About Kerry's Purple Hearts And Reassignment

Boston Globe ^ | 6/16/2003 | Michael Kranish

[Hon]

[I thought it would be of interest to highlight some passages from an article in the series "A Candidate In The Making" from the Boston Globe. Given Kerry's charges about Bush's National Guard duty, I think it is appropriate that Kerry's own record should be given some similar scrutiny.]

Heroism, and growing concern about war

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff, 6/16/2003

Kerry served two tours. For a relatively uneventful six months, from December 1967 to June 1968, he served in the electrical department aboard the USS Gridley, a guided-missile frigate that supported aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin and was far removed from combat.

Kerry initially hoped to continue his service at a relatively safe distance from most fighting, securing an assignment as "swift boat" skipper. While the 50-foot swift boats cruised the Vietnamese coast a little closer to the action than the Gridley had come, they were still considered relatively safe.

"I didn't really want to get involved in the war," Kerry said in a little-noticed contribution to a book of Vietnam reminiscences published in 1986. "When I signed up for the swift boats, they had very little to do with the war. They were engaged in coastal patrolling and that's what I thought I was going to be doing."

But two weeks after he arrived in Vietnam, the swift boat mission changed -- and Kerry went from having one of the safest assignments in the escalating conflict to one of the most dangerous.

Kerry experienced his first intense combat action on Dec. 2, 1968, when he "semi-volunteered for, was semi-drafted" for a risky covert mission in which he essentially was supposed to "flush out" the enemy, using a little Boston Whaler named "Batman." A larger backup craft was called "Robin."

Unfortunately, Robin had engine trouble, and Batman's exit was delayed until the boats could depart in unison. The Batman crew encountered some Viet Cong, engaged in a firefight, and Kerry was slightly wounded on his arm, earning his first Purple Heart on his first day of serious action.

"It was not a very serious wound at all," recalled William Schachte, who oversaw the mission and went on to become a rear admiral.

In any case, Kerry said he was appalled that the Navy's ''free fire zone'' policy put civilians at such high risk. So, on Jan. 22, 1969, Kerry and several dozen fellow skippers and officers traveled to Saigon to complain about the policy in an extraordinary meeting with Zumwalt and the overall commander of the war, General Creighton W. Abrams Jr. ''We were fighting the [free fire] policy very, very hard, to the point that many of the members were refusing to carry out orders on some of their missions, to the point where crews were starting to mutiny, [to] say, `I would not go back in the rivers again,''' Kerry recalled during a 1971 television appearance on the Dick Cavett Show.

But Kerry went back in the rivers. Indeed, it was after this meeting that he began his most deadly round of combat. Within days of the Saigon meeting, he joined a five-man crew on swift boat No. 94 on a series of missions in which he won the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and two of his three Purple Hearts. Starting in late January 1969, this crew completed 18 missions over an intense and dangerous 48 days, almost all of them in the dense jungles of the Mekong Delta.

The most intense action came during an extraordinary eight days of more than 10 firefights, remembered by Kerry's crew as the "days of hell."

On Feb. 20, 1969, Kerry earned his second Purple Heart after sustaining a shrapnel wound in his left thigh.

A couple of weeks later, on March 13, 1969, a mine detonated near Kerry's boat, wounding Kerry in the right arm, according to the citation written by Zumwalt.

Kerry had been wounded three times and received three Purple Hearts. Asked about the severity of the wounds, Kerry said that one of them cost him about two days of service, and that the other two did not interrupt his duty. "Walking wounded," as Kerry put it. A shrapnel wound in his left arm gave Kerry pain for years. Kerry declined a request from the Globe to sign a waiver authorizing the release of military documents that are covered under the Privacy Act and that might shed more light on the extent of the treatment Kerry needed as a result of the wounds.

"There were an awful lot of Purple Hearts -- from shrapnel, some of those might have been M-40 grenades," said Elliott, Kerry's commanding officer. "The Purple Hearts were coming down in boxes. Kerry, he had three Purple Hearts. None of them took him off duty. Not to belittle it, that was more the rule than the exception."

But Kerry thought he had seen and done enough. The rules, he said, allowed a thrice-wounded soldier to return to the United States immediately. So Kerry went to talk to Commodore Charles F. Horne, an administrative official and commander of the coastal squadron in which Kerry served. Horne filled out a document on March 17, 1969, that said Kerry "has been thrice wounded in action while on duty incountry Vietnam. Reassignment is requested ... as a personal aide in Boston, New York, or Wash., D.C. area."

Horne, in a telephone interview, said the transfer request was allowed under then-existing naval instructions and was "above board and proper." Transfer was not automatic and was subject to approval by the Bureau of Naval Personnel, he said.

"I never once in any way thought my decision was wrong," Horne said. "To get three Purple Hearts and not be killed is awesome."

Kerry, asked whether he is certain a rule enabled him to leave Vietnam after three Purple Hearts, responded: "Yep. Three and you're out."

