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'Trying to acquire Purple Hearts'
The Washington Times ^ | August 26, 2004 | Martin L. Fackler

Posted on 08/26/2004 5:17:05 AM PDT by renotse

I served as a combat surgeon in DaNang, (U.S. Naval Support Hospital) from Dec. 10, 1967, through Dec. 11, 1968. While there, I evaluated and treated hundreds of severely wounded combatants. 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. Lt. John Kerry's collecting three Purple Hearts within 100 days — all for wounds too minor to require hospitalization — recalls the distasteful memories of having to deal with those few miscreants in DaNang.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: purplehearts
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1 posted on 08/26/2004 5:17:05 AM PDT by renotse
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To: renotse

good post bump


2 posted on 08/26/2004 5:21:06 AM PDT by Mr. K
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To: renotse
...recalls the distasteful memories of having to deal with those few miscreants in DaNang.

So he's comparing the miscreants in DaNang with the miscreant from Massachusetts. I guess I can deal with that.

3 posted on 08/26/2004 5:23:30 AM PDT by ladtx ( "Remember your regiment and follow your officers." Captain Charles May, 2d Dragoons, 9 May 1846)
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To: renotse

bttttttttt


4 posted on 08/26/2004 5:24:55 AM PDT by dennisw (Allah FUBAR!)
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To: dennisw

Read the whole thing. This one is GOOD!


5 posted on 08/26/2004 5:27:08 AM PDT by dennisw (Allah FUBAR!)
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To: renotse

This purple heart given to Kerry when he had a hang nail removed during a pedicure

6 posted on 08/26/2004 5:27:13 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
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To: backhoe; Interesting Times

A doctor speaks!


7 posted on 08/26/2004 5:27:20 AM PDT by Just mythoughts
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To: renotse

How I would love to see this get some play, but the MSM would shut down before they would let this out.

I hope some of our side has this story and spreads it around.


8 posted on 08/26/2004 5:32:12 AM PDT by AlexW
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To: renotse

'The Washington Times' deserves an award. . .a Freedom medal or somesuch; they deserve special recognition for their 'service rendered' to the public community; delivered as it is, with a committment to the truth.


9 posted on 08/26/2004 5:34:28 AM PDT by cricket (Don't Lose Your Head. . .Vote Republican)
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To: renotse

It would be interesting to discover how many, of the millions of service men and women who served in Viet Nam, received 3 PH's and left early?????


10 posted on 08/26/2004 5:34:50 AM PDT by eeriegeno
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To: renotse

"Mr. Kerry has made his Vietnam War record the centerpiece of his campaign. This demands a thorough objective evaluation of his medical records to determine if the three Purple Hearts that allowed him to leave Vietnam after only four months of duty were justified. This evaluation needs to be done before the election."

"Dr. Martin L. Fackler served as a combat surgeon in Vietman in 1968. A fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, he also is an author, expert witness and lecturer on wound ballistics and surgery, and former director of the Wound Ballistics Laboratory at Presidio."

Dr. Fackler needs to be placed on our major networks to be heard. His credentials look impeccable.


11 posted on 08/26/2004 5:35:10 AM PDT by jazzlite (esat)
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To: renotse

It just keeps getting better ...


12 posted on 08/26/2004 5:37:55 AM PDT by spodefly (Just put Ur name on this pre-nup and we can all hit the disco ...)
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To: renotse

Nice find, Bump


13 posted on 08/26/2004 5:43:49 AM PDT by AmericanCheeseFood (Zing!)
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To: renotse

Good post. Only thing is Navy must be different from Army. Physicians did not write army personnel up for medals.


14 posted on 08/26/2004 5:45:17 AM PDT by shrinkermd
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To: renotse

Here's where I think we need a new law. Anyone running for high office should publicly release all military records (if any) and all medical records. It should be out there for the people to peruse, if they are interested. If you want to occupy a high office, you should prepare to give up your privacy.


15 posted on 08/26/2004 5:45:33 AM PDT by MizSterious (First, the journalists, THEN the lawyers.)
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To: renotse

reference bump


16 posted on 08/26/2004 5:47:12 AM PDT by NonValueAdded (When it came to Intelligence, Kerry was absent)
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To: renotse
the good stuff from the article ...

"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)."


Even a five year old kid can pull out a splinter. Kerry is a joke.
17 posted on 08/26/2004 5:48:54 AM PDT by igoramus987
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To: renotse
As an exCorpsman at Charlie Med (in DaNang), I salute this Doctor for his great presentation of the facts...this kind of shit actually happened regularly in the facility.

Fortunately, (tinfoil hat 'on') I can honestly say it was seldom (if ever) from a wounded Marine or Navy Corpsman.

18 posted on 08/26/2004 5:57:31 AM PDT by harpu
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To: renotse

BTTT!


19 posted on 08/26/2004 5:58:42 AM PDT by sockmonkey
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To: igoramus987
Dr. Martin L. Fackler served as a combat surgeon in Vietman in 1968. A fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, he also is an author, expert witness and lecturer on wound ballistics and surgery, and former director of the Wound Ballistics Laboratory at Presidio

Wow!

20 posted on 08/26/2004 5:59:28 AM PDT by hawkaw
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