SwiftVets.com

[RETIREDTOP]

Dear Fellow Veterans,

Officers’ writing their own citations for medals is quite common during wars, as we all know. A majority is truthful but some do receive them from false statements. I always remember the story my father told me of his Battalion Commander and another officer writing one such citation. He was a sergeant with the 259th field artillery with the two officers while out on a forward observation post during the Battle of the Bulge. A German round landed about 500 yards away that my father said that this was quite common and no big deal. He remembers about a month later having a formation to award these officers Bronze Stars for directing artillery under enemy fire. My father laughed, but was obviously displeased with these officers and was not about to engage in discrediting the awards. He was there but witnessed no such action. Being retired from the Army, I’ve seen dozens of none combat awards being given to those who don’t deserve them.

My point, who witnessed and wrote up the citation to award John Kerry his medals? If it was not an eyewitness account then there’s speculation to the awards based on other veterans accounts. Seems to me that these other veterans who where in the direct line of site did not witness the same events.

Who eye witnessed the actions to invoke writing the medals? Per SECNAVINST 1650.1G, BLOCK BY BLOCK INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILLING OUT OPNAV 1650/3 Personal Award Recommendation, page 2-38 “Combat Awards”, there must at least be two eyewitnesses.
It will be on this Navy Form 1650, a Citation is just the filler words in a nice presentation and is null and void, and this 1650 form is the official document.

Being an Army Dog, we use DA Form 638-1. I’m I right with the above Navy Form that should have been used?

See website http://neds.nebt.daps.mil/Directives/1650/2b.pdf

Who are the eyewitnesses? Where are these forms? The pretty piece of citation paper is only good for blowin your nose.

Sincerely,

1SG Russ 12Z5M (E
US Army Retired

[LewWaters]

It would be great if someone sought these forms under FOIA with as much zeal as they did Thurlows records.

Welcome to the fracas, Top.
_________________
Clark County Conservative

[ord33]

According to Kerry's Bronze Star Recommendation there is only ONE eyewitness, Del Sandusky...Hmm..If you need two eyewitnesses this seems to be a discrepancy!

http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/bronze_star_recommendation.pdf

[RETIREDTOP]

Just some more food for thought, if Kerry recieved 3 Combat Medals, that means theres 6 eyewitnesses.

Does the purple hearth require eyewitnesses too?

[ASPB]

No, not a direct recommendation, but there must be a after action report filed to indicate that the participants and wounded had actually been under hostile fire.

In the case of the first PH for Kerry this should have been filed by LT Schacte (sp?). I can find no record of one. It would have had to be accepted by Grant Hibbard who was CO of Cosdiv 14. He says he denied Kerry the PH which means he also discounted any verbal after-action report.
_________________
On Sale! Order in lots of 100 now at velero@rcn.com Free for the cost of shipping All profits (if any, especially now) go to Swiftvets. The author of "Sink Kerry Swiftly" ---ASPB

[Guammie]

Another interesting question to ask is about Kerry's DD215, issued March 12 2001. It changes Kerry's Vietnam Service Medal to one with 4 bronze stars. That means that Kerry served in either 4 campaigns or served 4 tours, which I can't seem to reconcile with his records. What's up with that?
http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/DD-215_Correction.pdf

[Guammie]

Another interesting question to ask is about Kerry's DD215, issued March 12 2001. It changes Kerry's Vietnam Service Medal to one with 4 bronze stars. That means that Kerry served in either 4 campaigns or served 4 tours, which I can't seem to reconcile with his records. What's up with that?
http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/DD-215_Correction.pdf

[gkdechow]

Could it be 1 for the Gridley (I think the Navy may have actually considered "sailing through the theater" as a combat tour) and 3 (1 for each Coastal Division) for Swift Boats?