Smooth Confirmation Hearing - ABC News

Wonder if Kerry will throw any more of his BS medals over the wall of the White House??

Highly decorated.....Please..

I have a chunk of my left leg missing from an RPG at Quang Tri. Purple Heart. 1 Bronze Star for action. 6 Meritorious Achievement medals, 2 DIA Directors Achievement Medals, and on and on. Who cares? Not me.

Kerry gets a boo boo on his little pinky and got his Purple Heart.

You call him a "hero". I call him a REMF that fooled everyone.

Lemme guess.....you think "Loose Cannon" McCain is some kind o' "hero", though, right??​

Well he was a POW... although his disobeying orders caused that.

 

[RandallFlagg]

Senator John Kerry Sails Through Confirmation Hearing: God Bless Him​

'

This highly decorated, combat veteran has done America proud through most all of his life. We need more men and women like him. He even had the usually rabid GOP attack dogs on his side or running silent,



John Kerry Tears Up During Smooth Confirmation Hearing - ABC News

Wonder if Kerry will throw any more of his BS medals over the wall of the White House??

Highly decorated.....Please..

I have a chunk of my left leg missing from an RPG at Quang Tri. Purple Heart. 1 Bronze Star for action. 6 Meritorious Achievement medals, 2 DIA Directors Achievement Medals, and on and on. Who cares? Not me.

Kerry gets a boo boo on his little pinky and got his Purple Heart.

You call him a "hero". I call him a REMF that fooled everyone.

Wrong, it is what the US Government calls him


a chunk of your leg? big deal.. Kerry rescued men under cover of fire from the enemy. Kerry is a genuine war hero who did more in the nam than you ever did.

Silver Star

Kerry's Silver Star medal has been called into question by George Elliott, Kerry's former commanding officer and a member of SBVT. Elliott's stated position on the award changed during the course of the 2004 Presidential campaign.

Kerry's medal citation indicates that he charged into an ambush, killing an enemy preparing to launch a rocket. In his 1969 performance evaluation, Elliot wrote "In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action, LTJG [Lieutenant Junior Grade] Kerry was unsurpassed. He constantly reviewed tactics and lessons learned in river operations and applied his experience at every opportunity. On one occasion, while in tactical command of a three boat operation his units were taken under fire from ambush. LTJG Kerry rapidly assessed the situation and ordered his units to turn directly into the ambush. This decision resulted in routing the attackers with several KIA [Killed in Action]. LTJG Kerry emerges as the acknowledged leader in his peer group. His bearing and appearance are above reproach."[39]

During Kerry's 1996 Senate re-election campaign, when there was criticism of his Silver Star, Elliott responded: "The fact that he chased armed enemies down is not something to be looked down on."[40] In June 2003, Elliott was quoted as saying the award was "well deserved" and that he had "no regrets or second thoughts at all about that."[41]

During the 2004 campaign, however, Elliott signed two affidavits that criticize the award. The first, in July 2004, stated in part, "When Kerry came back to the United States, he lied about what occurred in Vietnam..." After the release of this first affidavit, Michael Kranish of the Boston Globe quoted Elliott saying, "It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with those words. I'm the one in trouble here...I knew it was wrong...In a hurry I signed it and faxed it back. That was a mistake."[42] Elliott contended that Kranish had substantially misquoted him, but the Globe stood by its account, calling the disputed quotes "absolutely accurate".[43]

The story prompted Elliott to release a second affidavit, in August 2004, in which he stated, "Had I known the facts, I would not have recommended Kerry for the Silver Star for simply pursuing and dispatching a single wounded, fleeing Viet Cong."[44] The second affidavit made what Elliott called an "immaterial clarification", in that he admitted that he had no personal knowledge of the circumstances of the shooting. Rather, his initial statement that Kerry had been dishonest was based on unspecified sources and a passage contributed by Kranish to a biography of Kerry.

However, although Elliott claims that he was not in possession of the facts of the event, the original citation that Elliott wrote (which is not the citation that appears in "Unfit for Command") incorporates most of the details in the after action report. The report states that Kerry chased and shot a single wounded, fleeing Viet Cong. In addition, it states that the PCFs were filled with troops, that all three boats turned into the first ambush and beached, that the troops conducted the first sweep, and that while Kerry led the first landing party during the second sweep, the other landing parties and troops followed and took out the VC.

Kerry’s crew members who were there that day do not agree with Elliott’s characterization of the event in his 2004 affidavits. They contend that the enemy soldier, although wounded, was still a threat. For example, one of them, Fred Short, said, "The guy was getting ready to stand up with a rocket on his shoulder, coming up. And Mr. Kerry took him out … he would have been about a 30-yard shot. … [T]here's no way he could miss us."[45] Del Sandusky, Kerry’s second in command, described the consequences to the lightly armored Swift Boat: "Charlie would have lit us up like a Roman candle because we're full of fuel, we're full of ammunition."[46] Another witness stated that the VC "had an entry wound at the side of his chest and exit wound at the opposite side of the chest cavity, a wound that was consistent with reports of the man turning to fire a second B-40 rocket."[47]

The only member of SBVT who was present that day, Larry Clayton Lee, has stated he believes Kerry earned the Silver Star.[4]

Another eyewitness, William Rood, a former Chicago Tribune editor, in a 2004 article gave an account that supports Kerry's version of the events of that day. Rood was commander of PCF-23, which was one of the two Swift Boats that accompanied Kerry's PCF-94.

