So were his men. Some have suggested that policy was not to blindly land, because that was the standing order, but to use judgement and withdraw to the range limit of the weapon. Is it true that Zumwalt wondered if he should award - or court-martial - Kerry, on that basis? It IS very important! as are the rest of those inconsistencies. They're chilling, in fact. Was that guy really loaded up, or empty? Was he disabled and wounded, or 'didn't miss a step'? Those are very serious questions - very serious!
his request to curtail his assignment after a little over four months in-country.
You mentioned the Globe, and I mentioned at the time, from the Globe, that they found that the 'three-and-out' was not necessarily automatic procedure. It had been represented as such, by the rest, when this hit a few months ago.
But was it uncommon for a tour to last just a few months? in Vietnam? Maybe what was uncommon was the rapidity at which he collected these medals? Again, I'm asking.
It may be serious and raise questions about his judgment, but Kerry's superiors awarded him medals for his actions and wrote up passable evaluation reports. Politically, it is just not a fruitful area of attack. Regardless of how reckless Kerry was, GWB was stateside in the Air National Guard. Bob Kerrey was accused of murdering civilians as a Seal. He received the MOH.
You mentioned the Globe, and I mentioned at the time, from the Globe, that they found that the 'three-and-out' was not necessarily automatic procedure. It had been represented as such, by the rest, when this hit a few months ago.
It was not automatic. The individual had to request to leave. As someone who served as a naval officer in Vietnam for a year, I was not aware of such a regulation nor were my colleagues. It must have been fairly obscure.
But was it uncommon for a tour to last just a few months? in Vietnam? Maybe what was uncommon was the rapidity at which he collected these medals? Again, I'm asking.
Unless you wounded severely or killed, the normal tour of duty for most was 12 months. For the Marines it was 13 months. The rapidity with which one collected medals is more of a function of place than time. If you see enough action, you can acquire medals quickly. Kerry, as a self-promoter may have helped the process along. Obviously, he had political ambitions and saw his service as a resume builder.