He was indeed a vet.
From wikipedia:
Kennedy enlisted in the United States Army in June 1951.[9] Following basic training at Fort Dix, he requested assignment to Fort Holabird for Army Intelligence training, but was dropped after a few weeks without explanation.[9] He went to Camp Gordon for training in the Military Police Corps.[9] In June 1952, he was assigned to the honor guard at SHAPE headquarters in Paris.[4][9] His father’s political connections ensured he was not deployed to the ongoing Korean War.[4][10] While stationed in Europe he travelled extensively on weekends and climbed the Matterhorn.[11] He was discharged in March 1953 as a private first class.[9][11]
Unfortunately it’s not his service that got him into Arlington but the fact that he was a congressman.
RE:
“While stationed in Europe he traveled extensively on weekends and climbed the Matterhorn.”
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Given his collegiate study habits, might we wonder if he paid somebody to CARRY him up the Matterhorn?
I wonder how many Sherpas it took to pack the booze up?
(Tch-tch.. here I go being ‘juvenile’ again...)