The info below is from Hon and Robert A Cook P.E.
1966
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Graduates from Yale.
February 18: Kerry enlists in the US Navy.
October 19: Kerry is ordered into active duty.
December 16: Kerry receives his Navy commission, a few days after his 23rd birthday.
1967
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Kerry spends the year in military training.
December: Kerry begins his first tour of duty, serving on the guided-missile frigate USS Gridley.
1968
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February: With Kerry aboard, the Gridley sails into war to patrol the coast of Vietnam. He never came into contact with the enemy during this time.
June 6: Kerry's first tour ends as the Gridley returns home.
December: Begins second tour of duty as the skipper of swift boat No. 44, patrolling the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam.
1969
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February 28: Kerry shoots and kills a Viet Cong guerilla who was threatening the lives of Kerry's crew. He received the Silver Star for his action.
April: Kerry ends his second and final tour in Vietnam.
1970
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January 3: Discharged from the Navy.
February: Kerry gives up on his first bid for office as a protest candidate in the race for the Third Congressional district.
http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/timeline.htm Kerry's tours in VN were quite short by normal standards. His first was three months. His second three and a half months.
To abort his first tour, he volunteered for Swift boat duty: A good position at the time, because the Swift boats would give him a "command-tour" (promotion bait!) and they were serving way off-shore. After he got Swift boat duty (2nd tour) the boats were in the middle of real tough duty riverine duty.
This was the period he began complaining vigorously in meeting with Zumwalt and Abrams, and others above his chain of command, about US policy.
When he got the three minor wounds (none of which even required a day off!), and petitioned his commander to go home based on the three wounds, his CO was happy to get rid of him by approving the the US admiral's aide assignment back in Mass.
Kerry's Silver Star was for shooting a wounded VC in the back as the VC was running away from the boat during a fire fight. Few other details are released.
As far as Edwards shrinking hair goes, maybe he's afraid of getting into a contest of big hair styles with Kerry.