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I read about the 4 mos. before, and wondered if he'd served more than the article spoke to or that he'd been shot and sent home early. Would like to know the full story about this highly decorated war ~~hero~~ protester.

Kerry apparently served a six month tour on a frigate (Gridley?) which was part of a carrier task force.

He came home and then went back. He volunteered for Swift boats, which were cruising the coast of Viet Nam - fairly safe. A couple of weeks after joining the Swifts, their mission was changed to patrolling the rivers and delta.

He spent about four months doing this, was slightly wounded three times, found out about a Navy custom of allowing any guy with three Purple Hearts to go home and get the assignment of his choice. Kerry applied and went home.

As I understand it from earlier articles, which may or may not know what they are talking about, Kerry won three Purple Hearts, one from an artillery fragment and the other two minor unspecified wounds. None of them kept him off his feet or put him out of action for more than a day.

But evidently the rule was that after you collected 3 purple hearts you had done your share and could be rotated out.

I, too, would like to know a lot more about the details behind these awards, the names of the commanders involved, whether political pressure was applied, and so forth.

The Silver Star award was also pretty ambiguous. Normally, the most someone of Kerry's rank would have gotten for very heroic conduct would be a bronze star, according to another article. And he won it for leaping off his boat, running behind a hut, and shooting a wounded man. What we don't know is if the wounded man was still dangerous, or if he was lying in a pool of blood, or maybe even already dead. I'd like to hear more about this one, too, from folks who were there.

No.

he had about 6 months off-shore sitting in air-conditioned "comfort" in a cruiser as a electrical officer. (USS GRidley.)

Then he returned to Long Beach CA (in May) and left the ship EARLY for school in Swift boats (NOT PBR's!) which were deployed off-coast like PT boats.

When he finished the boat school near San Francisco in November, he was in Vietnam in very early Dec. Saw action from Dec to mid-February and requested EARLY LEAVE from to go home to an admiral's aide position. Claimed that 3 wounds allowed him to leave.

His boss let him go, since he'd already been complaining about US policy in Vietnam in at least two meetings with Zumwalt (CNO) and General Abrams in the 2 months he's been in-country.

Then, after arriving home in Boston after only 3 months in Vietnam and 5 months of special training in boat school, he LEFT EARLY from active duty to go run for Congress.