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.

[Hon]

"I don't appreciate however how Kerry believes his war experience and subsequent anti-war experience make him bulletproof against criticism."

I don't either. And as I've mentioned, LBJ had a Silver Star. Heck, Timothy McVeigh had numerous decorations--including a Bronze Star with a V for valor.

I will once again note that NOBODY in recent memory has played up their war record like Kerry has. Not even JFK (the first). He hardly mentioned it. It was only after he was elected that most people even heard about it--thanks to the movie "PT-109."

How much did we hear about GWH Bush's war record in WWII? Or Bob Dole's? Hardly a peep. And certainly they never brought it up. But that is all Kerry can talk about.

[wtc911]

Are you denigrating every serviceman who earned one of those "buckets of PHs" or just Kerry who got three by saying that they are heroic in my eyes only?

Don't bother to answer, I've had enough spin for today. or go ahead if you can't help yourself.

[norton]

"He served honorably and was decorated. Not like he worked for Army Times, was a sometimes National Guard Pilot or "had other priorities during Vietnam."

You are two for four.

Agree that Kerry should not be beat up for knowing the rules and using them, or for bitching about policies (we all did that, part age, part justified, and part 'just because'). Kerry is a jerk, Max Cleland is a jerk, Al Gore is a jerk, Mc Cain is more than a jerk; Vietnam is neither cause nor excuse nor pertinent.

However, "worked for Army Times" and "National Guard Pilot" are off-base. Most of us were NOT chin deep in paddy water and most of us did NOT get home on a three PH rotation!
You go over and do what you are assigned to do. Or, you find an honorable way to stay home and do what you are assigned to do.
(Note here that Guard and Reserve units have been chewed up in more than one US fought war; it's a gamble unless you decide to go all conch AFTER getting rotation papers.)

Your second accurate statement is the "other things"...especially true thirty years later when some bozo sets down his beer and tells you he'd really liked to have served but had to stay home with the (instant or very quickly organized) family.

PS: Might want to reconsider citing "Platoon" as a valid starting point for debate.

[RightWingMama]

That ALWAYS kills me. Everybody wants to blame Nixon for the Vietnam war when he's the one who GOT US OUT OF THERE. It was Kennedy's administration, DEMOCRAT, I might add who got us involved there!

Irritating, isn't it. Not to mention, that SOB LBJ kept us there.

[Robert A Cook PE]

I'm denigrating the ONE serviceman who is USING his Purple Heart to get elected by CONNING the world into believing only HE served in Vietnam - after spending years fighting the military as an immoral, socialist liberal with only the UN's agenda at heart.

While repeating (and encouraging) lies about another military flight officer serving at the same time.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

The bottom line is that he got three Purple Hearts, the Silver Star and a Bronze Star.

Yes. And the line below that is that Eisenhower sent Vice President Nixon to Asia, including Vietnam--and that on his return to the cabinet meetings, Nixon opposed U.S. involvement in Vietnam. But the Kennedy-Johnson Adminstrations transformed Vietnam from a side show to a huge US commitment. And in commiting 500,000 servicemen to merely playing for a draw, made it a FUBAR huge US commitment.

And the line below that is that Kerry was too much of a Democrat to accept the fact that his party, not the military or the Republican Party, was the root cause of the resulting catastrophe.

Subsequently Ronald Reagan

1. "got the country going again,"
2. "whipped inflation,"
3. "ended the energy crisis," and
4. "transcended Communism."

And he overcame the opposition of people like Senator Kerry to do it.

[BonnieJ]

My husband, a Marine in Vietnam in 1969, was wounded with sharpnel and spent 2 months aboard a hospital ship and then returned to duty. He considered his wounds minor and compared to most they were. So...what do we consider Kerry's wounds to be, back in service within moments of the injuries? Probably similar to the kinds of wounds we get working around our homes and yards and certainly very much glorified, and a disgrace because so many lost limbs and so very much more and received the very same medal.

[cksharks]

I dont care if he received ten purple hearts he is still one scummy piece of shit.Since he calls for a military investigation for Bush I would be asking how many Servicemens deaths happened after he and his superhero the bitch fonda collabrated to support the vc.By them doing this the vc left the truce talks so it could be said that he could be held accountable for some of the deaths after the walkout.After the war the vc and rvn said that one of the reasons the stayed so long was because of the discontent.Alas kerry could be tried for possible murder.JMO!

