SwiftVets.com

[SBD]

Below you will find a story from the The Providence Journal (Rhode Island) dated August 12, 2004 regarding the new IG that has denied the investigation of John Kerry's Navel Records described in the Press Release from Juducual Watch dated September 17, 2004.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/3831.shtml

The Navy Inspector General has refused the request from Judicial Watch to investigate the medals awarded to John Kerry.

The Inspector General, however was just appointd to the position.

"Route, president of the college since July 2003, has been selected for the rank of vice admiral and will become a naval inspector general, in Washington, D.C. Before being named president of the college, Route served as commander of the Navy Warfare Development Command."

Don't you think that this is interesting in light of the public interest that a newly appointed IG would deny such a request?


Here is the story
The Providence Journal (Rhode Island) August 12, 2004 Thursday



Copyright 2004 Providence Publications, LLC
The Providence Journal (Rhode Island)

August 12, 2004 Thursday
East Bay

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. C-02

LENGTH: 159 words

Change-of-command ceremony today at Naval War College

BODY:


NEWPORT - Rear Adm. Ronald A. Route will turn over command of the Naval War College to Rear Adm. Jacob L. Shuford at a ceremony today at Naval Staton Newport.

Shuford will become the 51st president of the 119-year-old college. He has been transferred from Everett, Wash., where he served as commander of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group since last August.

Route, president of the college since July 2003, has been selected for the rank of vice admiral and will become a naval inspector general, in Washington, D.C. Before being named president of the college, Route served as commander of the Navy Warfare Development Command.

Chief of Naval Operations Vern Clark will preside over the ceremony at 2 p.m. on Colbert Plaza. The ceremony is not open to the public.

The college, founded in 1884, is the first military service institution in the world to be designated a war college. It awards a master's degree in national security and strategic studies.

LOAD-DATE: August 13, 2004

Does this suprise anyone???

SBD

[sevry]

[Papa Yolk]

Some view this latest AP story as:

“Solid New Evidence That the Kerry Cover-Up Continues”

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/

[JK]

Now the press is using this report to close the issues surrounding Kerry's medals. Of course this will get major news coverage and anyone who now questions Kerry's medals will have to address the report. The report should never have been issued because it lacks substance, as a former auditor in the Federal Government I know how easily one can have a narrow scope and come out with the findings they want. This report should be highly criticized for its lack of indepth investigation. A good investigative reporter will talk to the auditors/investigators off the record to find out what really happended, the report and its work papers should be accessible through the Freedom of Information Act.

JK

[DerbyRed]

JWI has posted a press release [http://www.judicialwatch.org/3831.shtml] re: DoNIG’s decision to vacate JWI’s filing for investigation of jfk’s awards based on “procedural correctness.” The JWI post also has an embedded hyperlink to RADM Route’s letter -- as well as the original JWI filing/supplemental. Be sure to cx those out.

The post also provides a real good “down-to-the-nub” analysis of the decision’s impact -- that substantiating the “process” employed doesn’t answer any of the questions re: how they were “earned.”

Tip-o’-the-hat to ‘Admin’ for nailing Reuters’ “blooper”(?) of connecting the JWI filing with the SBVFT campaign. That really needs to be understood by all. When jfk, the kedwards campaign, and the DNC start to drone on and on about the DoNIG’s vindicating jfk’s assertions that he earned all of his awards, SBVFT have got to hang tough and point out the distinction presented by the decision between "process" and "content."

May I also say -- based on the postings to this topic -- I also feel very good about being associated with like-minded folks who didn’t react hysterically [as would some others we’ve dealt with recently] at this kind of news and demonstrated an understanding of the “politics” involved in dealing with such a “radioactive” issue such as this. SBVFT has -- rightly -- believed this is going to be resolved in the “court-of-the-American-voters” and not some hide-bound institution that has to consider the political stakes of its actions. Thank you all. > > > GBA/cul/dmm
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"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." --John Adams "

[barbgeo]

As many posters have pointed out, this was simply a process review and did not get to the issue of the truth behind the actions that led to the awards. To have expected anything more than this type of investigation by the Navy is unrealistic for many reasons, the volatility of the politics certainly one. A proper investiagtion of the circumstances would have involved a long drawn out process of interviews with people on the scene and most probably would get no further than what we already know i.e. the vast majority of people on the scene disagree with Kerry's accounts. What we now need to guard against is the spin that the DNC will put to this i.e. the Navy concluded that Kerry deserved the medals he got and we all know that this is not what they said. I believe, from what I have seen thus far, that O'Neil and the Swfitvets are much too smart to let this go by them and will explain it ot the American public in a way they can understand it. Go Swiftees!

