Not so.
Cleland lost his limbs due to his own grenade. And it wasn't the first time a grenade had fallen off his flak jacket (his own words).
That isn't to take anything away from Cleland. His silver star shows him to be a real hero.
As a VietNam vet, I am apalled at the way Kerry has cheapened the purple heart for the real heros like Cleland.
I had a trooper try to get a purple heart for a stubbed toe during a ground attack. I informed him that he would be on the next patrol if he even thought about getting a purple heart. Told him that there were real people with real injuries getting the purple heart. He changed his mind about even going to the medics.