Kerry's diary refutes himself.

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Mr. Kerry has claimed that he faced his "first intense combat" that day, returned fire, and received his "first combat related injury."
A journal entry Mr. Kerry wrote Dec. 11, however, raises questions about what really happened nine days earlier.
"A cocky feeling of invincibility accompanied us up the Long Tau shipping channel because we hadn't been shot at yet, and Americans at war who haven't been shot at are allowed to be cocky," wrote Mr. Kerry, according the book "Tour of Duty" by friendly biographer Douglas Brinkley.

If enemy fire was not involved in that or any other incident, according to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, no medal should be awarded.
"The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy," according to the organization chartered by Congress. According to regulations set by the Department of Defense, an enemy must be involved to warrant a Purple Heart.
Altogether, Mr. Kerry earned three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star.

A Kerry campaign official, speaking on background, told The Washington Times yesterday that the "we" in the passage from Mr. Kerry's journal refers to "the crew on Kerry's first swift boat, operating as a crew" rather than Mr. Kerry himself.
"John Kerry didn't yet have his own boat or crew on December 2," according to the aide. "Other members of the crew had been in Vietnam for some time and had been shot at and Kerry knew that at the time. However, the crew had not yet been fired on while they served together on PCF 44 under Lieutenant Kerry."

Mr. Kerry's campaign could not say definitively whether he did receive enemy fire that day.
The newly exhumed passages were first reported by Fox News Channel in a televised interview with John Hurley, national leader of Veterans for Kerry.

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Here is where I think everyone needs to think just a bit. I am no expert on what it takes to get a Purple Heart, so I will defer to those who know better.

The fact that Kerry fired his weapon though could very well indicate combat in his book. I have no problem with that. Did he know they were unarmed when he fired? If so, I find it difficult to believe he would have fired, unless this is one example of the atrocities he claims he saw or participated in. I don't know.

But, if he fired his weapon at an enemy and was wounded as a result of his grenade landing too close, then in my opinion he was wounded as a result of an engagement with the enemy. My question would be does a Purple Heart have to be the result of enemy fire? Can you receive a Purple Heart from an incident such as this? If so, then he earned it. If not, then it was given to him in error.

But the exact wording of his statements and his diary entry I think can be meshed without too much trouble. Assuming you don't go about it with a biased mind.

See how fair this republican can be toward Kerry? Smile

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Purple Heart has to be enemy fire.

I've referred often to two stellar posts on nimh's "bookie" thread. Will link again if needed. My overriding belief from these and other things is that medals were handed out like candy. A morale booster. But that was the system, and if within the system Kerry got medals, who cares?

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If it has to be enemy fire, then IF the account happened as the Swift Boat Vets say, then he did not deserve the PH. For whatever reason, he was given the medal and that is that. The only possible problem I would have is if he falsified his report of the injury in order to get the medal.

But I guess you would have to see the paperwork for the medal to prove that.

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I thought this was put to bed in another thread. Now I'll have to go find it. In the mean time, I'll say here what I said there -- I'll believe it when I see the whole diary entry.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/20/politics/campaign/20swift.html?pagewanted=3&hp

Quote:

The group decided to hire a private investigator to investigate Mr. Brinkley's account of the war - to find "some neutral way of actually questioning people involved in these incidents,'' Mr. O'Neill said.

But the investigator's questions did not seem neutral to some.

Patrick Runyon, who served on a mission with Mr. Kerry, said he initially thought the caller was from a pro-Kerry group, and happily gave a statement about the night Mr. Kerry won his first Purple Heart. The investigator said he would send it to him by e-mail for his signature. Mr. Runyon said the edited version was stripped of all references to enemy combat, making it look like just another night in the Mekong Delta.

"It made it sound like I didn't believe we got any returned fire," he said. "He made it sound like it was a normal operation. It was the scariest night of my life."

So here is someone who was there the night Kerry got his first purple heart and says there was enemy fire. Is that enough?

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Maybe John can scan it and post here for our perusal?

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McGentrix wrote:

Maybe John can scan it and post here for our perusal?

Yeah, along with those other records he won't release. Rolling Eyes

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Like the ones on his website?

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sozobe wrote:

Like the ones on his website?

No, he's got some that relate to I believe his medical navy records or something.

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Here's the link to the other forum where this was pretty much put to bed, just in case some aren't satisfied.

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31904&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=120

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Kerry's diary refutes himself.

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