[angkor]

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."

[mabelkitty]

Wow.
My husband wasn't afforded such luxury - he managed to be there for a whole years without one instance of injury.

[7thson]

If it is true that he was in only for six months, then what Kennedy the Ted said yesterday seems to be BS - that Kerry was there for two tours. Doesn't mean two years?

[Feldwebel Schultz]

Please cite the naval regulations. As a navy veteran, albeit sans Purple Heart, I have never heard of this regulation. Certainly there were many recipients in the naval service (includes the Marine Corps) who received three and more PH's who continued in combat without running home early to begin a political career.