Rood discounted several specific charges made by SBVT about the incident. In his (second-hand) book account, O'Neill implied that Kerry chased down a lone "teenager in a loincloth clutching a grenade launcher which may or may not have been loaded," without coming under enemy fire himself. In contrast, Rood stated that there were multiple attackers, there was heavy hostile fire, and the guerrilla Kerry shot was "a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the Viet Cong usually wore" armed with a "loaded B-40 rocket launcher". Also, O'Neill called Kerry's tactic of charging the beach "stupidity, not courage." Similarly, Hoffman characterized Kerry's actions as reckless and impulsive. However, Rood stated that Kerry's tactic of charging the beach was discussed and mutually agreed with the other Swift boat commanders beforehand. He also notes that, at the time, Hoffman praised all three Swift boat commanders and called the tactics developed "a shining example of completely overwhelming the enemy" and that they "may be the most efficacious method of dealing with small numbers of ambushers."[48][49] O'Neill responded that Rood's criticism was "extremely unfair" and stated that Rood's account of events is not substantially different from what appeared in his book Unfit for Command, for which Rood had declined an interview.[50] The American eyewitnesses to the second sweep, including SBVT member Larry Clayton Lee, have stated that there were multiple VC at the scene of the second sweep.[51][52]

The accounts of Vietnamese witnesses are consistent on several points with Rood's. Ba Thanh, the guerrilla killed while carrying the B-40 rocket launcher, was "big and strong" and in his late 20's. Return fire was also intense, according to Vo Van Tam, who was then a local Viet Cong commander: "I led Ba Thanh's comrades, the whole unit, to fight back. And we ran around the back and fought the Americans from behind. We worked with the city soldiers to fire on the American boats." No Vietnamese witnesses saw how Thanh died or saw him being chased by an American.[53]

No individual who was present that day has disputed Kerry's version of events, nor suggested that he did not earn the Silver Star, and some said accounts given in Unfit for Command were incorrect.[53]

O'Neill states that the Silver Star was awarded after only two days, "with no review".[54] However, the medal was awarded on March 6, six days after the action, and Hoffmann and Lonsdale stated in 1996 that all proper review procedures were followed.

Some critics questioned the reason for the existence of three versions of the Silver Star citation with variations in the wording, the first being signed by Vice-Admiral Zumwalt, as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam, the second being signed by Admiral John Hyland as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and the third being signed by John Lehman, as Secretary of the Navy.[55][56] In this connection, Mr. Lehman, who served as secretary from 1981 to 1987,[57] was quoted as saying he had never seen or signed the most recent citation (Kerry citation a 'total mystery' to ex-Navy chief, Thomas Lipscomb, Chicago Sun-Times, Aug. 28, 2004). However, in its October 2004 documentation of its investigation of Kerry's medals, the office of the Navy inspector general described the first, longer version as the "COMUSNAVFOR Vietnam version, signed by VADM Zumwalt" and the second version as the "official version, signed by the delegated award authority, ADM Hyland, CINCPACFLT." As to the third version, the report described it as one of several "duplicate citations" that were issued in 1985 after "considerable correspondence indicating efforts over the years to chase down various citations," and stated that the ones under Lehman's name were likely signed by machine.[58] In addition, in October 2004, Rowan Scarborough of the Washington Times reported:
“ Navy officials say that there is no evidence that Mr. Kerry's Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts were ever rescinded and that there is no evidence of misconduct in his records.

He did receive new medal citations in the mid-1980s. Officials say the Navy receives scores, and perhaps hundreds, of such requests each year from veterans who want a second copy or have lost the originals.

The citations are simply put through a machine that implants the signature of the current Navy secretary. John Lehman's signature, via a machine, appears on Mr. Kerry's new citation for his Silver Star.[59]
”

Commenting on the Silver Star issue, Republican Sen. John Warner, who was Under Secretary of the Navy at the time, stated "We did extraordinary, careful checking on that type of medal, a very high one, when it goes through the secretary...I'd stand by the process that awarded that medal, and I think we best acknowledge that his heroism did gain that recognition."[60] Elmo Zumwalt, Commander of the United States Naval Forces in Vietnam at that time, signed Kerry's original Silver Star citation and defended the award in 1996, saying "It is a disgrace to the United States Navy that there's any inference that the [medal] process was anything other than totally honest." Boston Herald, October 28, 1996.

John Kerry military service controversy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is what most of the vets who came home, returned to..."A chunk of your leg, big deal". While they worship at the feet of a man came from the rear to get "gun time" (every man who served in a combat unit saw these worthless clowns) and "supposedly" helped some young man get "out of the way" of incoming rounds.

I got a Bronze Star for carrying my Platoon Sergeant (who had been shot in the back and shoulder) 500 yards to the Medevac point. No big deal. He would have done the same for me. I went to that Man's funeral a few years back. Additionally, I can tell you the name of every man I served with, with a few exceptions. Wonder how many Kerry recalls??

You folks get your panties into little wads because your "boy" isn't what you think he is. He is nothing more than Jane Fonda in drag. That makes most of you folks (literally) pee your pants with delight. I ever see Kerry, I will spit in his eye.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Wonder if Kerry will throw any more of his BS medals over the wall of the White House??

