SwiftVets.com

[silenthunter]

This was interesting. If it's accurate, and it appears to be, then there's another ticking bomb on the Kerry doorstep.

On the one hand it may just be a yeoman's screw up. On the other hand it may be a doctored document. If it's a screw up, why did Kerry never correct it? If it's a doctored document, is this guy demented or what?

Maybe someone with more smarts than I can dig into this and let me/us know what to do with it.

First, an article on the Silver Star with Combat V:

John Kerry's Mysterious Combat “V”
By Henry Mark Holzer and Erika Holzer
FrontPageMagazine.com | August 20, 2004
As the authors of Fake Warriors: Identifying, Exposing and Punishing Those Who Falsify Their Military Service, we receive scores of emails on our website either asking questions about the Fake Warrior phenomenon (which has reached epidemic proportions), or reporting sightings which sometimes lead to exposure and even fines or jail terms.
One Vietnam vet with nearly forty years of military service who retired as a major, spurred on by the revelations in our book, and, in his words. “having seen hundreds of DD 214s” (a veteran’s Record of Transfer or Separation), recently decided to take a close look at John Kerry’s DD 214, which is posted on his website. What the major called to our attention, which we have since verified, raises some extremely troubling questions about John Kerry’s Silver Star. Keep in mind that the Silver Star is the third-highest medal our Nation can bestow (after only the Medal of Honor and the three service “Crosses”).
Kerry's DD 214 lists a Silver Star with a combat “V” (for valor). As the major correctly observes, the “V” is never awarded with the Silver Star. But the actual wording on Kerry’s DD 214 (see www.johnkerry.com) is: “SILVER STAR WITH COMBAT ‘V’.”

There is an abundance of anecdotal evidence that a combat “V” (called a “Combat Distinguishing Device”) is simply not awarded with a Silver Star. For example, a former Vietnam War POW told us that he has “three SSs, and there was no V for any of them.” Countless other Silver Star recipients all say the same thing. Why? Because, among other reasons, it would be redundant to award a Silver Star for “gallantry” (the statutory term) and then embellish it with a “V” for valor.

Most conclusive, however, is that the law is very clear about the award of Combat Distinguishing Devices. According to the Navy Awards Manual:
Bronze "V" (Combat Distinguishing Device).
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. Between . . .1974 and . . . 1991, the "V" was authorized for wear on the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal and Navy Commendation Medal. [In] . . . 1991, the "V" was authorized for wear on the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. In all cases, the Combat Distinguishing Device may only be worn if specifically authorized in the citation. See also http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Valor_device.
Because the “V” is authorized for only the ten awards cited above, but not for the Silver Star, Kerry’s Silver Star citation (the “explanation” of why the award was made) does not even mention the “V” for valor (see www.johnkerry.com).

The presence of the combat “V” with Kerry’s Silver Star on his DD 214 raises two extremely disquieting questions. How did the unauthorized “V” get there, and why has Kerry allowed it to remain?
The first question should not be taken lightly because we are talking about possible federal crimes. We are talking about the possibility of a forged official document. We are talking, as well, about Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, which states: “[W]hoever, 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.”
Was the combat “V” added by a sloppy clerk or a yeoman’s typo thirty years ago? Was someone pressured or persuaded to add it? If Kerry had nothing to do with the gratuitously added combat “V,” why didn’t he have his DD 214 corrected when he was separated from the Navy?
Which gives rise to the second disturbing question: If Kerry was not a party to the unauthorized “V,” why, for all these years, has he allowed his DD 214 to remain uncorrected and to repose on his website?
In light of the recent Swift Boat revelations and the cloud they have cast over Kerry’s awards, one plausible answer is that this is yet another example of Kerry’s multiple, and increasingly transparent, lies about his alleged heroics in Vietnam.
Let’s hope it won’t take a controversial TV spot to spark a mainstream media investigation of how candidate Kerry received an unearned “V” for valor.
Henry Mark Holzer [www.henrymarkholzer.com; hank@henrymarkholzer.com], Professor Emeritus at Brooklyn Law School, specializes in federal appeals. Erika Holzer [www.erikaholzer.com] is a lawyer and novelist. They are co-authors of “Aid and Comfort”: Jane Fonda in North Vietnam.

