Kerry and the 180 Form

[Annie]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-lip09.html

Did Kerry really release Navy records?

June 9, 2005

BY THOMAS H. LIPSCOMB



A front page story in the Boston Globe claimed that: "Senator John F. Kerry, ending at least two years of refusal, has waived privacy restrictions and authorized the release of his full military and medical records." In another Globe story Kerry had promised "The truth in its entirety will come out." But did it?

Kerry's election hopes faltered last summer and fall as accusations of fraudulent and incomplete military records were aired. The fact that Kerry repeatedly refused to sign a single-page military form called the Standard Form 180, that would have released all his military records to the public, was taken as proof he had something to hide.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth head John O'Neill, who raised many of the charges against Kerry during the campaign, was challenged by Kerry on "Meet the Press" in January. Kerry promised he would sign his Standard Form 180, but he wanted former Swift Boat officer O'Neill to sign as well.

All depends on how it's filled out

O'Neill did sign it and provided copies to the Chicago Sun-Times. According to O'Neill, "The Standard Form 180 could release 'the full military and medical records.' Or it could release just a few. It all depends on how it is filled out and where it was sent."

"There is nothing magic about signing a SF 180," said former Naval Judge Advocate General Mark Sullivan. "It is sort of like your checkbook. You can fill out a check for one dollar or a million. It is the same check form."

"And the Globe story says Kerry sent it to the Navy Personnel Command, which is only a limited storage location. So it is not surprising that the Globe then notes that what they received was largely 'duplication' of records previously released. The Navy Personnel Command primarily stores a subset of service records rather than a person's full military records. There is no doubt there are a lot of after-action records missing from what Kerry has released," said Sullivan.

Kerry's not talking

Washington Post reporter Michael Dobbs has already found a discrepancy confirmed by the Department of the Navy of "at least a hundred pages" missing from those already disclosed by Kerry.

"If you take a look at my SF 180," O'Neill said, "you will see I have authorized the total release of all my records to anyone requesting to see them. But without seeing how Kerry's SF 180 was filled out, everyone is only guessing about what was released."

So how an SF 180 is filled out is as important as signing it. But no one in the press has yet claimed to have seen a copy of Kerry's SF-180. When asked if she had a copy of Kerry's SF 180, the Globe's Managing Editor Mary Jane Wilkinson said, "I haven't seen it, and I don't know if anyone here has."

Kerry's Senate offices could not provide a copy of the Kerry SF 180 and would not answer inquiries. Is it possible that Kerry filled it out wrong or sent it to the wrong place?

O'Neill made Kerry an offer. "I'll be happy to bring one to Kerry's office and help him fill it out. And then we can take mine and his and deliver them to the right place together to make sure, as Kerry puts it, 'the truth in its entirety will come out.' "

Now that the Boston Globe has in its possession what it claims are Kerry's "full military and medical records," is the Globe ready to make these records available to the public? Wilkinson replied, "It is my understanding that Kerry will release these papers to anyone else now that he has signed the Form 180. The Boston Globe is not going to make available the papers we have received."

Thomas H. Lipscomb is a senior fellow at the Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at USC

 

[GotZoom]

I am absolutely shocked.

John Kerry..not following through on a promise?

 

[Avatar4321]

I am absolutely shocked.

John Kerry..not following through on a promise?

Im not sure he ever promised to release the entire record. But regardless there is something more in the record that he doesnt want seen.

 

[no1tovote4]

Im not sure he ever promised to release the entire record. But regardless there is something more in the record that he doesnt want seen.

It is pretty easy to figure out that Kerry had an Other Than Honorable Discharge that was changed later after Carter's pardoning of the draft dodgers, et al. He got out under the Conscientious Objector rule and at the time that insured he would have an Other Than Honorable Discharge. He would have had to file to change it to Honorable after the pardon, this would have been granted. There is some theory that this was done by Clinton, but I think that that is doubtful.

 

[manu1959]

It is pretty easy to figure out that Kerry had an Other Than Honorable Discharge that was changed later after Carter's pardoning of the draft dodgers, et al. He got out under the Conscientious Objector rule and at the time that insured he would have an Other Than Honorable Discharge. He would have had to file to change it to Honorable after the pardon, this would have been granted. There is some theory that this was done by Clinton, but I think that that is doubtful.

his papers have been reported to be "upgraded" two times after the original discharge papers....probably take mulligans when he plays golf

 

[Mr. P]

his papers have been reported to be "upgraded" two times after the original discharge papers....probably take mulligans when he plays golf

mulligans? I think he just plain cheats.

 

[Fmr jarhead]

Who cares....Kerry is done!