Clem Before you high five you might want to read this article in its entirety.Eveidently we come away with different observations.
In reading remember that Kerry nominated himself for these awards with exception of Bronze Star which was nominated by Rasmussan (intially as silver strar but down graded.)
Silver Star Lets use Kerrys account and not swift boat vets for your benefit. To believe his account you would have to believe that under intense fire he docked his boat making it a sitting target and left command of boat to chase down wound soilder---Does that make sense to you?
Bronze Star Once again we'll use Kerry's and Rassmusans theory. He fell off boat and when Kerry descovered it came back and picked him out of water.As I said before--what was other option let him drown.--and you think one should be decorated for this action and ubelievably Rasmussan nominated him for silver star.Quite odd considering medivac pilots and crew hover over jungle dropping line with stretcher to pick up people with life threatening wounds (proof of real contact by enemy) exposed to real fire hundreds of times a week and this is all in a days work--no citacions requested.--and I could name many situations such as retractions from hot lz's,medics daily routines ect that are far more dangerous than pulling someone in a boat. Are all these men by comparison all medal of honer candidates.Hardly--they call it all in days work.
Purple hearts Article above has decremency whether account was correct--take which ever you please it still comes out to scratch which Kerry nominated himself.
"Also appearing in the ad is Grant Hibbard, Kerry?s commanding officer at the time. Hibbard?s affidavit says that he ?turned down the Purple Heart request,? and recalled Kerry's injury as a "tiny scratch less than from a rose thorn."
That doesn't quite square with Letson's affidavit, which describes shrapnel "lodged in Kerry's arm" (though "barely.")
Another purple heart which consisted of contusion(that means bruise) and tiny piece of shrapnel to buttock or thigh depending which report you want which Rassmusion constantly referes to "as Kerry despite being wounded" can be guaged in the acrobat medical report--
click on underlined link "casualty report" in write up on this award
It states (can't cut and paste acrobat reader)
"condition good,prognosis good,presence of NOK not medically warranted"
What they are telling you as with other purple heart that no medical attention was necessary.
So I can empatically state that while most people in Nam received purple hearts for being treated for wounds after being sent in from field and being recommended by superior-- what we have here is someone who nominate himself continuously for wounds that need no treatment.
and I am quite curious if anyone else in the history of any war ever considered a bruise as Purple heart qualification.
I find these quite humerous in respect to Sandusky account of his"being shot 3 times" LOL
and while on subject of proven lies you might want to go over a few (flip flops of recollection kerry has removed from his website
http://michnews.com/artman/publish/article_4778.shtml