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August 20, 2004

Did Senator Sasquatch Get Awarded a Silver Star 12 Years After His Service?

I think, long ago, someone pointed this out in the comments. Foolishly, I did not pursue it, and now the Washington Times is scooping it.

Thanks to Dummocrats.com, who has one of those cool major-headlines sidebars that I love but I'm too lazy to do myself.

Update: Wizbang informs me that the Dems promise "The Mother of All Backlashes" about this. He also has lots more on the entire subject, as usual.

Update-- The Telltale V?: This guy says that Silver Stars are never awarded with the additional specification "for V" (valor), because that's a redudancy.

And yet that's precisely what John Forbes Kerry seems to have managed.

How did all of this come to pass?

The Ace of Spades HQ Assignment Desk: Yeah, this is a Kaus schtick, but I actually have a question.

Can anyone determine the first instance of John Kerry's Silver Star -- or Silver Star For Valor (?) -- being mentioned by a contemporaneous news article?

When is the earliest instance of this decoration being noted by the press?

If there is a reference dating from 1969 or 1970, that disproves the twelve-years-after charge.

If there is no mention of the Silver Star until the eighties, on the other hand -- this would seem to confirm that John Kerry only received the decoration a dozen years after the event that "warranted" it. And that not only raises a whole host of interesting questions -- how did he get secretly awarded this medal, and by whom? -- but it pretty much dooms his candidacy.

I suspect that there's a good and innocent reason why the wrong name is on his citation. I suspect this won't come to anything.

But the press doesn't seem terribly interested in proving it one way or the other.

posted by Ace at 04:10 PM

Comments

Apropos of probably nothing...click over to Steyn's site and check out the (alas) anonymous letter posted on his "Mekong Mailbag' section.

Some cat claims he met Kerry at a VVAW meeting after his own tour of Nam.

Is it true? I don't have any idea. But it IS interesting and pretty funny.

Posted by: kelly on August 20, 2004 06:24 PM

Oops, sorry if I've breached blog comments etiquette by not providing a link.

http://marksteyn.com

sheesh, you guys are so touchy.

(And, Ace, apologies for directing any traffic away from your most excellent blog, but, c'mon it's Steyn, man, STEYN!)

Posted by: kelly on August 20, 2004 06:34 PM

You can link all you like in the comments.

Just don't do it within the first fifty or so characters, because then that causes my sidebar to bloat. (The sidebar program links the first dozen whole words, and links are "long words," and then they cause the sidebar to exceed its intended width.)

Posted by: ace on August 20, 2004 06:36 PM

Ace,

With regard to when the Silver Star was first mentioned:

(Well, at least I think that's what you want to know. I just completed a one day West Coast out-n-back and I am a little crispy)

The Silver Star was mentioned I believe in the early 70's when Kerry was asked by a TV reporter "How many medals do you throw away, John?"

She then enumerates them, Silver Star, Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts.

The best part of this interview is when Kerry says that he threw (I must paraphrase here) "Three, Four, Five, Six, and more" of his medals over the fence. When, of course, he threw NONE of his own medals (or ribbons) away.

I will email you if I find out the source.

Posted by: MeTooThen on August 20, 2004 07:18 PM

The other Silver Star citation attached to the Lehman one is signed by Adm. John Hyland, CincPacFlt from 1967-1970. I think there has got to be a logical explanation for this.

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

http://www.history.navy.mil/seairland/appenb.htm

Posted by: Dan on August 20, 2004 08:07 PM

Hannity had some audio of Kerry talking to some news chick about his tossing of his medals. It was evidently from the early 70's - and the news chick and Kerry mention the Silver Star.

Posted by: blaster on August 20, 2004 08:34 PM

Blaster,

I found the source (and sent it to Ace, but what the hell)

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/Politics/Investigation/kerry_vietnam_medals_040425-1.html

"I gave back, I can't remember, six, seven, eight, nine medals," Kerry said in an interview on a Washington, D.C., news program on WRC-TV called Viewpoints on Nov. 6, 1971..."

I can't remember.

Me too, then.

Posted by: MeTooThen on August 20, 2004 10:29 PM

Is this discussion over when Kerry got his Silver Star awarded?

