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.

[Pukin Dog]

No wonder he's stonewalling on releasing the medical records.

The rumors I heard is that the medical records will show how many times Kerry applied for medals over minor injuries where he was turned down. The other rumor is that Kerry may have been treated for a venereal disease he picked up while cheating on his first wife. I've heard that for the 3 PHs that he actually received, he applied for many more, for very minor injuries. We will probably never see those records. These are RUMORS. I have no proof and offer none. Just sharing what others have told me.

[cricket]

"What a wuss...."

nooooo; a 'wuss'is harmless; at worst a nuisance.

[O Neill]

Yes, the doctor THOUGHT it was a piece of metal. Really, it was an eggshell fragment that Lt. Kerry had painted with some gray deck paint I got for him from Supply...

[vaudine]

I. myself, find this troubling and am deeply saddened.

vaudine

[texasflower]

I applaud those veterans who are finally standing up and saying, "We aren't going to take the shovel of shit the liberal left has MADE us eat all these years.

I don't know how to put this exactly, but hopefully the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have made it possible for the Vietnam Vets to stand up, proud of their service, as well you should be.

The liberal media made it seem shameful to be a vietnam vet and now, our nation has been able to show pride in the service of ALL of our veterans.

Thank you for your service.

[BykrBayb]

Yick! No, he didn't do that much sewing. However, I was impressed with his ability to watch that part. I couldn't.

[rodguy911]

another post of the year

[BykrBayb]

"I cannot tell a lie." - George Washington

"I cannot get caught in a lie. - Jéan Queery

[cricket]

"We will probably never see those records. These are RUMORS. I have no proof and offer none. Just sharing what others have told me."

We won't see those records for sure; a given. . .he will not go there; because to do so; would in fact reveal the truth of John Kerry; that is to say; reveal what a total fake and fraud this man is.

I hope some 'freepin' signs will appear at the next protest, telling this synthetic excuse for a man; to just - "PUT A BANDAID ON IT!"

[Chapita]

Adm. Halsey wanted at least an inquiry into the PT-109 incident because he couldn't see how a small, highly manueverable boat could be cut in half by a Jap Destroyer, unless the crew was asleep. But, I think Adm Nimitz put the halt to the idea of screwing with the son of old Joe Kennedy.

JFK #1 was made a hero as required of WWII's Golden Boy.

[Polybius]

During the tet offensive, one of our hydraulic men tripped on a pallet while running to a bunker during a rocket attack. He broke his ankle and was awarded a PH because it happened during enemy action. I don't begrudge him it, he did NOT apply for it.

Actually, such a wound would qualify according to the Purple Heart fine print:

5) Examples of injuries or wounds which clearly do not qualify for award of the Purple Heart are as follows: .......h) Self-inflicted wounds, except when in the heat of battle, and not involving gross negligence.

"Except" is the key word there.

It was technically a "self inflicted" wound but he broke his ankle in the heat of an enemy attack in a manner "not involving gross negligence".

[rodguy911]

I applied for the purple heart "before" I shot at the rock.

[Doctor Raoul]

Major Jossarian For VP

[BykrBayb]

You owe me a keyboard.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" Such a minor wound I wouldn't doubt he did it to himself."

I don't doubt it,either.
Here is the size of the fragment and I am being generous in the dimensions :

1/2 inch by 1/8 inch , 1/4 inch beneath the skin

Most of us have gotten bigger splinters, working in the yard.

The doctor is correct. If the media would bother to read the books and articles about Kerry's derring doo doo in Vietnam-they would see that Kerry's version is always at odds, with his shipmates.

The shipmates who have gone on tv to vouch for all of Kerry's "injuries " in " battle "- have some explaining to do.

Lt Col Hibbard and Dr Letson both say that Kerry's ship did not take any fire.
At a minimum, it appears that Kerry received at least one Purple Heart,under false pretenses.

[pointsal]

Why are these folks with good memories living so long and writing these things? I just don't understand.

[onehipdad]

Ok,mine's on its way now...easiest way to get an address is to google "waffles" - still the #1 hit.

[BykrBayb]

Kerry's version is always at odds, with his shipmates previous version.

[VadeRetro]

The wound was covered with a bandaid.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Doesn't take much to treat a million-dollar wound anymore.

[onehipdad]

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.

It's the Kerry version of the Bimbo Eruption!