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A review by the Globe of Kerry's war record in preparation for a forthcoming book, "John F. Kerry: The Complete Biography," found that the young Navy officer acted heroically under fire, in one case saving the life of an Army lieutenant. But the examination also found that Kerry's commanding officer at the time questioned Kerry's first Purple Heart, which he earned for a wound received just two weeks after arriving in Vietnam.

"He had a little scratch on his forearm, and he was holding a piece of shrapnel," recalled Kerry's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Grant Hibbard. "People in the office were saying, `I don't think we got any fire,' and there is a guy holding a little piece of shrapnel in his palm." Hibbard said he couldn't be certain whether Kerry actually came under fire on Dec. 2, 1968, the date in questionand that is why he said he asked Kerry questions about the matter.

But Kerry persisted and, to his own "chagrin," Hibbard said, he dropped the matter. "I do remember some questions, some correspondence about it," Hibbard said. "I finally said, `OK, if that's what happened . . . do whatever you want.' After that, I don't know what happened. Obviously, he got it, I don't know how."

Kerry declined to talk to the Globe about the issue during the preparation of the Kerry biography. But his press secretary, Michael Meehan, noted that the Navy concluded that Kerry deserved the Purple Heart.

During the Vietnam War, Purple Hearts were often granted for minor wounds. "There were an awful lot of Purple Hearts--from shrapnel, some of those might have been M-40 grenades," said George Elliott, who served as a commanding officer to Kerry during another point in his five-month combat tour in Vietnam. (Kerry earlier served a noncombat tour.) "The Purple Hearts were coming down in boxes." Under Navy regulations, an enlistee or officer wounded three times was permitted to leave Vietnam early, as Kerry did. He received all three purple hearts for relatively minor injuries -- two did not cost him a day of service and one took him out for a day or two.

If you know anything about privileged types like Kerry, you know they get all the inside tips from their fellow "in the know" snobs. Obviously, when Kerry found himself in combat he was also advised to collect PH's whenever possible so he could use the 3 PH's rule to get out. That is why he showed up in 2 weeks with a questionable PH request. That is the request for which I believe he is saying he "can't find" the paperwork.

I can't fault Kerry for being in combat and maybe not weven for wanting out. The offensive part is that HE has built a career bragging about these 4 months and all his medals. HE claims it qualifies him for president. Then isn't it reasonable to ask whether it reveals a character flaw that he got himself out of combat asap?

During the Vietnam War, Purple Hearts were often granted for minor wounds.

I would like to know what the wounds were like for anyone around here who received one, or knew someone who did.

I only know one Vietnam Vet with a Purple Heart. He received it for doing underwater something-or-other (sorry but I don't know all the military jargon), during which there was an explosion, he was injured, unconscious, and lost a significant part of his hearing. He was hospitalized for some time.

What is the most minor P.H. award that any of you know about?