I don't know about "embellishing nothing", but I do agree with the rest of your post.
Some went because they were called (drafted); some went because they felt the duty; and some went to further their political aspirations. Make your choice.
I mean there are guys that served in Viet Nam during the war that are so humble, they never spoke of their heroic deeds. They never saw themselves as heroes, but they were. Actually, it was the vast majority that served. When they did speak, it was very matter of fact, open and closed. They never seemed to fully appreciate their contribution, be it big or small.
When embellishment did occur, it was not these men that did it. It was higher up by those that wanted their unit to be highly decorated. Sometimes the facts were distorted, but even they were not the root cause of the embellishments. It was the politicians that were always demanding some sort of measurable result. This wouldn't have occurred if the politicians had let go and let the military run the war.
For the sake of all that served during this time, it is still a wound, and one that goes very deep.
I've no doubt this has resurfaced, not because of Kerry's wartime service, but because of his antics on Capitol Hill immediately following his discharge. Yes, there were war atrocities, but they were few. Kerry spoke as though he had seen them personally, and if that were the case, it would point the finger at the unit he served with, not some other unit in another part of Viet Nam. In essence, Kerry pointed the finger of blame at his own unit.
It would help to hear John Kerry ask for a meeting with those he served with, and hear him humbly ask their forgiveness. They didn't bring this wound back to the surface. John Kerry did open the wound. The wound is not Kerry's performance during the war. That is merely a scab. It's what he did immediately after leaving military service that is the wound. Be it now, or later, he needs to personally apologize to those he served with. Hearsay won't do. He's got to face them. If he really wanted to show real leadership potential, that's where it would have to start.
For me, I am going to hope everyone will one day set the actual war from their minds, but not the valor of all that served honorably. It was a war misguided by politicians, not generals and admirals, and certainly not by the men serving under them. It was a dirty war from the White House down, and under both Presidents Johnson and Nixon. If servicemen were dirtied, it was most often due to the politicians, not the personal service of military members to their country. Only Goldwater seemed to have had the right idea. Unleash our military might, and nuke North Viet Nam if necessary, but save our men for the cleanup only. The war we knew never had to be the way it was.