[Howlin]

During my year in DaNang, a few combatants urged me to verify small abrasions as "wounds" so they could get a Purple Heart. Each freely admitted trying to acquire Purple Hearts as rapidly as possible to take advantage of the policy allowing those with three Purple Hearts to apply to leave Vietnam early. I refused them. But some went shopping for another opinion. Unfortunately, we had some antiwar physicians in Vietnam who were happy to become accomplices in these frauds. Most with valid Purple Hearts didn't need to apply to leave Vietnam: The seriousness of their wounds demanded it.

Hahaha........medal shopping!

[Fedora]

Thanks; nice article.

[grey_whiskers]

I recently read that Alan Alda was suggested as
a new cast member on The West Wing. (hang on, I'm
approaching the topic circuitously . . .)

Given Alda's smart-ass, anti-war persona in the 70's
sitcom M*A*S*H*, I wonder whether he was reflecting
his own bias, or whether he relied on caricatures
of existing smart-ass, anti-war enlisted MD's.

Perspiring minds want to know . . .

[lainde]

Just excellent. Another surgeon dismisses the boo-boos!

[rolling_stone]

In the absence of the medical records that Mr. Kerry apparently declines to make public, the only details we have about his second and third Purple Hearts are that he also based them on wounds too minor to require hospitalization. My reason for refusing to verify insignificant wounds as the basis for a Purple Heart was the regulation covering Purple Heart awards. In Part B, Paragraph 2, of the Army Purple Heart Regulation (600-8-22 of 25 February 1995), we find "the wound for which the award is made must have required treatment by a medical officer."

Dr. Louis Letson was entirely correct in turning down Lt. Kerry's first Purple Heart — even if the wound had been the result of enemy action. Can there be any doubt that the tiny metal sliver could have been removed easily, and safely, by a Navy corpsman? It certainly did not "require" treatment by a medical officer (an MD).

[Malesherbes]

Excellent article. Thanks for the post.

[AFPhys]

Sen.Kerry,

Please SIGN STANDARD FORM 180 so we can put this whole controversy behind us.