SwiftVets.com

[air_vet]

[greasepaint]

Keep in mind that, Jimmy Carter became President
in January 1977.

[Ladyhawke]

I just rec'd a forwarded email that claims Kerry may not have been granted an honorable discharge until March 2001 and this is the main reason he refuses to release his records. Is this an issue that has been discussed here? Should I post this message?

[Tom Poole]

[ASPB]

[LiveFreeOrDie]

This seems to be an informative and interesting article on this matter:

http://www.crushkerry.com/article258.html

Sen. Kerry: Did You Go AWOL from the Naval Reserves

Crushkerry.com is re-posting this story from early-May. Now that some folks seem at least casually curious about Kerry's Vietnam cover-ups ... we thought we'd ask again: Sen. Kerry, did you go AWOL from the Naval Reserves?

With little proof save for the conspiracy theories of an obese low-budget filmmaker and a professional hack at the Democrat National Committee, the left-leaning national press corps moved Heaven and earth to get to the bottom of the gaps in President Bush’s military service record.

The White House complied, releasing pay records and other peripheral evidence that Bush had indeed served in the Alabama National Guard during the time in question. The press was -- and remains – unsatisfied, though the gaps in the president’s service record can almost certainly be chalked up to bureaucratic paperwork screw-ups.

Not so with the record of President George W. Bush’s rival for the presidency, Senator John Forbes Kerry. An anonymous source has brought to our attention a yawning hole in the decorated veteran’s service record. It is time for Kerry to answer the questions President Bush was forced to answer. It is time for John Kerry to answer the big question:

Did you go AWOL from the Naval Reserves?

We at www.crushkerry.com have remained relatively mum on the issue of Vietnam and John Kerry’s service record when compared to other anti-Kerry websites. Indeed, heretofore, we’ve been content to aver merely that while Kerry fought with bravery in Vietnam he acted in shame upon returning home. But we had no idea the depth of the problem before the junior Senator from Massachusetts.

John Kerry signed an agreement as part of his naval officer commission to serve at least 3 years on active duty and the remainder of his obligated 6 year service in the Ready Reserves. Ready Reserves are those who must attend drills.

It bears repeating: Kerry obligated himself to at least 3 years active duty, and the remainder of his 6 year obligation in the Ready (not Standby) Reserves.

He further agreed that while in the Ready Reserves (from discharge to 1972) he would perform no less than 48 drills per year and up to 17 active duty days per year, or alternatively, 30 active duty days per year.

None of Kerry’s released records shows any evidence of his performing these Ready Reserve obligated days in 1970 through 1972, after which he was transferred to the Inactive Reserves. The only Performance of Duty form released covers 1966. There should be one for every year.

Nor is there any excusal from drilling status in his records, or alternatively, pay and attendance records indicating that he performed any drills in 1970-72 as required of a Ready Reservist.

It was George Bush's alleged non-performance of his obligated reserve duty that caused all the furor last February, yet Kerry apparently cannot show his performance of his obligated Reserve duty.

The Kerry campaign has said that his separation from active duty put him in the inactive, non-drilling Naval Reserve so he could run for Congress. This is NOT true, as follows:

Kerry’s transfer from the Ready Reserves to the Standby (Inactive) reserves did not occur until March 1972, NOT upon his release from Active Duty to run for Congress (1969/70).

Furthermore, Kerry’s official transfer from the Ready Reserves to the Standby (Inactive) Reserves was not formalized until July 1972.

Contrary to what Kerry's campaign flacks say, the wording on his Release from Active Duty (to run for Congress) does NOT put him in the Inactive Reserves - it puts him in Inactive Duty status, which includes Ready Reserves with attendant drill obligation. BIG difference - though the confusion is understandable.

According to our source, the legal specifics that counter Kerry’s word trickery pits a Title 10 duty (Active Duty) Green Card vs. Title 32 duty (Inactive Duty) Red Card. Did Kerry have a Green Card or a Red Card?

We are beginning to see a pattern of obfuscation and deceit by the Kerry campaign. Are they intentionally using the tortured language of the military bureaucracy as a cover up?