Highly decorated.....Please..

I have a chunk of my left leg missing from an RPG at Quang Tri. Purple Heart. 1 Bronze Star for action. 6 Meritorious Achievement medals, 2 DIA Directors Achievement Medals, and on and on. Who cares? Not me.

Kerry gets a boo boo on his little pinky and got his Purple Heart.

You call him a "hero". I call him a REMF that fooled everyone.

Lemme guess.....you think "Loose Cannon" McCain is some kind o' "hero", though, right??​

Nope. McCain is a boob, nothing more, nothing less. He was captured and held out. Stories about his "heroism" have always been sketchy, to say the least. I applaud the man's service, however. When he wasn't crashing jets, he was actually doing a decent job.

.....As-long-as there was no MUD...or, GROUND-COMBAT INVOLVED!!!!!!​

 

[Sallow]

You can thank the Republicans for passing this nomination through. They did not uphold or obstruct....

That's because they think they can take his seat in the Senate.

 

[Freewill]

Kerry certainly made the best out of his 4 months in theater. Even got to kill a man with a 50 cal, now that is something.

Kerry voted for war in Iraq, I would think that would turn off the liberal left.

 

[tjvh]

I wonder if John Kerry married for looks, or for money? Hmmm....

 

[Freewill]

Why would the republicans hold up his appointment, it gets him out of the Senate.

 

[tjvh]

Kerry certainly made the best out of his 4 months in theater. Even got to kill a man with a 50 cal, now that is something.

Kerry voted for war in Iraq, I would think that would turn off the liberal left.

Democrats who voted for the Iraq War get a pass... Haven't you heard?

 

[Sallow]

This is what most of the vets who came home, returned to..."A chunk of your leg, big deal". While they worship at the feet of a man came from the rear to get "gun time" (every man who served in a combat unit saw these worthless clowns) and "supposedly" helped some young man get "out of the way" of incoming rounds.

I got a Bronze Star for carrying my Platoon Sergeant (who had been shot in the back and shoulder) 500 yards to the Medevac point. No big deal. He would have done the same for me. I went to that Man's funeral a few years back. Additionally, I can tell you the name of every man I served with, with a few exceptions. Wonder how many Kerry recalls??

You folks get your panties into little wads because your "boy" isn't what you think he is. He is nothing more than Jane Fonda in drag. That makes most of you folks (literally) pee your pants with delight. I ever see Kerry, I will spit in his eye.

I notice most of you boys who are posting "it's no big deal" about your own experiences and medals..are posting your own experiences and medals.


What's up with that?

 

[Sallow]

Kerry certainly made the best out of his 4 months in theater. Even got to kill a man with a 50 cal, now that is something.

Kerry voted for war in Iraq, I would think that would turn off the liberal left.

Democrats who voted for the Iraq War get a pass... Haven't you heard?

Yeah..they do.

Aside from the fact they were lied to by Bush..and threatened with being called "UnAmericans", they voted to Authorize the President to use force.

Didn't mean he had to use it.

When he ordered the invasion..it was on him.

Success or Loss.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Wonder if Kerry will throw any more of his BS medals over the wall of the White House??

Highly decorated.....Please..

I have a chunk of my left leg missing from an RPG at Quang Tri. Purple Heart. 1 Bronze Star for action. 6 Meritorious Achievement medals, 2 DIA Directors Achievement Medals, and on and on. Who cares? Not me.

Kerry gets a boo boo on his little pinky and got his Purple Heart.

You call him a "hero". I call him a REMF that fooled everyone.

Lemme guess.....you think "Loose Cannon" McCain is some kind o' "hero", though, right??​

Well he was a POW... although his disobeying orders caused that.

I can't speak to any of that.....but, I ALWAYS held the GRUNTS in MUCH-HIGHER-REGARD than any fly-boys!!!!!​

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Kerry has a record....even Howard Dean had to eat shit when attacking Kerry

In the heat of battle, with his campaign crumbling, Howard Dean lashed out at John Kerry. First, he called the leader in the Democratic presidential race a "Republican." Then he said, "When Senator Kerry's record is examined by the public at a more leisurely time…he's going to turn out to be just like George Bush."

Just like George Bush?

When John Kerry Was a Lone Hero in Congress

Kerry arrived in the Senate in 1985. This Vietnam War hero turned antiwar leader had been lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. But he entered the body more as the prosecutor he had been in the late 1970s after graduating from Boston College law school. In early 1986 Kerry's office was contacted by a Vietnam vet who alleged that the support network for the CIA-backed Nicaraguan contras (who were fighting against the socialist Sandinistas in power) was linked to drug traffickers. Kerry doubted that the Reagan Administration, obsessed with supporting the contras, would investigate such charges. He pushed for a Senate inquiry and a year later, as chairman of a Foreign Relations subcommittee, obtained approval to conduct a probe.

It was not an easy ride. Reagan Justice Department officials sought to discredit and stymie his investigation. Republicans dismissed it. One anti-Kerry effort used falsified affidavits to make it seem his staff had bribed witnesses. The Democratic staff of the Senate Iran/contra committee—which showed little interest in the contra drug connection—often refused to cooperate. "They were fighting us tooth and nail," recalls Jack Blum, one of Kerry's investigators. "We had the White House and the CIA against us on one side and our colleagues in the Senate on the other. But Kerry told us, 'Keep going.' He didn't let this stuff faze him."

