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He volunteered for Swift boats, which were cruising the coast of Viet Nam - fairly safe......jackbill

Um those boats were some of the most dangerouns assignments in 'nam. You were a sitting duck, open target, going up and down rivers full of snipers. Saying that his assignment was safe is re-writing history.....Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh

Jackbill is not re-writing history. He said that Kerry volunteered for a safe assignment and that is exactly what Kerry volunteered for........or so he thought.

It would have been very courageous if Kery had know that swift boats were going to be used to patrol the rivers. However, that mission mission did not come about until after Kerry transferred to swift boats.

Zumwalt changed the mission of the swift boats after Kerry volunteered for them.

What did Kerry expect?

In his own word:

Boston Globe, 6/16/2003: ........"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.

Ooops.

So, now what? Well, Kerry needed a way to get out of combat as soon as possible. He racked up three Purple Hearts for injuries that cost him a combined grand total of two days in Sick Bay then used the "three Purple Hearts" excuse to ask for and get granted an early termination of his combat tour after serving only four months.

Boston Globe, 6/16/2003: .........Along with Kerry's unquestionable and repeated bravery, he also took an action that has received far less notice: He requested and was granted a transfer out of Vietnam six months before his combat tour was slated to end on the grounds that he had earned three Purple Hearts. None of his wounds was disabling; he said one cost him two days of service and the other two did not lead to any absence. .........The bottom line is that Kerry could have remained but he chose to seek an early transfer.

There is no doubt that Kerry served in combat. However, he did not willingly volunteer for combat and, once in combat, Kerry sea-lawyered himself out of combat as fast as he could for minimal injuries.

However, he did not willingly volunteer for combat

You're going to hold that against him? SGT York didn't want to go either, and coincidentally he also spent only about four months in harm's way.

There is no doubt that Kerry served in combat. However, he did not willingly volunteer for combat and, once in combat, Kerry sea-lawyered himself out of combat as fast as he could for minimal injuries

You've drawn the pertinent facts together very well.