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jrsdad
Lt.Jg.
Joined: 20 Aug 2004
Posts: 118
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 Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 9:32 am Post subject: |
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| d19thdoc wrote: | I'm wondering now if it was Letson's corpsman who signed the medical report - or was it another corpsman who was around three months later and who reconctructed a medical report when Kerry pushed for the 3rd PH (which was actually for the first wounding).
One of the SBVT would have to answer this - maybe Letson's certainty stems from the fact that - to his knowledge - no one signed any medical treatment sheet on the 1st injury that Letson bandaided. |
Dr. Letson's statement says that Hospitalman 1st Class J. C. Carreon signed the report. The Kerry camp has used this fact to claim that Dr. Letson did not treat him (see letter from Kerry/DNC lawyers trying to scare TV stations)
Now, I recognize your very good point that the issue is the absence of enemy fire (I use the Cleland example often), but you also have to be prepared for other arguments in case your first fails to persuade.
I am intrigued by the logic that the requirements for a Purple Heart include "required treatment by a medical officer." The Kerry campaign has stated in no uncertain terms that Kerry was not treated by Dr. Letson on 2 December 1968, when he was the sole medical doctor available. They point out that J.C. Carreon's signiture is "proof" he treated Kerry. Fine. Then his wound did not require treatment by a "medical officer" (i.e., a doctor) but was treated by an enlisted man.
Their very argument demonstrates that Kerry could not have deserved the first Purple Heart. |
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igor
Seaman Apprentice
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 81
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| Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 11:30 am Post subject: |
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| jrsdad wrote: |
I am intrigued by the logic that the requirements for a Purple Heart include "required treatment by a medical officer." The Kerry campaign has stated in no uncertain terms that Kerry was not treated by Dr. Letson on 2 December 1968, when he was the sole medical doctor available. They point out that J.C. Carreon's signiture is "proof" he treated Kerry. Fine. Then his wound did not require treatment by a "medical officer" (i.e., a doctor) but was treated by an enlisted man.
Their very argument demonstrates that Kerry could not have deserved the first Purple Heart. |
The Kerry campaign has not produced an after-action report that must be written by the Officer in Charge, which Kerry claimed he was in this incident, whenever there is hostile fire. Since to there must be hostile fire for someone to get a Purple Heart, this proves that the 1st Purple Heart is bogus. |
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d19thdoc
PO3
Joined: 17 May 2004
Posts: 280
Location: New Jersey Shore
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| Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 3:12 pm Post subject: Re: Mea Culpa |
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Charley wrote:
| Quote: | | If simply going to a hospital and having anything from a scratch to a serious wound documented by a doctor is the only criteria for a PH, then frankly, it seems there needed to be some oversight of the PH system. However, under those criteria, Kerry could qualify even with only a scratch. Wow. |
I guess this is what happens when you microscope one minor aspect of any case. Hammer2 is right also. The issue is, there IS oversight on awarding PHs. Both of Kerry's two immediate superiors rejected his attempt to get the award in this instance. Then, as Hammer2 says, he took it elsewhere three months later and got others to approve it - others who had no first hand info on the case.
But still, the real disqualifying issue is that there was no enemy contact the night the incident happened.
_________________
For The Honor of the Fifty-Eight Thousand.
"He Can Lose, But He Can Not Hide" |
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jrsdad
Lt.Jg.
Joined: 20 Aug 2004
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 6:53 pm Post subject: Re: Mea Culpa |
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| d19thdoc wrote: | | But still, the real disqualifying issue is that there was no enemy contact the night the incident happened. |
Agreed.
There are about 3 pieces of documentation I would really, really love to have. One of them is the recommendation for Kerry's first PH. |
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d19thdoc
PO3
Joined: 17 May 2004
Posts: 280
Location: New Jersey Shore
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| Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 8:10 pm Post subject: Re: Mea Culpa |
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| jrsdad wrote: | | d19thdoc wrote: | | But still, the real disqualifying issue is that there was no enemy contact the night the incident happened. |
Agreed.
There are about 3 pieces of documentation I would really, really love to have. One of them is the recommendation for Kerry's first PH. |
I'm not sure what the problem is with this. The form 180 controls personnel (FitReps, DD214, etc.) and medical records protected by privacy laws. Awards files are not so protected, and if they ever were classified (doubtful) they no longer are 35 years later.
My unit's awards files are at the National Archives in College Park, MD., along with the Daily Staff Journals. Kerry's units' award files ought to be there or in Navy custody. Has anyone ever thought of just requesting copies of specific documents, or gong to the repository and copying them? The National Archhives or the Navy should be able to say where these records are.
They would be filed under the command level of the unit which had award authority for that level of award (e.g. Silver Star would be filed with a higher echelon unit's records than an award record for a Navy Comendation Medal).
_________________
For The Honor of the Fifty-Eight Thousand.
"He Can Lose, But He Can Not Hide" |
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