For the past several weeks, Kerry's staff said it has been unable to come up with a Navy document to explain that assertion. On Friday, however, the National Archives provided the Globe with a Navy "instruction" document that formed the basis for Kerry's request. The instruction, titled 1300.39, says that a Naval officer who requires hospitalization on two separate occasions, or who receives three wounds "regardless of the nature of the wounds," can ask a superior officer to request a reassignment. The instruction makes clear the reassignment is not automatic. It says that the reassignment "will be determined after consideration of his physical classification for duty and on an individual basis." Because Kerry's wounds were not considered serious, his reassignment appears to have been made on an individual basis.

Moreover, the instruction makes clear that Kerry could have asked that any reassignment be waived.

The bottom line is that Kerry could have remained but he chose to seek an early transfer. He met with Horne, who agreed to forward the request, which Horne said probably ensured final approval. The Navy could not say how many other officers or sailors got a similar early release from combat, but it was unusual for anyone to have three Purple Hearts.

[Travis McGee]

One of the worst whores I've ever seen.

When it suited him, he was trashing "Amerika" and palling around with Hanoi Jane, while POWs were being tortured.

Now he brags about "I'm a combat veteran" in every other sentence.

If he was so ashamed of VietNam then, why's he brag about it nonstop now?

Then there is his habit of marrying lonely millionairesses....just a gigolo.

[onyx]

Thank you for that, Travis. We must continue to remind voters that he was delighted to pal around with Hanoi Jane while POW's were being tortured.

Damn him. He's a disgrace and he's dangerous.

[river rat]

One must be careful when discussing the merits of PHs and the difference between bravery and exercising good sense...
I have never met any group of men any braver that those men that fought from PBRs.
One Navy enlisted PBR crew member, remains a close friend to this day..
The VC and NVA feared and hated them, and would go to great lengths to attempt to kill them by any means..

I don't begrudge any man - wounded three times, wishing to invoke the "Return to the World" clause..
I had never heard of that "clause"....and a lot of men would still be alive if they had known and invoked the clause..

It's the definition of a Purple Heart level "wound" that requires some scrutiny...
That definition varied a great deal, between branches and even units within the same branch..

Our Gunny defined a "wound" - as one that required more attention than could be properly provided by our Corpsman..
In other words, in HIS mind - you were not wounded unless you had to be conveyed to Field Hospital or choppered out to the fleet hospital or beyond.
Anything less than that was considered a "wake up call" and you were lucky...

Kerry just doesn't pass the smell test..
For one so proud of his service - yet opposed to our being there - and then working against those warriors STILL there --- just doesn't calculate..
It seems Kerry was getting his Political Card Punched - in Vietnam - and left as soon as he has the necessary "punches".. Just as many Officers in some branches..did the same.


Semper Fi

[river rat]

Squantos,

Have you gotten any straight skinny on what was behind the huge arms dump explosion in Iraq last week?.

Accident or Intentional?

Semper Fi

[Squantos]

Nothing at all......sounds to me like a ADR op (ammo destruct request) where one man was in the crater priming in and the ones they found were departing the scene as something went south. Could'a been Army engineers or any service EOD team. Haven't heard anything offical .

SLB or Archy may have better data......

Stay Safe !

[archy]

IF a guy walks into a convenient store wearing a PH and a BZ and holds the place up does that make him a criminal with serious character flaws or are we just suppose to say "he is a hero" and give him a pass.

Medal Of Honor recipient Dwight Johnson from the 69th Armor was in the process of holding up a Detroit-area liquor store when he was shot dead on the evening of 30 April 1971; four years later North Vietnamese tanks would roll into Saigon and the last helicopter to leave the American Embassy took flight. His is one of the saddest of stories, which in no way lessens the raw courage of his actions that got him the Medal, not a few minutes impulsive act but most of an hour's worth, including the portion during which he hunted down one of the North Vietnamese attackers and beat him to death with an M3 grease gun, not a bad little 9-pound blunt instrument.

Neither does his previous valour in any way excuse or justify his later criminal activity, but it is most certainly a story without a happy ending, and if ever anyone deserved a happier one, it was Spec 5 Dwight Johnson.

[Hon]

"Kerry's three Purple Hearts resulted in his missing two days of service for one of them and missing zero days of service for the other two."

So Kerry says. His commanding officer is quoted by thte Boston Globe as saying his three wounds didn't cost him ANY duty days. ZERO.

[Hon]

"I think the reason the military has a three PHs and you're out policy is that - especially in Kerry's case - the mental effects of getting wounded three times may impair a commander's ability to accomplish the mission, or a soldier's ability to "walk point" and carry out orders effectively."

If that were the case it would be automatic--it isn't. If that were the case you wouldn't have to put in for it. You do. If that were the case you wouldn't be able to waive re-assignment. You can.

If that were the case you'd be sent home, not reassigned.

[My Dog Likes Me]

Let me put it this way.

I'm sure that in the last ten years you have read a newspaper article along these lines, "After 50 Years, WW II Vet Finally Gets Purple Heart." My point is that these old vets never forgot what happened, even if their wound wasn't reported at the time.

