'V' for valor awarded with a Silver Star?

[Sparrowhawk]

Sorry, Ellie but this one also deserves its own thread.

Did kerry alter his DD214?

---

'V' for valor or for Kerry's version?



Of the many charges against John Kerry's Vietnam record made by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the Kerry campaign has managed to keep Mr. Kerry's Silver Star story above water. Chicago Tribune editor William B. Rood came out last week as an eyewitness to the events of Feb. 28, 1969, bolstering Mr. Kerry's version of events, as have official Naval records. Though Mr. Kerry has had to backtrack on at least two of his accounts — the "Christmas in Cambodia" story and whether he really deserved his first Purple Heart — the day when Mr. Kerry beached his swift boat and tracked down a Viet Cong soldier seems to have withstood scrutiny.


Which is why we were surprised when we ran across some news accounts questioning Mr. Kerry's DD 214 ( a veteran's record of transfer or separation), which lists his Silver Star with a combat "V" (for valor) and is posted at JohnKerry.com.


According to military experts and historians, the combat "V" is never awarded with a Silver Star. As Henry Mark and Erika Holzer note in Frontpagemag.com, "it would be redundant to award a Silver Star for 'gallantry' and then embellish it with a 'V' for valor."

The authors also cite the Navy Awards Manual, which describes the laws concerning Combat Distinguishing Devices:

Prior to 1974, "the 'V' was authorized for wear on the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal and Navy Achievement Medal." Since then, about four more medals have been authorized.

Conspicuously missing of course is the Silver Star.

On Friday, the Chicago Sun-Times ran a similar story by Thomas Lipscomb, who spoke to B.G. Burkett, author of "Stolen Valor" and recipient of the Army's highest award given to a civilian, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award. For his book, Mr. Burkett had to read thousands of military records to uncover phony claims of awards. "I've run across several claims for Silver Stars with combat 'V's, but they were all in fake records," he told Mr. Lipscomb.

Mr. and Mrs. Holzer bring up another interesting point. Over at JohnKerry.com, the Navy citation for Mr. Kerry's Silver Star does not mention the combat "V". It appears, then, that the Navy didn't mistakingly grant a "V" with Mr. Kerry's Silver Star. So, how did it get into Mr. Kerry's DD 214?

This is more serious than one would think. In Title 19, U.S. Code, Section 1001, the law states: "Whoever, in any manner within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the United States, knowingly and willfully ... makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years or both." As Mr. Lipscomb reports, a complaint filed by Mr. Burkett actually led to the sentencing of Navy Capt. Roger D. Edwards to 115 days in the brig for falsification of his records.

Mr. Kerry has yet another inconsistency to account for, and this one is by no means a question of foggy memories.

[thedrifter]

I just read and find and then place them in....Cook.

You can pick and choose....


Ellie

[JP YH08]

So , shouldn't the doccuments be turned over to the FBI?? Let

SKerry answer to them,but will they( FBI ), persue it???


SEMPER FIDELIS ! Jimmy

[MillRatUSMC]

There were over 100,000 protesting and recently some reports that might be damaging to the current government.
More Americans have no insurance and more are homeless.
There might have to be some changes in the Social Security, or the baby boomer's won't get what was promised.
Many are not happy with post war Iraq.
Speak to me about these issues not this BS.
I'm sure many want answers to those issues.
They're not interested in events that might or might not have happened.
How are you going to prove that he did all this.
There errors in some Service Record Books.
I have entries of units I was supposed to have been attached to.
I think some clerk did to save himself some paper work.
Did a clerk or the Officer that wrote that citation make an error.
Should John Forbes Kerry have that removed from his SRB?
Miscalculation on post war Iraq is costing us big time.
Speak to me about that not events from the past...

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

[Sparrowhawk]

Originally posted by thedrifter
I just read and find and then place them in....Cook.

You can pick and choose....


Ellie

Ellie you do find some good ones...

that need special atention....

---

---

"Kerry should know if he is authorized to wear the Silver Star with a "V"

Oh, I forgot he threw the original away over the fence at the US Capitol.

I think we'll probably soon be seeing Rear-echalon Clerks for the truth.