Had Kerry been placed in the Inactive Reserves in 1970 upon his release from Active Duty, as Kerry's people suggest, there would not have been the 1972 Transfer to the Standby Reserves form we show above - he would have already been there.

Also, if the timing of these records is correct, as a drilling Ready Reserve naval officer, in 1970-72 he was somewhat restricted by military regulations in what comments he could make in public regarding statements on the military leadership and the National Command Authority. Yet this is the period of his most public protests and anti-war demonstrations.

In fact, his hairdo alone in the 1970-72 period would not meet Navy standards, and he would be sent home from drill if he had ever attended one.

We at crushkerry.com suggest the fun is over in the presidential campaign of 2004. John Kerry’s people have called President Bush a deserter. The White House has called Kerry a flip-flopper who’s soft on defense. All great fun. But we’re drawing ever closer to decision time and it’s beginning to appear that while John Kerry was slandering his fellow Vietnam Veterans at the Winter Soldier Investigation and on the floor of the U.S. Senate, he may have been AWOL from the Naval Reserves.

John Kerry’s service record is an onion, with each layer stinkier than the previous one. So stinky, in fact, there’s probably a Pulitzer for a brave journalist with the courage to dig to its core.
Posted on Saturday, September 04 @ 11:23:23 EDT by admin

[hiyall]

As a practical matter, I am more concerned that Kerry tells a story of (my words) leaving his post to make an unauthorized trip to Saigon to sample its treasures than missing some reserves meetings when back after his combat duty.

The transgressions while in Vietnam demonstrate a clear me (and my crew) above the interests of the mission and the team. It was a unit leaders responsibility to keep his unit focused on the mission, not to lead them into disobedience of orders.

I have no first hand knowledge here, but the testimony seems to be consistent in its depiction of Kerry's disobedience; running to safety no matter the risk to the other boats at the slightest hint of combat; or self indulgence such as the unauthorized trip(s) to the bars and whore houses of Saigon.

These incidents, if true, shine a bright light on one's character, reliability and judgement. This is the core of Senator Kerry's CIC image issue.

This selfindulgence and lack of judgement is also demonstrated by his being AWOL from the Senate Intelligence Committee in more recent times.
Hypocrisy is demonstrated by Senator Kerry's criticism of the very Intelligence operations while not even bothering to participate in the committee that may have been able to reshape the Intelligence operations via its oversight.

It is a shame that more information is not available to the recent (last 6 years) of connections between special interests (big labor unions, insurance companies, big donors (i.e. George Soros, Stephen Bing)) and any attempts to influence legislation to benefit those.

This is needed for both parties in my opinion by the way. I am a fiscal conservative and am for accountability for politicians that participate in pork stuffing extravaganza's.

PS: I watched Chris Matthews, Meet the Press and Chris Wallace's show this morning. The Democratic water boys seemed a bit antsy and were taking bias to the next level. There was not a lot of effort in disguising their bias.
_________________
I'm a Texan, and no one has ever accused me of speaking English.

[Boundless]

> ... ordered to report to Commander Coastal Squadron ONE
> Cam Ranh Bay Vietnam by 10/31/68
> **Failed to report until 11/17/68.
> Charged with 4 days leave 11/9 to 11/12/68

Is this gap explained anywhere?

Is this Kerry realizing that the Market Time patrols
he'd requested transfer to had just changed to
very risky Sealord operations?

[Hondo]

There may actually be a simple and legitimate explanation for Kerry's retention of his commssion until 1978.

Recently, some members of the US Army Reserve's Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) were ordered to active duty. In at least one case, the individual ordered to active duty had served his entire reserve obligation, but had never formally resigned his commission. However, this individual found out - to his chagrin - that having served his entire reserve obligation mattered little.

In the US Army Reserve, commissions do not automatically expire at the end of the period of reserve service obligation. An officer has to resign his/her reserve commission in order to terminate it. Otherwise, he/she is retained on the rolls in the Individual Ready Reserve until such time as he/she is removed for other reasons (2x passover for promotion/age/years of commissioned service ).

In IRR status, one is still subject to involuntary recall to active duty.

Involuntary IRR callups don't happen very often; prior to this, the last involuntary IRR callup was during the first Gulf War. However, this doesn't alter the fact that they can happen.

