[TonyM]

Does anyone know how many months Kerry was in Vietnam? I know he grabbed the brass ring when received a third Purple Heart but I though I heard it said he was only there like 4 months. In my job I review service medical records all day long on veterans, many of whom are Vietnam veterans. I have yet to see anyone with 3 Purple Hearts, including front line infantry with 2 full year long tours in country. I sure hope he releases his records so we can at least know how bad the injuries were so we can make up our own minds just how big a hero he really is.

[britishtim]

There has been much talk by some of the press about how badly the Bush campaign has handled issues like the AWOL charge and that the White House did not even talk to people who said they were willing to confirm Bush's presence at some of the meetings in Alabama. Is it at all possible that the White House DELIBERATELY kept this issue in the press so that when they start talking about demanding Kerry's records for his purple hearts etc., the public will remember the long outcry over Bush's records. In other words was the Bush team's "fumbling" of this issue actually an example of long term strategery?

[TonyM]

From what I know about Vietnam veterans who experienced combat, the vast majority have been diagnosed with a mental disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I don’t have the exact figures but I would estimate that 80 to 90 percent of Vietnam veterans who received a Purple Heart have been diagnosed with PTSD. In fact, just one Purple Heart or one Silver Star alone is accepted as verifiable evidence to the VA that a veteran was exposed to a stressful event which is most likely the cause of PTSD. Since Kerry has not just one, but four of these conceded stressors I would think that would make him a prime candidate to develop PTSD. It seems to me that that would make it a risk to put him to most stressful and powerful job on the planet.