As I recall the nitwit was playing with a live hand grenade with the pin pulled and the dummy dropped it. The nitwit and the dummy being the same person, Max Cleland.
No way that makes him a hero, war or not. It just makes him a did-not-place in the Darwin Awards for that year.
"If I recall correctly, didn't Cleland blow off his own limbs?"
No. One of his troops did - it was a friendly fire incident. They were all exiting a chopper and Cleland noticed a live grenade had fallen to the ground from off one of his troops gear. He reached down to pick it up (the pin had come out) and BOOM.
Very sad story, but hardly heroic or patriotic.