[Destro]

Kerry served only four months of a year-long tour of duty after he received three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action.

I already cought this article in a lie or half truth. Kerry served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam. The second one was for 4 months. This article makes it sound he served only one tour of duty for 4 months.

Why are we cheering articles that fudge the truth in this manner?

We will not win over anyone if we keep launching dumb bombs rather then smart munitions.

[Destro]

cynicom, Kerry served 2 tours as well. A full tour and four months into the next. This article is incorrect.

[StriperSniper]

a lie or half truth. Kerry served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam. The second one was for 4 months.

Good catch, I knew something didn't sound quite right.

That aside for a moment, there wouldn't be such confusions if Sen. Ketchup would just release his records like GWB did. ;-)

[FairOpinion]

So why doesn't Kerry just release his service records?

[OldFriend]

Kerry served four months in combat. The first tour was on a ship far from the action. He then chose the Swift boats and their mission changed, making his service on the boats more dangerous due to the change in mission.

He wrote up his own recommendations for medals and commendations and asked for early out on the three and you're out plan.

[altura]

That's the first time I heard of two tours of duty.

Is that right? for sure?

[Travis McGee]

The time spent safely out at sea on the destroyer does NOT count as "time in Viet Nam."

[Robert A Cook PE]

His "first tour" was four (or five - his records have never been released - by Kerry;s own orders!) OFFSHORE in the air-conditioned comfort of the USS GRIDLEY (CG-21) as electrical officer.

Kerry was there from Jan-May, with leave and rotations probably to the Philippines in the middle several times as his ship rotated around. Never under fire. Never saw combat.

Certainly not " a year duty" ...
Anyway.... After he got back to Long Beach in May, Kerry abandoned his shipmates to go to the Napa Valley (Mare Island) for 5 months of Swift boat training. Except he left his duty station in Vietnam after only 90 days of service to go play admiral's aid back home!

Further, we know he was protesting in meeting in Saigon in front of both Admiral Zumwalt and Gen. Abrams several times while country ... So we really can't tell how much time he spent fighting. Best estimates are some 18 days of real duty. (Bush, by the way, had more "hours" flight time than Kerry had actually in danger of enemy fire!)

So ... five months (offshore) plus 90 days (in country) isn't very impressive. Particularly since his boss apparently didn't see any problem shipping him home right in the middle of everybody else's war.

Did he simply want to get rid of Kerry? Seems so.

[cookcounty]

"I already cought this article in a lie or half truth. Kerry served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam. The second one was for 4 months. This article makes it sound he served only one tour of duty for 4 months. "

au contraire. If you will read Mr. Brinkley's (mostly favorable ) book about Kerry, you will see that his first "tour in Vietnam" consisted of roaming about the South China Sea in the USS Gridley. It was a tour of duty in Asian waters during the Vietnam conflict, but not a tour of duty IN Vietnam. There are those of us who served, but our service was not IN Viertnam. The custom is to refer to such individuals as "Vietnam-era vets." We were drafted , we served, but our tours were not IN Vietnam. Same for Kerry, he served 1 (one) short tour IN Vietnam, and another tour that was NOT IN Vietnam.

[cookcounty]

"I already cought this article in a lie or half truth. Kerry served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam. The second one was for 4 months. This article makes it sound he served only one tour of duty for 4 months. "

au contraire. If you will read Mr. Brinkley's (mostly favorable ) book about Kerry, you will see that his first "tour in Vietnam" consisted of roaming about the South China Sea in the USS Gridley. It was a tour of duty in Asian waters during the Vietnam conflict, but not a tour of duty IN Vietnam.

There are those of us who served, but our service was not IN Viertnam. The custom is to refer to such individuals as "Vietnam-era vets." We were drafted , we served, but our tours were not IN Vietnam. Same for Kerry, he served 1 (one) short tour IN Vietnam, and another tour that was NOT IN Vietnam.

Pardon me for the re-post.

[Ingtar]

Actually, four months in Vietnam. The first tour was in a Guided Missile Frigate out with the carriers. It would have taken quite a good rubber boat for the Cong to reach his ship.