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Senator John Kerry joined the Navy after graduating from Yale University. For service in combat during the Vietnam War, Kerry received three awards of the Purple Heart, in addition to the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for his heroic actions. The Purple Heart is given to members of the armed forces who are wounded in action. Kerry first met intense combat on December 2, 1968, when the small boat he skippered encountered the Viet Cong and engaged in a firefight. Kerry's M-16 jammed, and as he bent down to get another weapon, a hot chunk of shrapnel flew into his arm. The wound didn't cause Kerry to
miss any duty, but it did qualify him for his first Purple Heart. Shrapnel again hit Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry, this time in his left thigh, on February 20, 1969. Kerry's boat spotted enemy combatants on a riverbank and fired. A grenade hit the boat, causing shrapnel to bore into Kerry's leg and earning him another Purple Heart. His last Purple Heart came from injuries sustained on March 13, 1969. A mine exploded under Kerry's boat and wounded him in the right arm. Despite the injury, Kerry rescued a Green Beret and assisted other damaged boats while braving sniper fire from the riverbanks. This incident earned Kerry a Bronze Star with Combat V for "calmness, professionalism, and great personal courage
under fire." This final injury was the most severe and gave Kerry pain for years. Soon after, Lieutenant (junior grade) Kerry requested reassignment. Military policy allowed any serviceman who received three Purple Hearts to ask for assignment away from the combat zone, to be granted at the discretion of the commanding officer. After four years of service, Kerry was deeply disillusioned with the Vietnam War and questioned why the U.S. government was sending young men to die "for a mistake." He was soon reassigned to stateside duty. Concerned about his fellow crewmembers, Kerry arranged for them to receive safer assignments and even talked one into accepting less dangerous duty. After Kerry's service in the
Navy, he became a spokesperson for Vietnam Veterans Against the War. * Editor's note: This column originally ran with a factual error. The error has been corrected. The column stated "After two years of combat, Kerry was deeply disillusioned with the Vietnam War..." Kerry served in the Navy from 1966 to 1970 and was in Vietnam from November 1968 to April 1969. We apologize for the error.
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