SD Jarhead

me too...please!

Welcome back Nizzlenit...er, Blzrul...

Well put VA!

I'm honestly not sure what the Freedom of Information Act says about the release of a persons Service Record Book. I'm pretty sure that his medical history is protected though.

I've seen Marines write themselves up for medals in peacetime operations. It usually happens in a sneaky covert way because it is generally frowned upon by other Marines...you know "Blowing your own horn". But there is no rule against it. Usually the people who do this are those who are in a position to sneak things through. I currently work with a career administrator who wrote himself up for two of his service awards...what a POS.

Actually, I have heard of many people writing their own awards as I cited in an earlier post. That's what interests me regarding the JK thing...who exactly authored and submitted him for his awards? I'm not sure what the paper trail was like back in that era, but I know that in my Service Record there are origination documents listing who authored any award recommendations that I've received. I'd be interested to see if JK wrote himself up for his awards. Given what I know about his at this point, I wouldn't be suprised if he did. So, why won't he release his service records and medical history and put the whole issue to rest? It's really pretty simple. I do agree that the officer corp at large are the beneficiary of more of these medals that the enlisted force.

Kerry's service would truly be a non issue if it weren't for the current administration using the politics of fear to show for some unfathonable reason that the current President is the most desirable candidate as Commander in Chief. I think it's called political strategy. It's all horse manure, as long as Karl Rove can keep the issue on Kerry's Viet Nam record he can avoid debating real issues. You can't be serious! Did Karl Rove make JK stand up on the stage at the Dem's convention and salute while muttering "Reporting for duty?" Did he force the Dim's to make a "Saving Pvt. Kerry" video to whip up the masses? Oh, yea...vast Right Wing conspiracy. C'mon...open your eyes.

After re-reading what I just posted, I want to be clear...I am not flaming other services or suggesting that the Corps corners the market on bravery...I just tried to explain my point of view. So, please don't let this degrade into an interservice skirmish.

Count me in with those who are completely sick and tired of hearing about the whole Vietnam did/didn't go nonsense. I also feel that JK set himself up for the attacks by making his service in that war the centerpiece of his campaign strategy. With that said, I know I am jumping late into the fray, but I'd like to comment on BiB's initial post. As someone who has served in the Corps for almost 20 years, my judgement and opinion are formed by my experience as a Marine. Those experiences are likely to be much different than those who served in other services due to 'cultural differences'. I've got to tell you that in all honesty, when I hear about awards for valor being awarded by other services, I automaticly discount the award, in my minds eye. For example, a few years ago there was a story of some Air Force support personnel who were stationed in Kansas City who wrote themselves up for a Bronze Star and were awarded it without ever leaving the comfort of home(the US). If you look at more recent times and compare the number of awards for valor issued by the Army as compared to the USMC, the statistics show that the army is much more liberal than the Corps(by a WIDE margin). Shoot, if any of you can get a copy of this weeks Marine Times, there's a story of a Gunny who earned a Silver Star at Nasiriah. He had 40 shrapnel wounds and continued to fight. Check it out and see what he did to earn his S. Star vice JK's. That's just one example of many I'm familiar with. The story posted about the soldier not wanting to leave his unit is the type of devotion to duty that I am familiar with. I say all this to explain how I form my opinion of what is known about JK's time spent in combat. All indications to me are that he is a glory seeking cheesedick who left his men to return to his self described manifest destiny of becoming the next 'JFK'. Each person who served will have their own perception of JK's service. From my vantage point, considering the facts that are undisputed by either camp, JK at his core is not a true leader of men. That is just how I feel. I think that most veterans who have been in the stevestojan with thier men would likely feel the same. Excellent thread BiB.

When I read the thread title and saw who the originator was I thought this had to do with the Nozzlenut/BlzRul controversy...Oh well.