I'm sure that whenever the weather gets really cold in Boston, John Kerry's body tells him exactly where it was violated by hot metal over 30 years ago.

[Hon]

"IF a guy walks into a convenient store wearing a PH and a BZ and holds the place up does that make him a criminal with serious character flaws or are we just suppose to say "he is a hero" and give him a pass."

Yep. As I've mentioned, Timothy McVeigh had a Bronze Star with a V for valor.

[Hon]

"I'm sure that whenever the weather gets really cold in Boston, John Kerry's body tells him exactly where it was violated by hot metal over 30 years ago."

Yeah, it must've been murder for him to be out playing ice hockey up in New Hampshire for the crowds last week. And it must have killed him to be out windsurfing. The guy is a wreck. LOL

BTW, why you suppose he won't let the Boston Globe or any other media outlet see the records of his treatment for his wounds?

This fact is mentioned in the Boston Globe piece. They were curious about their severity as well.

[FranklinsTower]

I posted this quote on another thread but I believe it bears repeating here.

"KERRY IS A FAIR WEATHER WAR HERO."

I think it fits him like a glove.

[Hon]

"Most folks with scratches did NOT put in for PHs, and did not get them. I am referring to Kerrey-like wound requiring no hospitalization and no lost duty.
OTOH, if you were looking for a quick ticket out, you would catalog each and every scratch."

Yep. Notice he put in for reassignment just a day or two after his third wound.

[archy]

One must be careful when discussing the merits of PHs and the difference between bravery and exercising good sense...

I have never met any group of men any braver that those men that fought from PBRs.

One Navy enlisted PBR crew member, remains a close friend to this day..

The VC and NVA feared and hated them, and would go to great lengths to attempt to kill them by any means..

It's my understanding that Kerry was in PCF Swift boats, not the smaller PBRs, though there were certainly come particularly courageous individuals in the Swifts and Nasti boats of the *brownwater* navy as well- as to whether or not he was one of them, then, I'll leave to those who knew him then [1968 and '69] to debate; the jury's not in either way so far as I'm concerned.

But I'd certainly doubt the good sense of any individual who gets himself or those under him repeatedly wounded or injured in combat, and I'd have some real hard questions about the sort of judgement such a person might have had either way back then, or 40 years after the fact. Some leadership positions most certainly do not call for the impulsive valour that might be praiseworthy in a junior officer or enlisted man- cool deliberation and rational thought would be more of a requirement.

[Natural Law]

Purple Hearts were handed out in an attempt to improve morale. When I was there we had a mess sargeant win a purple heart for "shell fragments in left eye". He got an egg shell fragment under his eye lid while preparing breakfast in the enlisted mens mess at Can Tho, an Army Air Base 90 miles south of Saigon!.

[Hon]

"Whatever the case, I don't view this topic of discussion to be fruitful for the Bush cause."

I'm not particularly interested in advancing the Bush cause in this case. I'm just curious about what the truth is here.

You're not living up to your name.

[Texasforever]

Kerry quit as soon as he had mirrored Kennedy's record. He won his silver star by beaching his boat and chasing down a guy that had already been downed by 50-caliber machine gun fire. He put his entire crew in danger by beaching and making his boat a sitting duck in the midst of a general rocket attack. He should have been court-martialed.

[My Dog Likes Me]

Good point about the hockey game Hon! Forgot about that one, I did. He must have been in great pain.

Let's make a deal. Kerry will release his military medical records when Rush releases his civilian medical records.

Please, my fellow Freepers, take off your blinders and look around! There is enough hypocrisy on all sides to fill the Hoover Dam.

[river rat]

I appreciate the correction and clarification...PCF vs PBR.
I suspect the difference between weight of gonads, required to crew either platform is minimal....
Meek men didn't serve in either craft..
(However, they were lousy traders :), and we took advantage of that in a shameless manner)

Your suspicions about Kerry are well founded in my opinion..
The man just hammers too much on his own drum....as though there was nothing else in his life that he is so proud of, and at the same time made a career out of protesting the effort...

His self declarations about his service and being a "patriot" -- just don't pass the smell test, when scrutinized against his political career positions on both side of most issues - but mostly Leftist where the rubber meets the road.

Semper Fi

[truth_seeker]

"You're not living up to your name."

Let me clarify.

There is much here, along the line of finding a way to discredit Kerry's service. That he got purple hearts for "scratches" and got out early.

I meant to convey I don't find pursuit of attempts to discredit him, to be fruitful for Bush.

If that somehow seems to you that I'm being untruthful, then you are reading something into my comments, not intended by me.

As a Vietnam era vet myself, I remember well those years.

On balance, I believe Kerry comes out ahead of Bush's stateside Nat. Guard record, and therefore would advise steering clear of pissing matches with a guy who served in the line of fire.

I would advise Bush to direct his surrogates to avoid such efforts. It can only backfire, in my opinion.