[Tom Poole]

Here's the letter from Adm. Route (it's not over just yet):
http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2004/navyresponse.pdf
p.s. It looks like Dan typed it.
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'58 Airedale HMR(L)-261 VMO-2

[Debs]

I think maybe what could be done is for the Swift Vets to point out the specific requirements for receiving medals, what documentation is required, and point out that not all the documentation has been made public for all the medals. This to me could be used to put greater pressure on Kerry to sign a 180. If the Kerry campaign tries to say the medal controversy is over and that the IG vindicates Kerry, then there should be no reason for Kerry to not sign the form 180, right? I think this could be used to put more pressure on Kerry to release all his military and medical records. Also, could the IG's report and all the documentation that was used in that report be released by an FOIA? The only way to me the IG can prove to the public that the "process" was corret (as opposed to the "content", which the IG did not address as he said there would be no investigation) is by releasing all pertinent documents. The point of the 180 needs to be stressed over and over, and this to me gives more ammunition for demanding that Kerry release all his military records. Just my thoughts.

Debbie
_________________
"No greater love..."

[Cali-HeyGirl]

[RiflemanDD730]

The following was sent to the Navy Inspector General.

Subject: IMMEDIATE PUBLIC CLARIFICATION OF R.A. ROUTE 9/17/04 LETTER
To: NAVIGHotlines@navy.mil
CC: "Glenn Reynolds" <pundit@instapundit.com>, "Michael Dobbs" <dobbsm@washpost.com>, feedback@powerlineblog.com, hannity@foxnews.com, "Hugh" <hhewitt@hughhewitt.com>, "Brit Hume" <Special@foxnews.com>, joe@msnbc.com, "Ed Morrisey" <captain@captainsquartersblog.com>



Re: September 17, 2004 Letter from R. A. Route
Reference 2040700 Ser N5/1348 17 SEP 2004 To Mr.
Thomas Fitton

Subj: REQUEST FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLIC CLARIFICATION
REGARDING THE PROCEDURES SURROUNDING THE PURPLE HEART
AWARDED JOHN KERRY FOR A NON-HOSTILE OPERATION ON
DECEMBER 2,1968

1) No public documentation supports this award.
Specifically, a casualty report and an after action
report have been reported as being necessary. Does
the Inspector General mean to say that these exist but
are being withheld? Or are they not required? The
reply to Mr. Fitton is inadequate and requires an
immediate clarification as this matter involves the
integrity of the Navy as well as a presidential
candidate.

2) The appropriate section of Mr. Fitton’s letter is
titled: Fraudulent Medals: It begins "With respect to
Senator Kerry’s justifications for award of the Purple
Heart " and ends " That Kerry would seek the Purple
Heart for such ‘wounds’ is a mockery of the intent of
the Purple Heart and an abridgement of the valor of
those to whom the Purple Heart had been awarded with
justification.”

3) Please give this your immediate attention.

[Cali-HeyGirl]

[IFF Beacon]

.....will U.S. Naval history record the first Silver Star with Combat 'V" belongs to John F. Kerry?

.....an asterisk offending all SS awardee's future, present and past?

.....can the Navy issue a medal that doesn't exsist?

.....from where do they derive that authority?

.....NavSec Lehman strongly expressed his disapproval in the Chicago Sun-Times when he was asked about this.

.....perhaps a commercial featuring Lehman's challenge might inspire the Navy to act through public awareness of the fraudulent award.

[Tom Poole]

Pretty much the same view; it ain't over yet.

[Aristotle The Hun]

Ok, the Navy side steps the real issue by declaring the procedures correct. Not even addressed is the question “Did Kerry deserve the medals?” Also not addressed is “Were the documents altered to exaggerate Kerry’s heroism?”

No matter the shortcomings of the report, unfortunately if this story gets the eye of the public Kerry will be exonerated in the minds of many. I fear that SBVT will lose much of their potency. People will conclude that the SBVT were wrong about Kerry

Is there a strategy to counter this factor, or am I wrong about the damage this might do.

OTOH, after the CBS fiasco I doubt that Bush’s TANG service will have any legs from now on.

Sam
_________________
Deportè Monsieur Kerrè

[Tom Poole]

I was not surprised that the Navy found the "process" correctly followed. After all, Kerry had his own private Awards and Decorations officer as an advisor. In fact, his advisor was with him at the time he bag-wangled two of them. That was not even close to the type of investigation JW intended. They intended that the Navy determine if Kerry's actions warranted the medals. All the Navy did is provide an avenue for the Kerry camp to spin future questions. Kinda like asking Clinton if he had sex. Sheesh!
_________________
'58 Airedale HMR(L)-261 VMO-2