The individual concerned claims he never heard of this and has taken the Army to court. I wouldn't bet much on on his chances of successfully avoiding recall. I'm fairly sure the policy is detailed in pertinent Army personnel regulations and that the individual had ample opportunity to read same - although given the courts today, you never know.

I suspect that Navy policy in the 1970s was the same, and that Kerry simply didn't get around to formally resigning his Navy Reserve commission until 1978 - or possibly was mustered out as a 2x nonselect to LCDR.

Still, seeing questions raised about Kerry's performance of duty in the Reserves - after his suporters made such an issue of Bush's performance of Reserve duty - is deliciously ironic!

[D'Orville]

Was Kerry asked to leave Viet Nam and active duty? I served as a USNR LTJG in the late '50s. One of my shipmates, an Ensign, was so inept as a naval officer that he was given a discharge after one year, or at least asked to leave active duty.

By the sounds of the erratic Kerry activity, he could have asked to leave before he put in his request, or a gentleman's agreement might have been reached that he would be allowed to "request" first.

I heard on a radio interview the Swift Vet who was Kerry's commanding officer talk about this very briefly using Navy terms that told me that the departure was mutually agreed upon. This might be why his reserve duty is nowhere to be found and it would certainly be why Kerry keeps his records sealed.

[Hondo]

The assertion that Kerry did not receive what most people consider an "honorable discharge" in 1970 is a canard. Making this assertion only gives Kerry and his supporters ammo to support their claims of Kerry being "mistreated" by SBVFT. Ditto the assertion that there is some "gap" between his release from active duty and the date reflected on his discharge paperwork.

Here's a link to Kerry's DD214s:

http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/DD214.pdf

Item 13a of the DD214 releasing Kerry from active duty in January 1970 very clearly shows characterization of service as "honorable". (This is the second page of the PDF file posted on Kerry's web site under DD214; the first page is the DD214 issued when he transitioned from enlisted to commissioned status.)

The assertion that there is a "gap" in service between his release from active duty on 3 Jan 1970 and the date reflected on his DD215 ("03-01-70") is likewise inaccurate. DD214s issued at the time Kerry served used a Day-Month-Year format to record dates. This is clearly shown on the same DD214 referenced above. (I'm ashamed to admit I initially missed this also.) The DD215 issued to Kerry in 2000 has the date "03-01-70" as the date of the DD214 being modified. That date translates to 3 January 1970, not 1 March 1970.

Yes, technically he wasn't discharged until 1978; he merely left active duty and transitioned to the Ready Reserve. For most people, that won't matter; most people equate leaving active duty and receiving a DD214 with a characterization of service as "honorable" with receiving an honorable discharge.

Let's not make Kerry's life any easier by making assertions about him that are difficult or impossible to back up fully.

[Misty]

[Misty]

[Misty]

OCS Agreement
http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/Officer_Candidate_Agreement.pdf
_________________
Misty
----------
Dad was in the Navy Pacific Fleet
Brother was on the USS Regulus - Vietnam
Husband was AirForce 3rd (34th) Tactical Fighter Wing - Security Police Bien Hoa Vietnam

[jwbarden]

Misty:

You are correct that Kerry originally executed a 3/2 agreement which would have ended his active commissioned service in DEC69 and begun a 2 year drilling obligation ending DEC71, but notice that the agreement says it remains in effect unless superceded by other orders.

Kerry's silver bullet propelling him out of VietNam, BUPERS msg dtg 202117ZMAR69, ordering him to COMSTSLANT Broolyn New York for duty as an admiral's aide, extended his active duty to 31APR71 as a condition of the transfer. Between the receipt of these ofders and their execution, Kerry was able to negotiate this down to an extention on active duty to 31AUG70, giving him 4 years active commissioned service and relieving him of the drilling obligation.

See his Officer Order Memoranda, page 4 of 4:

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

Once at COMSTSLANT, Kerry successfully requested an early out from this extension effective 3JAN70 without incurring any other obligation. Slick.

He was released from active duty effective 2400 3JAN70 and transferred to the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), a non-drilling, non-payed status.