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Kerry's statements on his first injury contradict each other:

Kerry to Tim Russert:

"The medical records show that I had shrapnel removed from my arm," he claimed. "We were in combat. We were in a very, very - probably one of the most frightening - if you ask anybody who was with me, the two guys who were with me, was probably the most frightening night that they had that they were in Vietnam."

Kerry's own description in Douglas Brinkley's "Tour of Duty":

The Dec. 2, 1968, mission behind what he has claimed to be his first Purple Heart was "a half-assed action that hardly qualified as combat." Indeed. Kerry was stationed with Coastal Division 14 at Cam Ranh Bay. At that time he piloted a small foam-filled boat, known as a Boston Whaler, with two enlisted men in the darkness of early morning. The intent, apparently, was to patrol an area that was known for contraband trafficking, but it was an undocumented mission. Upon approaching the objective point, the crew noticed a sampan crossing the river. As it pulled to shore, Kerry and his little team opened fire, destroying the boat and whatever its cargo might have been.

There's never been a report that the smugglers fired on Kerry's group, yet he pursued (relentlessly) a Purple Heart for what was obviously a non-combat incident.

" Kerry's statements on his first injury contradict each other"

In addition :

Boston Globe, 4/14/04 "Kerry Faces Questions Over Purple Heart : "

"People in the office were saying ' I don't think we got any fire ' and there is a guy holding a little piece of shrapnel in his palm."
"Hibbard said he couldn't be certain whether Kerry actually came under fire .. and that's why he continued to question him."
Kerry showed up in Lt Col Hibbard's office holding a teeny piece of his shrapnel in his palm and demanding a PH.
How sick is that ?

Two men serving alongside Kerry were Willaim Zaladonis and Patrick Runyon.
Neither one remembered Kerry being injured.
Which is typical of all of Kerry's war exploits-no one, absolutely no one,ever recalls the same details that Kerry does.

It looks like,at a minimum, Kerry faked his first PH.
Kerry should have faced a Naval Board of Inquiry.
I wonder if the Navy will have the stones to relook at Kerry's PH and medals.
They owe it to every Salty to do so.

You know, that Douglas Brinkley book is fairly recent, last year or so. Anyhow, it wasn't that long ago when he told that version of the story to Brinkley. He was already running for the nomination at the time, that was the reason for doing the book. Now, he tells a very dramatic version of the same incident to Russert. Does he think people aren't listening ?