"I served with John Kerry and was there when he got his Silver Star, " said the clerk that typed out kerry's DD214.

When kerry left the service, there was no "V" in the Silver Star award in his DD214. What happened was that, I flashed him the Peace hand sign, and he might have mistook it for a "V" and had another Clerk type it up that way."

[Sparrowhawk]

First Kerry gets three Purple Hearts now he has three different Silver Stars....

---

Kerry citation a 'total mystery' to ex-Navy chief

August 28, 2004

BY THOMAS LIPSCOMB



Former Navy Secretary John Lehman has no idea where a Silver Star citation displayed on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's campaign Web site came from, he said Friday. The citation appears over Lehman's signature.

"It is a total mystery to me. I never saw it. I never signed it. I never approved it. And the additional language it contains was not written by me," he said.

The additional language varied from the two previous citations, signed first by Adm. Elmo Zumwalt and then Adm. John Hyland, which themselves differ. The new material added in the Lehman citation reads in part: "By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty, Lieutenant (jg) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself...."

Asked how the citation could have been executed over his signature without his knowledge, Lehman said:

"I have no idea. I can only imagine they were signed by an autopen." The autopen is a device often used in the routine execution of executive documents in government.

Kerry senior adviser Michael Meehan could not be reached for comment on Kerry's records.


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

[Sparrowhawk]

all of these stupid secret citations that are not legitimate, and that may be why he has been praising Kerry's war record. LOLl

Now, he can say, I didn't know they were fake, I was taken in, by all that hero stuff Kerry said about himself, like so many other Americans were.

I didn't know he was a wannabee... LMAO

[CAR]

I truly wish someone( in mainstream media) would HONESTLY check into all these charges one at a time. I'm tired of hearing all the Kerry excuses like "could have been a typo in his DD-214", He was close to Cambodia, It was 1500 meters of enemy fire eerrr, about 15 men, errrr. ... Man is the media stonewalling on this or what.

[MAJMike]

SSGT Ricardo has put this all in perspective in his post above.

A few years back, both the Chief of Naval Operations and the incoming Commandant of the Marine Corps discovered that there was incorrect information in their SRBs regarding awards. Both 4 stars were wearing incorrect awards and not wearing awards that they should have received. It happened to me and about 30-40% of the Marines I have served with.

It happened/happens all the time. Do you think that a Navy JG in a war zone makes his own entries in his SRB? Gimme a break!!!

GET OVER THIS S**T and focus on what is important.

If you haven't figured out that the entire Swift Boat campaign is funded by three wealthy Texans with deep ties to the Bush family and the Bush Administration, then you need to pull your heads out of your A$$es. I am embarrassed that your let the Rush Limbaughs and Sean Hannity's of the world do your thinking for you.

I can't believe that you'd bash a man with a provable war record when GWB was hiding out and not showing up for the Texas Air National Guard for a year ana a half.

Get a life, people!

[CAR]

So Major,
What you are saying is that you are ready to discount and discredit 250 plus veterans to back and follow someone who has on several instances shown that he may have been less than truthful? Many of these Vets that have come forward are not politicians. As for funding, just because some rich republican gave a thousands of dollars to an organization it makes all the vets that support that cause liars? Do the men that have signed affidavits and made statements opposite of Kerry, do you think they would sell their integrity so cheap? I wasn't there, they were! They are trying to use their freedom of speech they fought for and I for one will never stand in their way. I have my feelings on who is telling the truth, and yes mistakes happen on SRB's but it seem that Kerry has had a bad luck streak of Typo's or mishaps. To date he still has not said anything other than attack Bush, wanting Bush to surpress the rights of the Vets. That is not the answer to the question.

And Yes it is important. It shows what type of MAN he is. It shows that he says whatever to get whatever. Kerry is a man who has never worked for anything, yet he says that he's for the common man?

I'm not wanting to trash his service without proof, but look around, seems to be a boatload against him that shows his true motive.

[Sparrowhawk]

Originally posted by MAJMike

GET OVER THIS S**T and focus on what is important.

If you haven't figured out that the entire Swift Boat campaign is funded by three wealthy Texans with deep ties to the Bush family and the Bush Administration, then you need to pull your heads out of your A$$es.


