Kerry campaign provides some military records
msnbc.msn.com
Move counters GOP criticism of 3-time Purple Heart winnerThe Associated Press
Updated: 8:36 p.m. ET April 20, 2004WASHINGTON - Amid questions about his military records, Democratic Sen. John Kerry’s presidential campaign provided documentation Tuesday of injuries he sustained during the Vietnam War, including shrapnel wounds to his arms, legs and buttocks that earned him three Purple Hearts.
Michael Meehan, a spokesman for Kerry, said the campaign was compiling the rest of Kerry’s naval record and planned to begin posting it on Kerry’s Web site by the end of the day. Kerry, the junior senator from Massachusetts, said all his military records were available to the public during an appearance Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Meehan said Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, requested a copy of his record from the Navy last month and received about 150 pages last week.
Conservative commentators, talk radio hosts and some newspapers editorials have questioned whether Kerry was deserving of his three Purple Hearts, fueling questions about his Navy service from 1966 to 1970 and the seriousness of his injuries.
He served two tours of duty, four months on the USS Gridley frigate off Vietnam’s shore and nearly five months as a swiftboat commander in the Mekong Delta. He volunteered for the second tour and earned all his medals during the second stint.
Meehan gave The Associated Press 13 pages that included documentation for the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the three Purple Hearts. The Boston Globe obtained some of the records last year for an extensive series on Kerry.
Report on Purple Heart missing
The documents also included declassified reports that briefly explained the injuries that led to Kerry’s Purple Heart awards. They show that Kerry had shrapnel wounds in his left thigh after his boat came under intense fire on Feb. 20, 1969, and that he suffered shrapnel wounds in his left buttock and contusions on his right forearm when a mine detonated close to his boat on March 13, 1969.
The campaign could not find a similar report for Kerry’s original Purple Heart. As evidence that Kerry was wounded, Meehan showed the AP a “Sick Call Treatment Record” from Kerry’s personal files, which included a brief written note dated Dec. 3, 1968, and stamped from the naval support facility at Cam Ranh Bay.
“Shrapnel in left arm above elbow. Shrapnel removed and appl bacitracin dressing. Ret to Duty,” it said. The note is followed by a signature that appears to say “JCCarreon” and some illegible letters that Meehan said probably designated the medical official’s rank.
Meehan said the campaign would allow a reporter to see the record at the campaign’s headquarters but not take a copy. He said it would not be made available to the public because Kerry considered it a private medical record.
Documentation for the second and third injuries showed that Kerry was deemed to be in good condition and returned to active duty after treatment. The documentation does not describe the severity of the injuries. A third Purple Heart meant Kerry could be reassigned out of Vietnam, and a document dated March 17, 1969, said Kerry requested duty as a personal aide in Boston, New York or the Washington area.
Meehan said that although Kerry could have asked to stay in Vietnam, it was the Navy’s decision to request that he be reassigned. Kerry left the country in early April 1969.
GOP says Kerry waffling
Ken Mehlman, President Bush’s campaign manager, accused Kerry’s campaign of waffling on the release of his military records, saying the campaign’s position Tuesday to release the records in “due diligence” was contrary to Kerry’s comments on “Meet the Press” that the records would be made public immediately.
“Senator Kerry’s record of nondisclosure and his flip-flop on this issue should concern voters,” Mehlman said.
Meehan responded: “Senator Kerry’s record on the military is one we are running on, not running from. We are happy to compare Senator Kerry’s record of service to anybody in the Bush campaign who has or has not served.”
Bush was in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War but did not serve in combat. Bush released hundreds of pages of his Vietnam-era military records in February to counter Democrats’ suggestions that he shirked his duty in the Texas Air National Guard.
The White House said the documents comprised his entire military record. The records did not provide evidence that Bush was in Alabama during a period when Democrats have questioned whether he reported for service.
Friday, Kerry questioned Republicans who avoided the war and now criticize him on national security, but he did not mention Bush.
“I fought under that flag, and I saw that flag draped over the coffins of friends,” Kerry said. “I’m tired of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney and a bunch of people who went out of their way to avoid the chance to serve when they had the chance.”
The Purple Heart is awarded to soldiers who are wounded or killed by enemy forces. The Silver Star is awarded for gallantry in action, and the Bronze Star is for heroic achievement.
Kerry received the Bronze Star for his actions after being wounded by the mine, which led to the third Purple Heart. According to his citation, one of Kerry’s boatmates was thrown overboard and Kerry pulled him to safety with “his arm bleeding and in pain and with disregard for his personal safety.” Kerry and the man, retired Los Angeles police Officer Jim Rassmann, had an emotional public reunion in January, two days before Kerry would win the Iowa caucuses.
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