Kerry's inquiry widened to look at Cuba, Haiti, the Bahamas, Honduras and Panama. In 1989 he released a report that slammed the Reagan Administration for neglecting or undermining anti-drug efforts in order to pursue other foreign policy objectives. It noted that the government in the 1970s and '80s had "turned a blind eye" to the corruption and drug dealing of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who had done various favors for Washington (including assisting the contras). The report concluded that "individuals who provided support for the contras were involved in drug trafficking…and elements of the contras themselves knowingly received financial and material assistance from drug traffickers." And, it added, US government agencies—meaning the CIA and the State Department—had known this.

This was a rather explosive finding, but the Kerry report did not provoke much uproar in the media, and the Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill did little to support Kerry and keep the matter alive. His critics derided him as a conspiracy buff. Yet a decade later the CIA inspector general released a pair of reports that acknowledged that the agency had worked with suspected drug smugglers to support the contras. Kerry had been right.

After the contra investigation, Kerry next turned to a far more sensitive target: a bank connected to a prominent Democratic Party fundraiser.

 

[LoneLaugher]

Wonder if Kerry will throw any more of his BS medals over the wall of the White House??

Highly decorated.....Please..

I have a chunk of my left leg missing from an RPG at Quang Tri. Purple Heart. 1 Bronze Star for action. 6 Meritorious Achievement medals, 2 DIA Directors Achievement Medals, and on and on. Who cares? Not me.

Kerry gets a boo boo on his little pinky and got his Purple Heart.

You call him a "hero". I call him a REMF that fooled everyone.

Wrong, it is what the US Government calls him


a chunk of your leg? big deal.. Kerry rescued men under cover of fire from the enemy. Kerry is a genuine war hero who did more in the nam than you ever did.

Silver Star

Kerry's Silver Star medal has been called into question by George Elliott, Kerry's former commanding officer and a member of SBVT. Elliott's stated position on the award changed during the course of the 2004 Presidential campaign.

Kerry's medal citation indicates that he charged into an ambush, killing an enemy preparing to launch a rocket. In his 1969 performance evaluation, Elliot wrote "In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action, LTJG [Lieutenant Junior Grade] Kerry was unsurpassed. He constantly reviewed tactics and lessons learned in river operations and applied his experience at every opportunity. On one occasion, while in tactical command of a three boat operation his units were taken under fire from ambush. LTJG Kerry rapidly assessed the situation and ordered his units to turn directly into the ambush. This decision resulted in routing the attackers with several KIA [Killed in Action]. LTJG Kerry emerges as the acknowledged leader in his peer group. His bearing and appearance are above reproach."[39]

During Kerry's 1996 Senate re-election campaign, when there was criticism of his Silver Star, Elliott responded: "The fact that he chased armed enemies down is not something to be looked down on."[40] In June 2003, Elliott was quoted as saying the award was "well deserved" and that he had "no regrets or second thoughts at all about that."[41]

During the 2004 campaign, however, Elliott signed two affidavits that criticize the award. The first, in July 2004, stated in part, "When Kerry came back to the United States, he lied about what occurred in Vietnam..." After the release of this first affidavit, Michael Kranish of the Boston Globe quoted Elliott saying, "It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with those words. I'm the one in trouble here...I knew it was wrong...In a hurry I signed it and faxed it back. That was a mistake."[42] Elliott contended that Kranish had substantially misquoted him, but the Globe stood by its account, calling the disputed quotes "absolutely accurate".[43]

The story prompted Elliott to release a second affidavit, in August 2004, in which he stated, "Had I known the facts, I would not have recommended Kerry for the Silver Star for simply pursuing and dispatching a single wounded, fleeing Viet Cong."[44] The second affidavit made what Elliott called an "immaterial clarification", in that he admitted that he had no personal knowledge of the circumstances of the shooting. Rather, his initial statement that Kerry had been dishonest was based on unspecified sources and a passage contributed by Kranish to a biography of Kerry.

However, although Elliott claims that he was not in possession of the facts of the event, the original citation that Elliott wrote (which is not the citation that appears in "Unfit for Command") incorporates most of the details in the after action report. The report states that Kerry chased and shot a single wounded, fleeing Viet Cong. In addition, it states that the PCFs were filled with troops, that all three boats turned into the first ambush and beached, that the troops conducted the first sweep, and that while Kerry led the first landing party during the second sweep, the other landing parties and troops followed and took out the VC.

Kerry’s crew members who were there that day do not agree with Elliott’s characterization of the event in his 2004 affidavits. They contend that the enemy soldier, although wounded, was still a threat. For example, one of them, Fred Short, said, "The guy was getting ready to stand up with a rocket on his shoulder, coming up. And Mr. Kerry took him out … he would have been about a 30-yard shot. … [T]here's no way he could miss us."[45] Del Sandusky, Kerry’s second in command, described the consequences to the lightly armored Swift Boat: "Charlie would have lit us up like a Roman candle because we're full of fuel, we're full of ammunition."[46] Another witness stated that the VC "had an entry wound at the side of his chest and exit wound at the opposite side of the chest cavity, a wound that was consistent with reports of the man turning to fire a second B-40 rocket."[47]

The only member of SBVT who was present that day, Larry Clayton Lee, has stated he believes Kerry earned the Silver Star.[4]

Another eyewitness, William Rood, a former Chicago Tribune editor, in a 2004 article gave an account that supports Kerry's version of the events of that day. Rood was commander of PCF-23, which was one of the two Swift Boats that accompanied Kerry's PCF-94.

