I know that record keeping will not solve this puzzle.
Well there should be paperwork as to when Alston was released from the hospital and returned to duty, would he have returned to light duty or straight back to combat?
I suspect the photo was made when Kerry was shipping out and it was one last photo op for his friends, the pictue was reportedly taken by Mike Madeiros one of the crewmates. it is a stretch of logic to believe that the picture is a phony, but with Kerry anything is possible..what I do notice is everyone seems to be squinting from the sun, Alston seems to be turning his head straight on maybe to hide his injury? Either way the question remains there are 13 days from 2/28 when short was on the boat and Alston wasn't (according to another quote)to 3/13 the last mission with Kerry before he bugged out..Were there any combat missions as Alston seems to state in campaign materials? Maybe Alston returned to the boat for light duty but did not go on combat missions after his injury thus the photo...maybe he went out on missions but there was no combat...if he wasn't on the boat on 3/13 its logical he wasn't on the boat on 3/12 or earlier also..maybe someone should just ask Alston.......
lots of questions, but the Archives will hold many answers... anyone in DC/College Park area? Eventually all Kerry's records that are not personal will be scrutinized as someone will write a follow up book with more supporting documents, the question is when..before the election or after?
I don't suspect the photo (at this time) of being fake, but I believe it has been fraudulently presented as representing the crew of a single boat.
I am almost certain that any head wound, no matter how minor, would have resulting in shaving. Even it only required a band-aid.
If this guy engaged in combat operations on Kerry's boat after January 29, I think there would be other evidence. Kerry is the most photographed vet I've seen. He has hours of super-8 film. Where is this guy?