The last time John Kerry had a patriotic thought was 1970I think your kindness is a stretch.
This self-serving pr!ck served, but probably not from patriotism. It is much more likely it was with an eye to his own political future. Sure, he saw some combat duty, but it is unlikely it changed his already-made-up mind on The War. He was just getting his ticket punched, including gathering a string of purple hearts for wounds no worse paper cuts.
This man is nothing but an opportunist - always has been, always will be.
He NEVER had a patriotic thought. While he was in Vietnam he compared the US help to S. Vietnam to German occupation of France!
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Here is a very long, but very insightful article:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1057936/posts Tour of Duty: John Kerry in Vietnam (very long)
The Atlantic Monthly ^ | December 2003 | Douglas Brinkley
Senator John F. Kerry often cites his service in Vietnam as a formative element of his character. A new account of his time there—based on interviews with those who knew him well, and on his never-before-published letters home and his voluminous "war notes"—offers the first intimate look at a traumatic and life-altering experience.
"He had been considering Germany's occupation of France during World War II, he added, when "a thought came to me that I didn't like—I felt more like the German than the doughboy who came over to make the world safe for democracy and who rightfully had a star in his eye."