Rood discounted several specific charges made by SBVT about the incident. In his (second-hand) book account, O'Neill implied that Kerry chased down a lone "teenager in a loincloth clutching a grenade launcher which may or may not have been loaded," without coming under enemy fire himself. In contrast, Rood stated that there were multiple attackers, there was heavy hostile fire, and the guerrilla Kerry shot was "a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the Viet Cong usually wore" armed with a "loaded B-40 rocket launcher". Also, O'Neill called Kerry's tactic of charging the beach "stupidity, not courage." Similarly, Hoffman characterized Kerry's actions as reckless and impulsive. However, Rood stated that Kerry's tactic of charging the beach was discussed and mutually agreed with the other Swift boat commanders beforehand. He also notes that, at the time, Hoffman praised all three Swift boat commanders and called the tactics developed "a shining example of completely overwhelming the enemy" and that they "may be the most efficacious method of dealing with small numbers of ambushers."[48][49] O'Neill responded that Rood's criticism was "extremely unfair" and stated that Rood's account of events is not substantially different from what appeared in his book Unfit for Command, for which Rood had declined an interview.[50] The American eyewitnesses to the second sweep, including SBVT member Larry Clayton Lee, have stated that there were multiple VC at the scene of the second sweep.[51][52]

The accounts of Vietnamese witnesses are consistent on several points with Rood's. Ba Thanh, the guerrilla killed while carrying the B-40 rocket launcher, was "big and strong" and in his late 20's. Return fire was also intense, according to Vo Van Tam, who was then a local Viet Cong commander: "I led Ba Thanh's comrades, the whole unit, to fight back. And we ran around the back and fought the Americans from behind. We worked with the city soldiers to fire on the American boats." No Vietnamese witnesses saw how Thanh died or saw him being chased by an American.[53]

No individual who was present that day has disputed Kerry's version of events, nor suggested that he did not earn the Silver Star, and some said accounts given in Unfit for Command were incorrect.[53]

O'Neill states that the Silver Star was awarded after only two days, "with no review".[54] However, the medal was awarded on March 6, six days after the action, and Hoffmann and Lonsdale stated in 1996 that all proper review procedures were followed.

Some critics questioned the reason for the existence of three versions of the Silver Star citation with variations in the wording, the first being signed by Vice-Admiral Zumwalt, as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam, the second being signed by Admiral John Hyland as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and the third being signed by John Lehman, as Secretary of the Navy.[55][56] In this connection, Mr. Lehman, who served as secretary from 1981 to 1987,[57] was quoted as saying he had never seen or signed the most recent citation (Kerry citation a 'total mystery' to ex-Navy chief, Thomas Lipscomb, Chicago Sun-Times, Aug. 28, 2004). However, in its October 2004 documentation of its investigation of Kerry's medals, the office of the Navy inspector general described the first, longer version as the "COMUSNAVFOR Vietnam version, signed by VADM Zumwalt" and the second version as the "official version, signed by the delegated award authority, ADM Hyland, CINCPACFLT." As to the third version, the report described it as one of several "duplicate citations" that were issued in 1985 after "considerable correspondence indicating efforts over the years to chase down various citations," and stated that the ones under Lehman's name were likely signed by machine.[58] In addition, in October 2004, Rowan Scarborough of the Washington Times reported:
“ Navy officials say that there is no evidence that Mr. Kerry's Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts were ever rescinded and that there is no evidence of misconduct in his records.

He did receive new medal citations in the mid-1980s. Officials say the Navy receives scores, and perhaps hundreds, of such requests each year from veterans who want a second copy or have lost the originals.

The citations are simply put through a machine that implants the signature of the current Navy secretary. John Lehman's signature, via a machine, appears on Mr. Kerry's new citation for his Silver Star.[59]
”

Commenting on the Silver Star issue, Republican Sen. John Warner, who was Under Secretary of the Navy at the time, stated "We did extraordinary, careful checking on that type of medal, a very high one, when it goes through the secretary...I'd stand by the process that awarded that medal, and I think we best acknowledge that his heroism did gain that recognition."[60] Elmo Zumwalt, Commander of the United States Naval Forces in Vietnam at that time, signed Kerry's original Silver Star citation and defended the award in 1996, saying "It is a disgrace to the United States Navy that there's any inference that the [medal] process was anything other than totally honest." Boston Herald, October 28, 1996.

John Kerry military service controversy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is what most of the vets who came home, returned to..."A chunk of your leg, big deal". While they worship at the feet of a man came from the rear to get "gun time" (every man who served in a combat unit saw these worthless clowns) and "supposedly" helped some young man get "out of the way" of incoming rounds.

I got a Bronze Star for carrying my Platoon Sergeant (who had been shot in the back and shoulder) 500 yards to the Medevac point. No big deal. He would have done the same for me. I went to that Man's funeral a few years back. Additionally, I can tell you the name of every man I served with, with a few exceptions. Wonder how many Kerry recalls??

