[Miss Marple]

1. No one is denigrating a true Purple Heart. However, Kerry goes around acting like he got three bullet wounds, which is what most of the general public thnks a Purple Heart signifies. It is significant if they were three "technical" medals and were really simply scratches.

2. His behavior prior to going to Viet Nam leads me to believe that he enlisted in the Navy because he thought it was safer than the Army. There is no doubt that until the swift boat mission was changed, he wasn't any where near combat.

3. Please remember that HE is the one who has chosen to bring this issue front and center.

4. His testimony before the Senate is the worst part of this whole episode. I do not believe it was done because he was demoralized. He FIRST attempted to run for Congress as a war hero. When that didn't work, he THEN became anti-war.

The guy is a phony. If you wish to disassociate yourself from people who are pointing this out, so be it. But no one is denigrating Viet Nam vets, nor Kerry's service. I certainly won't criticize shrapnel wounds. BUT, at least let the guy be honest and say that they WERE shrapnel wounds, rather than acting like he took bullets and kept on fighting.

[Destro]

Kerry had metal put into his body from the commies - I am sorry the metal did not go deep enough inside of Kerry's body to satisfy you. It satisfied the military authorities that awarded the medals. Bush also had metal put into his body while in service - he had 2 cavities filled.

[The Green Goblin]

But no one is denigrating Viet Nam vets, nor Kerry's service.

A quick perusal of merely the first page of this thread will quickly show you 50 such persons who are in fact doing just that.