[kidd]

Find something real to go after him with, not this. It smacks of desperation politics. I'm sure you can do better.

I'm in agreement.

I would also like to point out that the attempts by the democrats to smear Bush with his record of service is an example of desperation politics. Tit-for-tat on Kerry is only warrented to the point that it disarms the democrat attack on Bush's record of service.

[Hon]

BTW, you might not be aware that Kerry campaigner (and war hero) Max Cleland has attacked Bush for his lack of military service. Cleland says Bush is a chicken hawk, just like Lyndon Baines Johnson:

http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/100203A.shtml

As I've ntoed, Johnson won a Silver Star in WWII. But according to the Kerry camp, some Silver Medal holders are more equal than others it would appear.

[wtc911]

Thanks. Let's be clear for the forum; There is nothing that I find attractive about Kerry as a person or a candidate. His record is replete with left leaning, self-aggrandizing and/or contradictory votes, statements, actions. There is more than enough genuinely despicable history in his resume. His being wounded but not killed three times does not fit that category and it's damned silly to try to hammer it in.

[wtc911]

Agreed in full. Let's just go after him on his post VN record. The rest is a non-starter that makes us look like whining children.

[OldFriend]

Bless you for your service! There are not enough thanks for your service.

[genefromjersey]

I'd say,offhand,the "twisting" was done by someone partial to Clark (most likely) or Dean :the object being to detract from Kerry's chances.

I don't care for Kerry-or Clark-or Dean,but I hate this kind of poison.

If the man had the good sense to be scared,and was able by the rules to do something about it, so be it !

(Of course,the lowly grunts did not have such an option...)

[wtc911]

Fine, agreed, go after him for all of that. But, taking shots at the irrefutable fact that he earned three PHs, didn't win them at poker or find them in the street, earned them, is a non-starter.

[HenryLeeII]

Agreed! There is another thread ("Fact: KERRY is the deserter!") that has a truncated version of this article, so I had to add my two cents with the same sentiment as we've exchanged here.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

I agree! This is a dead end. OK, he was a reluctant hero. He didn't like being there but he was there not in Canada and not in Great Britain. Believe me, in 1969 I was glad to be in Germany because Nixon was elected because he had a plan to honorably end the war that the RATs started but had no stomach to fight.

What people should be focusing on is Kerry's leadership role Winter Soldier Trials, his testimony before Congress representing the "Vietnam Vetrans Against the War" and the his signature the Dear Commandante letter.

[Hon]

You are a broken record. I checked your posts and I don't see you going after Kerry in any fashion.

If some people find this of interest, let them. It's not like Kerry hasn't questioned W's record. And it's not like (as you suggest) getting a Silver Star or PH means you necessarily earned it.

LBJ’s Silver Star: The Mission That Never Was
By Barrett Tillman and Henry Sakaida

Lieutenant Commander Lyndon B. Johnson, a Texas congressman temporarily serving in the U.S. Navy, received his nation’s third-highest combat decoration while on a 1942 fact-finding mission. The future president was so proud of his award that he wore the silver lapel pin for the rest of his life.

The Silver Star citation, issued by General Douglas MacArthur’s chief of staff, says in part: "While on a mission of obtaining information in the Southwest Pacific Area, Lieutenant Commander Johnson, in order to obtain personal knowledge of combat conditions, volunteered as an observer on a hazardous aerial combat mission over hostile positions in New Guinea. As our planes neared the target area, they were intercepted by eight hostile fighters. When, at this time the plane in which Lieutenant Commander Johnson was an observer developed mechanical trouble and was forced to turn back alone, presenting a favorable target to the enemy fighters, he evidenced coolness in spite of the hazard involved. His gallant action enabled him to obtain and return with valuable information."1

LBJ biographer Robert Caro’s newest volume, Means of Ascent, takes umbrage at Johnson’s receiving the nation’s third-highest combat medal for what amounted to taking an airplane ride and spending :a few minutes under fire." But it never happened. The fact is LBJ never got within sight of Japanese forces. His mission, like so much of his life, was a lie.

http://www.b-26marauderarchive.org/MS/MS1709/MS1709.htm

Again, if Kerry and his lackeys can question W's service record, turnabout is fair play.

[Hon]

"What people should be focusing on is Kerry's leadership role Winter Soldier Trials, his testimony before Congress representing the "Vietnam Vetrans Against the War" and the his signature the Dear Commandante letter."

Gee, thanks for your advice. BTW, I've posted numerous threads on those subjects.