You folks get your panties into little wads because your "boy" isn't what you think he is. He is nothing more than Jane Fonda in drag. That makes most of you folks (literally) pee your pants with delight. I ever see Kerry, I will spit in his eye.

My father never took a shit out of his asshole past the age of 22. You know what else he never did? He never sought out props for his heroism. You suck.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

...

The only member of SBVT who was present that day, Larry Clayton Lee, has stated he believes Kerry earned the Silver Star.[4]

Another eyewitness, William Rood, a former Chicago Tribune editor, in a 2004 article gave an account that supports Kerry's version of the events of that day. Rood was commander of PCF-23, which was one of the two Swift Boats that accompanied Kerry's PCF-94.

Rood discounted several specific charges made by SBVT about the incident. In his (second-hand) book account, O'Neill implied that Kerry chased down a lone "teenager in a loincloth clutching a grenade launcher which may or may not have been loaded," without coming under enemy fire himself. In contrast, Rood stated that there were multiple attackers, there was heavy hostile fire, and the guerrilla Kerry shot was "a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the Viet Cong usually wore" armed with a "loaded B-40 rocket launcher". Also, O'Neill called Kerry's tactic of charging the beach "stupidity, not courage." Similarly, Hoffman characterized Kerry's actions as reckless and impulsive. However, Rood stated that Kerry's tactic of charging the beach was discussed and mutually agreed with the other Swift boat commanders beforehand. He also notes that, at the time, Hoffman praised all three Swift boat commanders and called the tactics developed "a shining example of completely overwhelming the enemy" and that they "may be the most efficacious method of dealing with small numbers of ambushers."[48][49] O'Neill responded that Rood's criticism was "extremely unfair" and stated that Rood's account of events is not substantially different from what appeared in his book Unfit for Command, for which Rood had declined an interview.[50] The American eyewitnesses to the second sweep, including SBVT member Larry Clayton Lee, have stated that there were multiple VC at the scene of the second sweep.[51][52]

The accounts of Vietnamese witnesses are consistent on several points with Rood's. Ba Thanh, the guerrilla killed while carrying the B-40 rocket launcher, was "big and strong" and in his late 20's. Return fire was also intense, according to Vo Van Tam, who was then a local Viet Cong commander: "I led Ba Thanh's comrades, the whole unit, to fight back. And we ran around the back and fought the Americans from behind. We worked with the city soldiers to fire on the American boats." No Vietnamese witnesses saw how Thanh died or saw him being chased by an American.[53]

No individual who was present that day has disputed Kerry's version of events, nor suggested that he did not earn the Silver Star, and some said accounts given in Unfit for Command were incorrect.[53]


However, in its October 2004 documentation of its investigation of Kerry's medals, the office of the Navy inspector general described the first, longer version as the "COMUSNAVFOR Vietnam version, signed by VADM Zumwalt" and the second version as the "official version, signed by the delegated award authority, ADM Hyland, CINCPACFLT." As to the third version, the report described it as one of several "duplicate citations" that were issued in 1985 after "considerable correspondence indicating efforts over the years to chase down various citations," and stated that the ones under Lehman's name were likely signed by machine.[58] In addition, in October 2004, Rowan Scarborough of the Washington Times reported:
“ Navy officials say that there is no evidence that Mr. Kerry's Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts were ever rescinded and that there is no evidence of misconduct in his records.

He did receive new medal citations in the mid-1980s. Officials say the Navy receives scores, and perhaps hundreds, of such requests each year from veterans who want a second copy or have lost the originals.

The citations are simply put through a machine that implants the signature of the current Navy secretary. John Lehman's signature, via a machine, appears on Mr. Kerry's new citation for his Silver Star.[59]
”

Commenting on the Silver Star issue, Republican Sen. John Warner, who was Under Secretary of the Navy at the time, stated "We did extraordinary, careful checking on that type of medal, a very high one, when it goes through the secretary...I'd stand by the process that awarded that medal, and I think we best acknowledge that his heroism did gain that recognition."[60] Elmo Zumwalt, Commander of the United States Naval Forces in Vietnam at that time, signed Kerry's original Silver Star citation and defended the award in 1996, saying "It is a disgrace to the United States Navy that there's any inference that the [medal] process was anything other than totally honest." Boston Herald, October 28, 1996.

John Kerry military service controversy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is what most of the vets who came home, returned to..."A chunk of your leg, big deal". While they worship at the feet of a man came from the rear to get "gun time" (every man who served in a combat unit saw these worthless clowns) and "supposedly" helped some young man get "out of the way" of incoming rounds.

I got a Bronze Star for carrying my Platoon Sergeant (who had been shot in the back and shoulder) 500 yards to the Medevac point. No big deal. He would have done the same for me. I went to that Man's funeral a few years back. Additionally, I can tell you the name of every man I served with, with a few exceptions. Wonder how many Kerry recalls??

You folks get your panties into little wads because your "boy" isn't what you think he is. He is nothing more than Jane Fonda in drag. That makes most of you folks (literally) pee your pants with delight. I ever see Kerry, I will spit in his eye.[/QUOTE]

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Wonder if Kerry will throw any more of his BS medals over the wall of the White House??

Highly decorated.....Please..

I have a chunk of my left leg missing from an RPG at Quang Tri. Purple Heart. 1 Bronze Star for action. 6 Meritorious Achievement medals, 2 DIA Directors Achievement Medals, and on and on. Who cares? Not me.

