[mass55th]

Knowing Kerry's arrogance, he probably demanded to see an MD and not a Corpsman. Letson says he was the Medical Officer. Does that mean he would have been a licensed physician? I'm not familiar with military medical personnel. Isn't it possible that Letson was the only one available to see Kerry the next morning?

[calcowgirl]

Public Records are amazing (I'm sure glad Al Gore invented the internet!)

Alabama Board of Medical Examiners Physician Search Results:

Licensee Name            LETSON , LOUIS ETHERIDGE, JR  
Status                   ACTIVE-RETIREMENT WAIVER  
Location                 SCOTTSBORO, AL  
Birthdate                05/09/1940 
License Number           00005455 
License Issue Date       09/01/1970 
Expire Date              12/31/2004 
*ACSC NO  
Public File:             NO  
Primary Specialty        FAMILY PRACTICE  
Medical School Name      UNIV OF AL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE TUSCALOOSA  
Medical School Location  TUSCALOOSA, AL  
Medical School Dates     9/62-5/66  

[redrock]

Can answer for Navy policy...but Medics were ALWAYS available (sort of a triage) in the Army when ANY unit returned to base...and had faced enemy fire.

To take care of any wounds such as Kerry's.

My guess is that the Navy had pretty much the same policy.

redrock

[Polybius]

Knowing Kerry's arrogance, he probably demanded to see an MD and not a Corpsman. Letson says he was the Medical Officer. Does that mean he would have been a licensed physician? I'm not familiar with military medical personnel. Isn't it possible that Letson was the only one available to see Kerry the next morning?

In the U.S. military, "medical officer" means an M.D. or a D.O. In other words, a "Doctor".

If you are in an area without combat casualties streaming in, there is nothing unusual about a medical officer seeing "minor" stuff.

For example, I was a medical officer and the OIC at the Fleet Sick Call Clinic at Guantanamo for one of my tours. During the mornings, we did active duty Sick Call and, after all acute active duty cases were seen, we then saw civilian contract workers, chronic cases, follow ups, etc.

While it is true that the medical officers would see the more serious problems first, after those were seen, we did not just sit around drinking coffee. We pitched in and helped our Corpsmen clear out the Clinic by seeing our fair share of "minor stuff" from the common cold to jock itch.

When officers came to Sick Call, they would usually be seen by a medical officer rather than a Corpsman just as a matter of rank courtesy.

One "minor stuff" case at Guantanamo was rather memorable. It was a Marine Pfc. with the medical complaint. "Personal problem. Wants to see medical officer".

This Marine's "problem" was that he could "do it" (his words) "only" four times a night on a good night.

Huh?

Well, it seems that he had just gotten himself his first "serious" girlfriend at GTMO and that gal had been told by her friends that a "real man" should have no problem performing five times a night. If her guy was only able to perform three or, at best, four times a night then he was obviously using up his other two times with some other girl.

".....and it's every night, Doc! Sometimes, I can get up to four but that's it. Never five. Sometimes, if I'm tired, I can only do it twice and then she's really upset. And I'm not cheating with another girl. Honest! That's not normal is it? I mean, you can do it five times a night, can't you, Sir?"

Yep. Sometimes "minor" cases were memorable. :-)