Now, go to www.johnkerry.com, click past the opening page where they want you to sign in (it's easy), and scroll down on the left to "Search." Enter DD214 and an Adobe file will open (I couldn't get it to Save/Copy/Paste or I would have included it here). If the sanitizers don't get there before you do it should ***** your interest.

Kerry's Silver Star Citation does not say anything about a Combat V, so I can only think that this is just a snafu. But why wasn't it corrected? Kerry has a DD215 (amended 214) on the site for a pissy little detail...why not one for this?

Peanuts or substance? You tell me.
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R.E. Gleason, YN2
Navy '67-'71
Staff, Rear Admiral James D. Ramage,
COMCARDIV7, '70-'71
USS Oriskany, CVA34, '69-'71

"The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it won't be needed until someone tries to take it away." -- Thomas Jefferson

[Richard]

Silent Hunter,

I was in the FMF Atlantic, 1969-1972. One of my duties was to keep the unit diary and type awards and discharge papers. The DD-214 was a real pain. My 1st Sgt would not allow any (NONE WHATSOEVER) typos. Also the original was signed by the battalion CO, and not our company CO. The Battalion Admin Chief, an E-7, checked them thoroughly before he allowed them to go into the old man for signature.

John Kerry was released from active duty while he served on the Admiral's staff. I can't imagine anything like that mistake being made at that level, or anywhere for that matter.

It was the policy when I typed them up to never "attach" anything. If you could not fit all the wording into the block provided, you said something like "continued in block 30 "remarks". We also had to type a diagonal line of stars to fill in any unused space:

If you look at the type-face of the words "(seeattached sheet)" of block 24, you can see that they are distorted. It appears they were not made with the same typewriter that was used for the rest of the document.

And lastly, one thing I noticed but hasn't got any attention. If you look at the ribbons Kerry is wearing while testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, April 1971, you will notice he has three full rows and a partial row (eleven total). Yet his DD-214 only shows seven medals.

I wrote about this at: http://www.thepublicview.com/tpvarticles/kerrymedals.asp

If you look closely, you will see that he is NOT wearing his Purple Heart. It is some other ribbon I can't identify.

He also wore the Presidential Unit Citatation before Congress yet he never actually had the records corrected until March 2001. Further, two of his medals were the rifle and pistol expert ribbons. They appear nowhere on his records.

My own opinion is that he uses those like costume jewelry whenever he needs to.

Richard Jones
USMC 1969-1972
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The Public View

[lobster]

3rd row left could be the Navy Unit Commendation, as seen on this page:
http://www.riverinesailor.com/awards.htm

Kerry's DD-215 lists that ribbon.



[/img]

[carpro]

I keep remembering Burkett in "Stolen Valor" talking about all the ways to phony up a DD214. All the fakes did it. They usually made some kind of mistake only a person experienced in military forms would catch.

You guys think there's something rotten in Denmark? If so, then the obvious question is, what are they really hiding?
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"If he believes his 1971 indictment of his country and his fellow veterans was true, then he couldn't possibly be proud of his Vietnam service."

[lobster]

Republic of Vietnam Service Medal (2 stars): Kerry first served aboard a ship off Vietnam as a communications officier - that might possibly account for the 2 stars.

[lobster]

2nd row left: Could be the Armed Forces Expeditionary ribbon. "Those who qualify for award of more than one Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal are awarded a bronze service star for each successive qualifying period."

There's a picture of the ribbon here:
http://www.gruntsmilitary.com/afem.shtml

That probably accounts for all the ribbons.

[JN173]

[The bandit]

I think this is a none issue. It is clear Kerry was awarded a SS. I think someone just goofed after entering the combat "V" for the Bronze, you know, a brain fart.
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