Kerry Purple Heart Doc Speaks Out

National Review Online ^ | May 04, 2004 | Byron York

[rwfok]

Some critics of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry have questioned the circumstances surrounding the first of three Purple Hearts Kerry won in Vietnam. Those critics, among them some of Kerry's fellow veterans, have suggested that a wound suffered by Kerry in December 1968 may have made him technically eligible for a Purple Heart but was not severe enough to warrant serious consideration, even for a decoration that was handed out by the thousands. Whatever the case, Kerry was awarded the Purple Heart, and, along with two others he won later, it allowed him to request to leave Vietnam before his tour of duty was finished.

Kerry was treated for the wound at a medical facility in Cam Ranh Bay. The doctor who treated Kerry, Louis Letson, is today a retired general practitioner in Alabama. Letson says he remembers his brief encounter with Kerry 35 years ago because "some of his crewmen related that Lt. Kerry had told them that he would be the next JFK from Massachusetts." Letson says that last year, as the Democratic campaign began to heat up, he told friends that he remembered treating one of the candidates many years ago. In response to their questions, Letson says, he wrote down his recollections of the time. (Letson says he has had no contacts with anyone from the Bush campaign or the Republican party.) What follows is Letson's memory, as he wrote it.

I have a very clear memory of an incident which occurred while I was the Medical Officer at Naval Support Facility, Cam Ranh Bay. John Kerry was a (jg), the OinC or skipper of a Swift boat, newly arrived in Vietnam. On the night of December 2, he was on patrol north of Cam Ranh, up near Nha Trang area. The next day he came to sick bay, the medical facility, for treatment of a wound that had occurred that night.

The story he told was different from what his crewmen had to say about that night. According to Kerry, they had been engaged in a fire fight, receiving small arms fire from on shore. He said that his injury resulted from this enemy action.

Some of his crew confided that they did not receive any fire from shore, but that Kerry had fired a mortar round at close range to some rocks on shore. The crewman thought that the injury was caused by a fragment ricocheting from that mortar round when it struck the rocks.

That seemed to fit the injury which I treated.

What I saw was a small piece of metal sticking very superficially in the skin of Kerry's arm. The metal fragment measured about 1 cm. in length and was about 2 or 3 mm in diameter. It certainly did not look like a round from a rifle.

I simply removed the piece of metal by lifting it out of the skin with forceps. I doubt that it penetrated more than 3 or 4 mm. It did not require probing to find it, did not require any anesthesia to remove it, and did not require any sutures to close the wound.

The wound was covered with a bandaid.

Not [sic] other injuries were reported and I do not recall that there was any reported damage to the boat.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Some of his crew confided that they did not receive any fire from shore, but that Kerry had fired a mortar round at close range to some rocks on shore. The crewman thought that the injury was caused by a fragment ricocheting from that mortar round when it struck the rocks. That seemed to fit the injury which I treated.

"You'll shoot your eye out"

[Leisler]

I doubt diddly, Kerry knew anything about operating a mortar. As an aside, I treated as a field medic a guy who at the M-79/203 range put a hole in his thigh with his M203. There were knee walls set up and he put the barrel of the rifle on top of the knee wall, and thus the grenade launcher tube was below the top of the wall. He pulled the trigger. I guess the round left the barrel, went a inch or two and then bounce back and went off behind him.

I also had a Capitan, who was showing some guys who's army job was to live forever in a van listening to radios how a .45 works. He showed that if someone pulls a .45 on you, you can punch the barrel, pushing the top slide back and the weapon won't go off. It did and blew a hole in his hand. He was a winner.

[kabar]

No tetnaus shot noted either.

[JusPasenThru]

Can't say I feel sorry for Efn al'Qerry, but was this an ethics violation for the doc to release this infomration? The Hippocratic oath is supposed to hold us to patient confidentiality, even if he is a scumbag.

[nutmeg]

Band-Aid Brothers!

PERFECT!

"Band-Aid Brothers"... priceless! ;-)

[oldfashionedvalues]

I'm not sure I agree with polls. From what I understand, most calls are during the day when most conservatives are working or weekend when we are out doing things. I sort of think that we are tied among the people that are home during the day.
This is only my opinion of course. A vast majority of those I come in contact with are from most walks of life and are very supportive of our President. ofv

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Your momma!

My momma is so big she wouldn't fit in...no, wait a second.

Your momma is so big she....no, wait a second.

Aw, fergit it.

[small voice in the wilderness]

Thanks! He really is just a total loss.

[scott7278]

It's O.K., Johnny -- I'll give you a purple hug!

 

But only if you admit that my costume has undergone more abuse than you have.

[Ann Archy]

Doug Brinkley is an Historian (cough) who wrote Kerry's biography without any slant.. ....cough....cough.

[aculeus]

Why don't we start a campaign to send Kerry a Band-Aid?



Just put one in and envelope and mail it.




If he got a few thousand it might make Fox News.

[seams2me]

I've hurt myself much worse than that, shaving my legs when I'm not quite fully awake in the shower in the morning.

[arasina]

Letson says he remembers his brief encounter with Kerry 35 years ago because "some of his crewmen related that Lt. Kerry had told them that he would be the next JFK from Massachusetts."

ROFL! All of our suspicions confirmed. He didn't really get his wish, though, because he's J F'n K from Massachusetts via France.

[Chieftain]

Sickbay commando!!

[colorado tanker]

Can you even begin to imagine how the alphebet media would be all over this if the story was about BUSH fradulently obtaining a PURPLE HEART? The Outrage wouldn't stop for years!!!

I know. They're still trying to resurrect the National Guard nonstory.

[arasina]

They're Sgt. Kerry's Lonely Purple Hearts Band of Brothers.

[Robert_Paulson2]

kerry=pussie

I get hurt worse on minor off road bike rides.
pathetic coward, who angled for a way out.

he not only committed atrocities.
he IS one.

[Ann Archy]

Today is NOT Kerry's day. And I'm enjoying the heck out of it.

SCHADENFREUDE.....wow, one answer for two threads.

[MN_Mike]

Two things of interest:

1. Kerry started working the Purple Heart angle the day he set foot in 'Nam, and

2. Kerry may be forced to change his vanity plates from "Purple Heart 3" to "Purple Heart 2" --

[mylife]

BWahaaahaaa