Actually, MIA could be overstating the case. Haven’t seen any real action on this one, yet!
What we know:
John Kerry’s service in Vietnam lasted 4 months and 12 days, beginning in November 1968 when he reported to Cam Ranh Bay for a month of training. His abbreviated combat tour ended shortly after he requested a transfer out of Vietnam on March 17, 1969, citing Navy instruction 1300.39 permitting personnel with three Purple Hearts to request reassignment. So far as we are able to determine, Kerry was the only Swift sailor ever to leave Vietnam without completing the standard one-year tour of duty, other than those who were seriously wounded or killed.
It is clear that at least one of Kerry’s Purple Heart awards was the result of his own negligence, not enemy fire, and that Kerry went to unusual lengths to obtain the award after being turned down by his own commanding officer. _1_
And of course, there are Kerry’s post Vietnam activities that are a matter of public record, including his attendance (disputed by him, but confirmed by FBI reports and eyewitnesses) at a VVAW meeting that discussed assassination of American political figures, consorting with the enemy during time of war and his infamous slander of those he left behind in Vietnam before the Senate select committee.
What we do not have yet is information that fills in the holes and gaps in his service record:
Constructing a complete picture of Kerry’s service is difficult due to gaps in the Naval records provided by the Kerry campaign. These gaps include missing and incomplete fitness reports, missing medical records and missing records related to his medal awards._1_
Supposedly, the Boston Globe, the LA Times and Kerry’s biographer have the complete records, but they aren’t releasing them.
Why?
From Cao’s Blog:
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Join the blogbursts to help FREE Kerry’s 180 every Tuesday!
We’ve formed a blogburst group and here are the bloggers who are contributing so far. If you want to join the blogroll for Free Kerry’s 180, click here to email me, include the url for your blog. The blogburst is every Tuesday, so don’t forget to blog about it. All you have to do is encourage Kerry to set his 180 FREE, I’ll send you the code for the blogroll.
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Linked at Cao’s, Adam’s Blog, Those Bastards!, TMH’s Bacon Bits, The Political Teen, Don Surber, Choose Life!, Euphoric Reality, MacStansbury, Right Wing Nation, Committees of Correspondence, NIF, Stop the ACLU, Is It just Me?