The issue, I think, is not that Kerry is not entitled to the campaign ribbon decorations ( in my post above I suggest that Naval personnel may have qualified along with Army ground forces if stationed on a river) but rather the issue is "why" did Kerry file to amend his DD214?
Perhaps those of us entitled to such campaign ribbon decorations should all file amendments to our DD214s in order to guage what the response of the military would be. Are there any FR Vets who have DD214s which list campaign ribbon decoration information?
One might be very curious to know just what process was carried out to verify Kerry's amended DD214. Were the assignments of the ship on which Kerry served in the Tonkin Gulf verified through official records? Were specific Naval personnel entitled to inclusion in an Army campaign? Or did the military just take Kerry's word for what should appear on his DD214?
How can Kerry complain about the cost of government if he has single-handedly added to military expenses through these various processes? Was he charged a fee for these things? Perhaps he was. Was that money better spent than on Kerry's various liberal causes?