O'Neil's Book = Hoax (at least chapter 3)

curi0us

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OK, I haven't read the whole book, but I found Chapter 3 online and it would be a joke if so many people weren't taking it seriously.


From Chapter 3 of Unfit for Command:

“None of Kerry’s Purple Hearts were for serious injuries. They were concededly minor scratches at best, resulting in no lost duty time. Each Purple Heart decoration is very controversial, with considerable evidence (and in two of the cases, with incontrovertible and conclusive evidence) that the minor injuries were caused by Kerry’s own hand and were not the result of hostile fire of any kind.”
http://www.iowapresidentialwatch.com/KerryTales/UnfitCh3.htm

This claim about Kerry's Purple Hearts is ridiculous and shows either O'Neil/Corsi were engaging in either incredibly sloppy research or just willfully not telling an honest account.

First Purple Heart:
Runyon and Zaladonis dispute the version of events that O’Neil says is “what really happened” in Unfit for Command. They both say there was only them and Kerry present at the time so they not only conflict with O’Neil’s witness (who hasn’t signed an affidavit), they insist his witness wasn't even there. Letson isn’t the signature on Kerry’s treatment report but he still says he treated Kerry. Letson has also said it was Kerry’s crewmen(definitely more than one the way he has worded it) that were with him that said it was Kerry’s wound came form his own mortar round (later changed to M79) yet Zaladonis and Runyon insist Kerry didn’t even fire one which also asts doubt upon who the crewmen were that Letson is talking about. This is O’Neil best case, at least he has one guy claiming to be an eyewitness and someone claiming to have treated the wound. Problem is everyone agrees that Runyon and Zalodonis were there and they glaringly dispute the version O’Neil describes as "what really happened". Sure doesn't look like "uncontrovertible and conclusive evidence" to me.
Runyon and Zaladonis back Kerry

Second Purple Heart:
I never have even seen anyone dispute this one so I don’t why O’Neil thinks it can legitimately be called controversial. IIRC this is also the wound that resulted in shrapnel being left in Kerry’s leg.

Third Purple Heart:
Kerry was wounded (minorly) twice that day, the first time from exploding rice (snickers allowed) the second time from a mine going off close to his boat. The second wound is included in his bronze star citation and while it does sound minor it sure as hell wasn’t self-inflicted.
 
This is a very interesting page on what the Purple Heart is awarded for and even gives examples of situations where it would or would not be awarded.

From the descriptions on that page it seems that the awards were easily justified and rightly given. In all three cases he was in a combat situation and recieved injuries which were not caused by his own negligence and required medical attention.

Of course when you take into account that Kerry's opponent in the presidential race avoided the war by getting his daddy to organise him a cushy assignment which he (allegedly) avoided most of, then you start to understand why these people are so eager to try to cast some doubt over Kerry's military record.
 
a_unique_person said:
When I was growing up, the Purple Heart was considered a bit of a joke American Medal. Precisely because you could get it for the most trivial of reasons. All you had to do was get wounded in action.
Click to expand...
The cross of the Legion of Honor has been conferred on me. However, few escape that distinction. (Mark Twain - "The Great French Duel")

Context for the Twain-illiterati: He wrote (in A Tramp Abroad )of being a second for some obese French politician in a duel. Turned out there was a dueling code that prohibited the use of Twain's proposed weapons (axes), and allowed only tiny dueling pistols, one of which Twain hung on his watch chain; the bullets were kept rolled up in a postage stamp.

The range was set at 65 yards (Twain protesting that squirt guns would be deadlier at fifty), and at the actual duel, Twain stood behind his duelist. The pistols were fired ("spit! spit") and Twain was crushed under the weight of his duelist falling on him. He hadn't been hit - he'd merely fainted.

Twain sustained several severe injuries, but his doctors believed he'd someday make a nearly complete recovery.

No, this has nothing to do with Kerry's Purple Hearts. So sue me.
The whole story of the bloodbath can be found here.
 
wollery said:
This is a very interesting page on what the Purple Heart is awarded for and even gives examples of situations where it would or would not be awarded.

From the descriptions on that page it seems that the awards were easily justified and rightly given. In all three cases he was in a combat situation and recieved injuries which were not caused by his own negligence and required medical attention.
Click to expand...

HENRY: Frank, it says here that you've put in for a Purple Heart?
FRANK: That's correct.
HotLips: Major Burns sustained his injury at a frontline unit, meaning that he was injured in combat.
HENRY: It says here you slipped and fell on the way to the latrine.
FRANK: That's correct.
HENRY: Is that how you want it read at the awards ceremony?
 
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