I can't believe that you'd bash a man with a provable war record when GWB was hiding out and not showing up for the Texas Air National Guard for a year ana a half.

Get a life, people!

Bush has proven himself a Commander-in-Chief after 9-11 while Kerry has only proven himself to be a liar about his three purple Hearts, three Silver Stars and then he betrayed Vietnam Veterans while they were still fighting the commies that he went to dine with in Paris four months after he got out of the service.

Three POW have recently (non-of them Republicans) spoken out about how the NVA used John Kerry's words against them, and mistreated them because they were in John Kerry’s own words criminals, killing innocent civilians. Other POW's died because of John Kerry's word spoken on the Senate floor.

This man is a traitor the same as Jane Fonda, in fact I have more respect for that B itch that I do for this dog. Who was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, dressed in a military uniform, who then threw his medals away and now he wants to be a Commander-in-Chief and pin medals on our warriors?

Kerry tried repeatedly to get out of going to Vietnam, that is why he joined the NAVAL RESERVES, not the regular Navy.



"I am embarrassed that your let the Rush Limbaugh’s and Sean Hannity's of the world do your thinking for you."

Like I said, before They are too left wing for me, to listen to, in fact I can tell you I have NEVER taken the time to listen to either of them!

"GWB was hiding out and not showing up for the Texas Air National Guard for a year and a half."


Bush has released all of his records that reveal and prove that he met all his military obligations and more then what was required of him, during that time. He was a pilot and flew jets during that time, and if you know anything about pilots, they have to fly a certain amount of time, to keep their flight training up to standards. Bush did that, and his unit wasn't called up. He said if it had been he would have gone. The difference is a year's time Kerry one year before Bush, and we were downsizing by that time. So your beef holds no water.

But, where are Kerry's military records? He has allowed very few of them to be released to the media. What is he hiding, more worthless citations and reports he doctored or wrote himself?


Kerry went to Nam kicking and screaming, trying to do all he could to avoid fighting. And as I said, before if he had been a Marine Officer, we would have left him out in the boonies because of the type of officer he has been identified as being, by 250+ officers and Swift boat veterans that served with him.


And, by the way those so called rich Texans gave them only $200.000, since then its Vietnam veterans and the public that have contributed over two million to keep those ads going.

[Dale Glasscock]

Major Mike, Would like to have had you in a ville in Vietnam up until the latter part of 1971 (that would be in-country) not on a slough of a river in Vietnam. Then you could see why some have a MAJOR dislike for JFK. Try reading some Bing West novels, Major Duncan sea stories and the like, and then Get a Life, with the Marine Corps. Semper Fi, Dale

[CMyr]

A few years back, both the Chief of Naval Operations and the incoming Commandant of the Marine Corps discovered that there was incorrect information in their SRBs regarding awards. Both 4 stars were wearing incorrect awards and not wearing awards that they should have received. It happened to me and about 30-40% of the Marines I have served with.

It happened/happens all the time. Do you think that a Navy JG in a war zone makes his own entries in his SRB? Gimme a break!!!

Paragraph 1. When it comes to unit awards, they are covered by ALMARS which are to be read by All Marines. Admin units place entries into SRBs based on previous duty assignments listed in individual SRBs and Marines coming forward to tell their admin people they were there.

Paragraph 2. When it comes to personal awards, admin people place entries in an individual's SRB based on the award citation.

[OLE SARG]

How can you call piece of **** john foreskin kerry a MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE IS A TRAITOR JANE FONDA LOVING NO-GOOD ALOOF ARROGANT SOB.

I remember this *******'s rantings against the war. If he'd been in a Marine unit he would have been "FRAGGED".

If this ******* is elected, and you think Bush is bad, just wait.

Where have you been Major Mike, records indicate ******* kerry DID WRITE HIS OWN CITATIONS FOR HIS AWARDS. You are the ONE that needs to get a life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEMPER FI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sparrowhawk]

...

A MEDAL THAT JOHN KERRY DID EARN FOR HIS TESTIMONY THAT HELPED ENCOURAGED THE ENEMY TO FIGHT AND KILL AMERICANS