I just googled a pic of Kerry giving his testimony to the congressional committee (search term "Kerry testimony" and there is a picture of him (67K)wearing his ribbon array. This is the same pic used as the background in the second Swiftvets ad. The top two ribbons are clearly a Silver Star and a Bronze Star.

Posted by: The Sage of Forest Park on August 21, 2004 02:40 AM

**2**

Posted by: on September 18, 2004 06:44 PM


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He also has lots more on the entire subject, as usual. Update-- The Telltale V?: This guy says that Silver Stars are never awarded with the additional specification "for V" (valor), because that's a redudancy. And yet that's precisely what John Forbes Kerry seems to have managed. How did all of this come to pass? The Ace of Spades HQ Assignment Desk: Yeah, this is a Kaus schtick, but I actually have a question. Can anyone determine the first instance of John Kerry's Silver Star -- or Silver Star For Valor (?) -- being mentioned by a contemporaneous news article? When is the earliest instance of this decoration being noted by the press? If there is a reference dating from 1969 or 1970, that disproves the twelve-years-after charge. If there is no mention of the Silver Star until the eighties, on the other hand -- this would seem to confirm that John Kerry only received the decoration a dozen years after the event that "warranted" it. And that not only raises a whole host of interesting questions -- how did he get secretly awarded this medal, and by whom? -- but it pretty much dooms his candidacy. I suspect that there's a good and innocent reason why the wrong name is on his citation. I suspect this won't come to anything. But the press doesn't seem terribly interested in proving it one way or the other. posted by Ace at 04:10 PM Comments Apropos of probably nothing...click over to Steyn's site and check out the (alas) anonymous letter posted on his "Mekong Mailbag' section. Some cat claims he met Kerry at a VVAW meeting after his own tour of Nam. Is it true? I don't have any idea. But it IS interesting and pretty funny. Posted by: kelly on August 20, 2004 06:24 PM Oops, sorry if I've breached blog comments etiquette by not providing a link. http://marksteyn.com sheesh, you guys are so touchy. (And, Ace, apologies for directing any traffic away from your most excellent blog, but, c'mon it's Steyn, man, STEYN!) Posted by: kelly on August 20, 2004 06:34 PM You can link all you like in the comments. Just don't do it within the first fifty or so characters, because then that causes my sidebar to bloat. (The sidebar program links the first dozen whole words, and links are "long words," and then they cause the sidebar to exceed its intended width.) Posted by: ace on August 20, 2004 06:36 PM Ace, With regard to when the Silver Star was first mentioned: (Well, at least I think that's what you want to know. I just completed a one day West Coast out-n-back and I am a little crispy) The Silver Star was mentioned I believe in the early 70's when Kerry was asked by a TV reporter "How many medals do you throw away, John?" She then enumerates them, Silver Star, Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts. The best part of this interview is when Kerry says that he threw (I must paraphrase here) "Three, Four, Five, Six, and more" of his medals over the fence. When, of course, he threw NONE of his own medals (or ribbons) away. I will email you if I find out the source. Posted by: MeTooThen on August 20, 2004 07:18 PM The other Silver Star citation attached to the Lehman one is signed by Adm. John Hyland, CincPacFlt from 1967-1970. I think there has got to be a logical explanation for this. http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/Silver_Star.pdf http://www.history.navy.mil/seairland/appenb.htm Posted by: Dan on August 20, 2004 08:07 PM Hannity had some audio of Kerry talking to some news chick about his tossing of his medals. It was evidently from the early 70's - and the news chick and Kerry mention the Silver Star. Posted by: blaster on August 20, 2004 08:34 PM Blaster, I found the source (and sent it to Ace, but what the hell) http://abcnews.go.com/sections/Politics/Investigation/kerry_vietnam_medals_040425-1.html "I gave back, I can't remember, six, seven, eight, nine medals," Kerry said in an interview on a Washington, D.C., news program on WRC-TV called Viewpoints on Nov. 6, 1971..." I can't remember. Me too, then. Posted by: MeTooThen on August 20, 2004 10:29 PM Is this discussion over when Kerry got his Silver Star awarded? I just googled a pic of Kerry giving his testimony to the congressional committee (search term "Kerry testimony" and there is a picture of him (67K)wearing his ribbon array. This is the same pic used as the background in the second Swiftvets ad. The top two ribbons are clearly a Silver Star and a Bronze Star. 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