KERRY ON Admiral BOORDA

[freeandfun1]

KERRY ON Admiral BOORDA

If you will recall, Admiral Boorda is the guy that committed suicide after it was exposed that his medals were "questionable". Note what Kerry had to say at the time, after the guy had already killed himself.....

The current dispute over Kerry’s medals is a good time to recall the tragic suicide of the Navy's Admiral Mike Boorda in 1996.

Kate O’Beirne summarized it well:

“In 1996, a left-wing news service raised questions about two small "V" clips that the chief of Naval operations wore over two of the medals on his chest full of them. The clips are awarded for valor under fire, and there was some doubt about whether Boorda's two tours in Vietnam aboard combat ships qualified him for the awards, although the Washington Post reported that a 1965 Navy manual appeared to support Boorda's right to wear the clips. Unlike Kerry, the awards did not provide grounds for Boorda to shorten his tours of duty. Hours before he was scheduled to meet with Newsweek reporters to discuss the controversy, the admiral went to his home at the Navy Yard and shot himself in the chest. The CNO had been in command of the Navy during a troubled period and his leadership was being criticized by its senior officers. Still, among the notes he left was one to "the sailors" expressing his fear that the controversy over his decorations might harm the Navy. Boorda had lied about his age to join the Navy and was the first CNO to rise through the enlisted ranks.”

What did John Kerry have to say at the time about the matter? Let us consult the Boston Herald of May 18, 1996:

Veterans said yesterday that although they would take offense at someone falsely wearing a "V" combat pin, they couldn't see how this could drive Navy Adm. Jeremy Michael Boorda to suicide.

“Is it wrong? Yes, it is very wrong. Sufficient to question his leadership position? The answer is yes, which he clearly understood,” said Sen. John Kerry, a Navy combat veteran who served in Vietnam.

Citing uncertainty of whether Boorda deliberately wore the pins improperly, Kerry added: “If he made a mistake, in my judgment it wasn't worth his life, so I'm very sad about it.” And let us consult the Boston Globe for the same day:

“The military is a rigorous culture that places a high premium on battlefield accomplishment,” said Sen. John F. Kerry, who received numerous decorations, including a Bronze Star with a "V" pin, as a Navy lieutenant in Vietnam.

“In a sense, there's nothing that says more about your career than when you fought, where you fought and how you fought,” Kerry said.

“If you wind up being less than what you’re pretending to be, there is a major confrontation with value and self-esteem and your sense of how others view you.”
Of Boorda and his apparent violation, Kerry said: “When you are the chief of them all, it has to weigh even more heavily.” Kerry‘s records refer to a "Silver Star with combat V." The Chicago Sun-Times has reported a U.S. Navy spokesman said, "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.

If John Kerry has been touting a “V” that the Navy says he does not deserve, these quotes are going to be flung back in his face.

 

[Merlin1047]

Below is a link from a site which presents details rgarding the "V" device for valor which may be appended to some medals. The extract from the site (below) does not mention the Bronze Star, but it is in fact one of the medals for which a "V" device may be awarded.

Note that the Medal of Honor and the Silver Star are specifically metioned as medals for which the "V" device is NEVER issued by any branch of the armed forces.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valor_Device

An example of medals which are authorized the Valor device are the Commendation Medals, Achievement Medals, Air Medal, and certain unit awards. Awards which are commonly bestowed for valor, such as the Medal of Honor and Silver Star are never awarded with the Valor device since valor is indicated by the award itself.

 

[Merlin1047]

It is interesting to note the change of attitude kerry seems to have undergone regarding the wearing of unauthorized medals.

Very interesting, actually.

 

[tim_duncan2000]

There really was a lot of hypocrisy from everywhere with regards to Boorda vs Kerry. The media kept hounding Boorda about it relentlessly. Compare that to the Kerry situation where they are defending Kerry at every turn.