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I can't comment on Kerry's receipt of 3 Purple Hearts within a 3-month period, but I understand that his wounds were not serious at all. While I'm only speculating, it wouldn't be anything new for a soldier to finagle an injury in order to be shipped home or discharged. During the Civil War, soldiers would deliberately shoot or chop off their thumbs in order to be discharged. Since they needed their thumb to load and cock their weapon, they were rendered literally useless as a soldier by this action.

Regarding your father's wounds during WWII, I would say that he is more than entitled to the Purple Heart and you should check into it, even if he is no longer alive. I'd start with trying to get a copy of his DD214 if you don't already have it and a copy of his military record from the St. Louis, Mo. military personnel department. Many records were destroyed in a fire in the '60's, so it may be impossible for you to get a copy from them, but you can also try to see if the State Archives may have a copy, and you can always write your Congressman or Senator (Kennedy or Kerry). Having your Congress critter write for you forces the agency written to reply within a specific period of time. I've even used them (I live in New York State) to procure Civil War pension records that are still in the possession of the VA.

When there are Civil War vets still receiving Medals of Honor for bravery, there isn't any reason why your father shouldn't receive the honor of the Purple Heart that appears to be due him. It may take years, but I believe it's a worthy pursuit and something your children and/or grandchildren will be proud to have as a legacy. If you need any web links or addresses, I can probably help you out. Drop me a Freeper email if you want info.

From "Duty -- and ambition"
Boston Globe, 1/18/2004

"As the skipper of a small Navy "swift boat" that typically carried five or six sailors, Kerry went beyond the usual orders that called for flushing out the enemy. He would often order the boat to charge the shore, and at one point he chased down and killed a Viet Cong who had pointed a weapon at the craft. But after six months of dangerous duty on the waterways of South Vietnam, Kerry decided it was time to leave. He had received a Silver Star and a Bronze Star, as well as three Purple Hearts, all for relatively minor wounds, only one of which kept him out of action for a day or two. Naval regulations enabled someone with three Purple Hearts to leave early, and Kerry decided he had seen enough."

To Conservomax: The Purple Heart is supposed to be awarded almost automatically based upon (unfortunately,) the death of a service member as a result of combat or based upon hospital/infirmary records for treatment of such injuries. Today the process is fairly foolproof because our recordkeeping systems are much better than they were in World War II. Many World War II veterans entitled to receive the Purple Heart did not receive it because they recouperated and rejoined their units before the records were created. Even if you cannot obtain a copy of your father's discharge papers (It wasn't a DD Form 214 back in the 1940s because the DoD hadn't been created yet!), if you know your father's unit, it is possible to prove he should have been awarded the Purple Heart based upon hospital records. The Army's history office should be able to align World War II operational units to field hospitals. If you know the following information (a) your father's unit, (b) the battle in which he was wounded, (c) roughly where he was wounded, and (d) approximately when he was wounded, the record of his eligibility probably exists in the hospital records.

As a note for all: In World War II soldiers received rotation points for being in a battle, being on a specific mission, being decorated, etc. Many soldiers talked about amassing enough points to rotate back home, but -- and this may be why my father's generation is The Greatest Generation -- many amassed those points (and receiving 3 Purple Hearts for minor wounds would NOT have been enough to get rotated out) -- but remained with their units. I was stunned to learn that my father had enough points from his service in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy to be rotated back home but he stayed with his unit until it returned to Fort Devens, Massachusetts.