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.

[Rifleman]

Mortar? On a boat? Could the doc mean an M-79 or something like it?

I dunno, that is why I am asking. Any vets with brown water experience who can comment on this?

[jonsie]

It is scary that we are in an America where 1/2 of the people expect a handout.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

See my post 95

Forgot to mention he fired M79 in a pile of trash dumped by cooks.

[Lady Jag]

He has been there and done that ... to himself

[Happy2BMe]

No brown water here - sorry.

Sounds like Kerry was bored and wasting ammo for kicks to me - then got hurt through stupidity and followed it up with his first Purple Heart.

Good planning on his part - didn't miss a beat.

[BlessedByLiberty]

Just dropping in for five mins and want to say YOU MADE MY DAY!!! Thank you!

Another thought occurred to me - are these men coming forward now because the opportunity is ripe to let the world know that Johnboy Kerry endangered their lives? I think this trickle will become a gusher as more veterans feel encouraged to vent their wrath at the man who slandered them while they still served.

May John Forbes Kerry never live down what he did to harm those once serving veterans. May he never get the power to harm another one.

Again, thank you. Check back later.

[Mudboy Slim]

"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."

Has this JOKER ever told the Truth in his life?! He's as bad as SlickWillie...MUD

[Ciexyz]

Somehow I imagine John Kerry as a young officer reading bios of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great and pontificating, My destiny lies before me, I'm not destined to die in Nam like these other stupid bast@@@s.

[Dr. Frank fan]

Most likely, we can rule out as a good candidate for the Presidency anyone who plans on becoming President in his preteens. Certainly, those who brag about it should be eliminated immediately. Clinton and Kerry certainly fit the mold.

Agree 100%. Republican or Democrat, there is just something very creepy about a teenage kid plotting and dreaming to become President, and tailoring his actions and behavior with the view to how it will affect his Presidential campaign. Makes me gag.

[oldironsides]

I worked in Vietnam with patients for over a year. I doubt very seriously if this MD remembers that "Kerry" case at all.
That type of simple wound would have been handled by a corpsmen. They were the best ones to treat minor wounds and cuts. No MD took the time to handle little stuff. I want to see the paperwork..............I had a man call my office a while back. He knew me but I could not rmember him. He remembered my rank and exactly what I looked like back then and he needed me to verify his time at our hospital.
I told him I honest to God could not bring up a memory because we had so many. I felt terrible about it and I am positive he was there and he was wounded. He wanted me to sign a letter for some veterans compensation. I still feel bad about it. I still do not know how he found me. I doubt this MD fellow could remember a little wound like that on John Kerry. I think he is lying.

[Mr. Silverback]

Bump!

[TomServo]

Thanks for the ping, Howlin'. Been laughing my ass off at this one.

Judging by Kerry's constant BS'ing - I'm sure he's hung like a pimple on a gnats ass.

[Lady Jag]

You forgot Napoleon, another big (haha) Kerry hero.

[Integrityrocks]

See my post #140

[Grampa Dave]

+

+

=EARLY OUT AND PATHWAY TO BE A US SENATOR!

[BykrBayb]

I do find it implausible however that the Doctor would ever remember such an incident 35 years later.

I'd find it implausible if he forgot something like that. I keep remembering my husband sewing up his own finger, after he cut it working on one of our vehicles. It required 4 stitches to close the wound. He received worse wounds than that while in Army, but never got a Purple Heart. While he despises Kerry almost as much as I do, he's been defending Kerry's Purple Hearts. He said it doesn't matter how minor the wounds, if he received the Purple Hearts, then he earned them, EOD (end of discussion.) I can't wait to show him this!

[what's up]

I heard that Kerry put in for another purple heart when he fell off his bike the other day.

Is this true?

[texasflower]

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.

What an insufferable ego this jerk has.

[Triple Word Score]

He got a Purple Heart for a RICOCHET of his own mortar? Picked out with tweezers?

UNBELIEVABLE...unless you're "Do you know who I am" Kerry.

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KT is on a well-deserved beach break. Can you believe it? She has three cameras with her....

[semaj]

Gonna get you Sucka!