When some FReeper's were commenting on the pic about no one was seated on either side next to JF'nK, a FReeper said the troops in the dining hall were being "extremely hospitable" by showing respect for him by giving him lots of "sword room".
When the term "sword room" was finally explained to me, I had to agree that HAD to be the reason nobody was seated next to him ( and it must have been a LONG sword because no body could sit directly across from him either), although I was told the term is USUALLY used for someone in full dress blues, who also is having to wear their sword amongst a bunch of people while trying maneuver about, or maybe trying to have a meal.
From the pic, it looks to me like kerry was only in his dress blues from the waist down, and his sword isn't visible in the photo either, but from the position of the people dining with him, he must have been wearing it because the other diners are TOTALLY complying with what IMHO, appears to be PERFECT "sword room" etiquette, and with kerry being a highly decorated Viet Nam War hero, they were probably all disappointed when they FINALLY got to meet him, he had the dang sword on, and that was as close as they could get to him.