Rapaire, as I understand it from an article in the Boston Globe, at the time the standard was a wound or injury while under enemy fire which required medical attention. Kerry's commander was surprise to find that Kerry's boat had come under fire on the mission and thought the wound looked more like a scratch from fingernail than anything else. That could explain why no one's come up with a medical report for the wound. It didn't require treatment.

As I said, it sounds too late to complain about it now. Even if it were true, I refuse to hold Kerry responsible for getting an "undeserved" Purple Heart if the request went through channels and the military awarded it. The Navy is always right. More to the point, I know if I had had 3 Purple Hearts regardless of worthy I was of them, I'd have been out of there, too.