Kerry gets a boo boo on his little pinky and got his Purple Heart.

You call him a "hero". I call him a REMF that fooled everyone.

Wrong, it is what the US Government calls him


a chunk of your leg? big deal.. Kerry rescued men under cover of fire from the enemy. Kerry is a genuine war hero who did more in the nam than you ever did.

Silver Star

Kerry's Silver Star medal has been called into question by George Elliott, Kerry's former commanding officer and a member of SBVT. Elliott's stated position on the award changed during the course of the 2004 Presidential campaign.

Kerry's medal citation indicates that he charged into an ambush, killing an enemy preparing to launch a rocket. In his 1969 performance evaluation, Elliot wrote "In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action, LTJG [Lieutenant Junior Grade] Kerry was unsurpassed. He constantly reviewed tactics and lessons learned in river operations and applied his experience at every opportunity. On one occasion, while in tactical command of a three boat operation his units were taken under fire from ambush. LTJG Kerry rapidly assessed the situation and ordered his units to turn directly into the ambush. This decision resulted in routing the attackers with several KIA [Killed in Action]. LTJG Kerry emerges as the acknowledged leader in his peer group. His bearing and appearance are above reproach."[39]

During Kerry's 1996 Senate re-election campaign, when there was criticism of his Silver Star, Elliott responded: "The fact that he chased armed enemies down is not something to be looked down on."[40] In June 2003, Elliott was quoted as saying the award was "well deserved" and that he had "no regrets or second thoughts at all about that."[41]

During the 2004 campaign, however, Elliott signed two affidavits that criticize the award. The first, in July 2004, stated in part, "When Kerry came back to the United States, he lied about what occurred in Vietnam..." After the release of this first affidavit, Michael Kranish of the Boston Globe quoted Elliott saying, "It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with those words. I'm the one in trouble here...I knew it was wrong...In a hurry I signed it and faxed it back. That was a mistake."[42] Elliott contended that Kranish had substantially misquoted him, but the Globe stood by its account, calling the disputed quotes "absolutely accurate".[43]

The story prompted Elliott to release a second affidavit, in August 2004, in which he stated, "Had I known the facts, I would not have recommended Kerry for the Silver Star for simply pursuing and dispatching a single wounded, fleeing Viet Cong."[44] The second affidavit made what Elliott called an "immaterial clarification", in that he admitted that he had no personal knowledge of the circumstances of the shooting. Rather, his initial statement that Kerry had been dishonest was based on unspecified sources and a passage contributed by Kranish to a biography of Kerry.

However, although Elliott claims that he was not in possession of the facts of the event, the original citation that Elliott wrote (which is not the citation that appears in "Unfit for Command") incorporates most of the details in the after action report. The report states that Kerry chased and shot a single wounded, fleeing Viet Cong. In addition, it states that the PCFs were filled with troops, that all three boats turned into the first ambush and beached, that the troops conducted the first sweep, and that while Kerry led the first landing party during the second sweep, the other landing parties and troops followed and took out the VC.

Kerry’s crew members who were there that day do not agree with Elliott’s characterization of the event in his 2004 affidavits. They contend that the enemy soldier, although wounded, was still a threat. For example, one of them, Fred Short, said, "The guy was getting ready to stand up with a rocket on his shoulder, coming up. And Mr. Kerry took him out … he would have been about a 30-yard shot. … [T]here's no way he could miss us."[45] Del Sandusky, Kerry’s second in command, described the consequences to the lightly armored Swift Boat: "Charlie would have lit us up like a Roman candle because we're full of fuel, we're full of ammunition."[46] Another witness stated that the VC "had an entry wound at the side of his chest and exit wound at the opposite side of the chest cavity, a wound that was consistent with reports of the man turning to fire a second B-40 rocket."[47]

The only member of SBVT who was present that day, Larry Clayton Lee, has stated he believes Kerry earned the Silver Star.[4]

Another eyewitness, William Rood, a former Chicago Tribune editor, in a 2004 article gave an account that supports Kerry's version of the events of that day. Rood was commander of PCF-23, which was one of the two Swift Boats that accompanied Kerry's PCF-94.

Rood discounted several specific charges made by SBVT about the incident. In his (second-hand) book account, O'Neill implied that Kerry chased down a lone "teenager in a loincloth clutching a grenade launcher which may or may not have been loaded," without coming under enemy fire himself. In contrast, Rood stated that there were multiple attackers, there was heavy hostile fire, and the guerrilla Kerry shot was "a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the Viet Cong usually wore" armed with a "loaded B-40 rocket launcher". Also, O'Neill called Kerry's tactic of charging the beach "stupidity, not courage." Similarly, Hoffman characterized Kerry's actions as reckless and impulsive. However, Rood stated that Kerry's tactic of charging the beach was discussed and mutually agreed with the other Swift boat commanders beforehand. He also notes that, at the time, Hoffman praised all three Swift boat commanders and called the tactics developed "a shining example of completely overwhelming the enemy" and that they "may be the most efficacious method of dealing with small numbers of ambushers."[48][49] O'Neill responded that Rood's criticism was "extremely unfair" and stated that Rood's account of events is not substantially different from what appeared in his book Unfit for Command, for which Rood had declined an interview.[50] The American eyewitnesses to the second sweep, including SBVT member Larry Clayton Lee, have stated that there were multiple VC at the scene of the second sweep.[51][52]

