"Steven P. McNicoll" ) writes:
"Bill Shatzer" wrote in message
...

Assumed but not proven. In any case irrelevant if the folks
-thought- they were in a battle.

Kerry's crew said there was no enemy fire, so the folks didn't think they
were in a battle.

No, that's not correct at all.

His former commander (one echelon removed) now claims that's
what they said. The crew currently claim no such thing.

With one exception, -everyone- who served under Kerry on the
Swift boats speaks most highly of him and NONE claim it was
anything but a battle. Or, at least an assumed battle.

You think those folks in the Bradley who got zapped by a blue
on blue Maverick didn't get PHs? There was no -real- battle,
they were just motoring along when the A-10 mistook them for
a T-72 or whatever. The A-10 driver -thought- it was a battle.

Irrelevant.

Quite relevant.

"Purported" experience. The things have to cover a minimum
distance before they arm themselves and that distance is
sufficient to place the shooter outside of the blast/shrapnel
radius.

I recall one story from the vietnam conflict where an army
surgeon got written up for removing an unexploded M-79 round
from an ARVN trooper. -He- got shot by friendly fire but the
round hadn't traveled far enough to arm itself.

Based on the best information, Kerry was not entitled to that award.

Based on the best information, there is no way he could put
shrapnel into himself from his own M-79 round. The damn things
just don't work that way.

Based upon the best information, he was fully entitled to his
Purple Heart.
--


"Cave ab homine unius libri"