According to Unfit for Command, Kerry really spent Christmas trying to find the Bob Hope USO show and got lost.
He put his crew in danger by "blundering into one of the most dangerous canals in Vietnam, a canal that to those who knew the area was notiorious for Viet Cong ambushes."
Jim is that in the book??
Is that really in the book? The USO part?
Slight correction there he tried to find it with the pre-arranged "explanation" that he was lost if they were to be questioned about it.