The accounts of Vietnamese witnesses are consistent on several points with Rood's. Ba Thanh, the guerrilla killed while carrying the B-40 rocket launcher, was "big and strong" and in his late 20's. Return fire was also intense, according to Vo Van Tam, who was then a local Viet Cong commander: "I led Ba Thanh's comrades, the whole unit, to fight back. And we ran around the back and fought the Americans from behind. We worked with the city soldiers to fire on the American boats." No Vietnamese witnesses saw how Thanh died or saw him being chased by an American.[53]

No individual who was present that day has disputed Kerry's version of events, nor suggested that he did not earn the Silver Star, and some said accounts given in Unfit for Command were incorrect.[53]

O'Neill states that the Silver Star was awarded after only two days, "with no review".[54] However, the medal was awarded on March 6, six days after the action, and Hoffmann and Lonsdale stated in 1996 that all proper review procedures were followed.

Some critics questioned the reason for the existence of three versions of the Silver Star citation with variations in the wording, the first being signed by Vice-Admiral Zumwalt, as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam, the second being signed by Admiral John Hyland as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and the third being signed by John Lehman, as Secretary of the Navy.[55][56] In this connection, Mr. Lehman, who served as secretary from 1981 to 1987,[57] was quoted as saying he had never seen or signed the most recent citation (Kerry citation a 'total mystery' to ex-Navy chief, Thomas Lipscomb, Chicago Sun-Times, Aug. 28, 2004). However, in its October 2004 documentation of its investigation of Kerry's medals, the office of the Navy inspector general described the first, longer version as the "COMUSNAVFOR Vietnam version, signed by VADM Zumwalt" and the second version as the "official version, signed by the delegated award authority, ADM Hyland, CINCPACFLT." As to the third version, the report described it as one of several "duplicate citations" that were issued in 1985 after "considerable correspondence indicating efforts over the years to chase down various citations," and stated that the ones under Lehman's name were likely signed by machine.[58] In addition, in October 2004, Rowan Scarborough of the Washington Times reported:
“ Navy officials say that there is no evidence that Mr. Kerry's Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts were ever rescinded and that there is no evidence of misconduct in his records.

He did receive new medal citations in the mid-1980s. Officials say the Navy receives scores, and perhaps hundreds, of such requests each year from veterans who want a second copy or have lost the originals.

The citations are simply put through a machine that implants the signature of the current Navy secretary. John Lehman's signature, via a machine, appears on Mr. Kerry's new citation for his Silver Star.[59]
”

Commenting on the Silver Star issue, Republican Sen. John Warner, who was Under Secretary of the Navy at the time, stated "We did extraordinary, careful checking on that type of medal, a very high one, when it goes through the secretary...I'd stand by the process that awarded that medal, and I think we best acknowledge that his heroism did gain that recognition."[60] Elmo Zumwalt, Commander of the United States Naval Forces in Vietnam at that time, signed Kerry's original Silver Star citation and defended the award in 1996, saying "It is a disgrace to the United States Navy that there's any inference that the [medal] process was anything other than totally honest." Boston Herald, October 28, 1996.

John Kerry military service controversy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You folks get your panties into little wads because your "boy" isn't what you think he is. He is nothing more than Jane Fonda in drag. That makes most of you folks (literally) pee your pants with delight. I ever see Kerry, I will spit in his eye.

You never served, with him. You have no fuckin' idea, except for what "they say" (i.e. Nixon's hired-clowns)!!!!!

Shit.....for that matter....you could easily be some 14-year-old wannabe!!​

 

[DiamondDave]

Kerry certainly made the best out of his 4 months in theater. Even got to kill a man with a 50 cal, now that is something.

Kerry voted for war in Iraq, I would think that would turn off the liberal left.

Democrats who voted for the Iraq War get a pass... Haven't you heard?

Yeah..they do.

Aside from the fact they were lied to by Bush..and threatened with being called "UnAmericans", they voted to Authorize the President to use force.

Didn't mean he had to use it.

When he ordered the invasion..it was on him.

Success or Loss.

Again with the BOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSHHHHH LIIIIIEEEEESSSSS crapola...

Even though most all the intel said the same things as Bush... and all the DEMs even before Bush was in office who said the exact same things....

It is just amazing your hyper-partisan hypocrisy

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

My father never took a shit out of his asshole past the age of 22. You know what else he never did? He never...

whatever...get your own friggin' life instead of hiding behind daddy. John Kerry is a highly decorated American combat veteran

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Didn't he serve in Vietnam? I think I recall hearing about that...

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

My father never took a shit out of his asshole past the age of 22. You know what else he never did? He never...

whatever...get your own friggin' life instead of hiding behind daddy. John Kerry is a highly decorated American combat veteran

He's an opportunistic scumbag, lying piece-of-shit that returned and trashed the very men he served with and were still serving overseas.

Fuck Kerry and everything that is John Motherfuckingkerry.

 

[EriktheRed]

My father never took a shit out of his asshole past the age of 22. You know what else he never did? He never...

whatever...get your own friggin' life instead of hiding behind daddy. John Kerry is a highly decorated American combat veteran

Uh...


You might wanna reread the post you were partially quoting.