Really?
Well, I'm still picking shrapnel out of my ass from a Chicom grenade, but I didn't get a PH.
Neither did I get a PH for the splinters from a richocheted AK round that went through my elbow.
Nor did I get get a PH for the cut on my ankle from the punji I stepped on.
Nor did I get a PH for the paper cut I got from the witness statement I was forced to sign for the citation for a POS LT that was put in for a Silver Star.
I did get a CIB, though.
And I got it during a period of time when the requirement for award of it was that one had to be in actual ground combat with the enemy for at least 90 days.
All the other crap is crap. Fruit salad. Saigon Commando decorations.
For the largest part of my career, the only decorations I wore on my uniform was my CIB and my Expert Rifle and Pistol badges.
Those who earned their PH's know that they earned them. And nothing can cheapen that for them, even though Kerry's constant bleating about his cheapens his own.
I once had a soldier appear before me with an Army Commendation Medal with a "V" device. Practically unheard of. But I assure you, that soldier was prouder of that than the Yalies, the ring-knockers and the Joe College ticket-punchers can ever be with their faux Silver Stars.
And reading the citation for his award brought tears to my eyes. That soldier should have been awarded a SS on the spot. Instead, he got an ARCOM with a "V", while the POS O-3 (That wasn't even on the ground, but was directing from the air) got a SS. The O-3 should have gotten a kick in the ass for getting his unit into the stupid situatiuon that he did.
There was absolutely no fairness or consistency in the award of medals and decorations during VN. I personally know of persons that got awards for totally screwing up an operation, but, by God, their "heart" was in the right place, after all.
And the process was cheapened more after cessation of hostilities. I know of a Soldiers Medal awarded to a soldier that went into an overflowing low-water crossing and rescued a yapping cheewawa.
Yeah, he risked his life, but for a cheewawa? The cheewawa was ugly as hell, but the Soldiers Medal recipient was photogenic and made some damn good copy, particularly during a time of poor retention and low morale, brought about by the Carter ding-a-lings. I had MP's that were refused letters of commendation for entering burning buildings and bringing out babies, for entering hostage situations and inserting themselves between the perp and the hostages. Hell, we all should of gotten Bronze Stars, just for being able to function effectively with the crap equipment they were giving us during those times.
Kerry dishonors all those that ever legitimately received any award, from the PH, to the ARCOM, to the MOH. He did so by his posturing, his faked throwing of "his" medals over the White House fence, and his constant, never-ending, day after day, repeated mantra about his VN Veteran status.
Fer cryin' out loud, there are many, many VN Vets around. Big deal. It was a job. We got paid for it. We did our job for the most part.
And we came home and did our jobs and lived our lives. We didn't sit around and whine about the "unfairness" of it all. We didn't appear before congressional committees and testify untruthfully to "atrocities" and we didn't label our fellow comrades-in-arms as "baby-killers", warmongers, etc. Nor did we sympathize with a quasi-commie bunch of rabble-rousing pieces of crap that had nothing better to do but back-stab every good and honorable man they served with.
To hell with Kerry. He can take his SS and his PH and stick them all up his..., whatever. He doesn't impress me one damn bit, because the only reason he does anything or says anything is for a vote.
And that is despicable.
And at the other end of the spectrum is a POS like Wesley Clark.
But that's a whole 'nother rant.
A friend of mine, a 25th ID vet told me about an op he was on near Cambodia border. Said his group got into a real hot fire fight and was burning the ammo furiously. The M-60 gunner's piece got hot enough that he had to switch barrels, and naturally just dumped the hot one. About that time, a 1lt saw the barrel on the ground, started to bitch the M-60 guy out, and picked up the barrel. The 1lt got a heart for the resulting burned hand, and the gunner was offered non-judicial for dropping the barrel!