On Sunday, Sen. John Kerry (D.-Mass.) told NBC's Tim Russert that he would release all of his military records to clear up controversy over his Purple Heart medals, as President Bush did to clear up controversy over his National Guard service. "People can come and see them at headquarters and take a look at them," he said.
But when a Boston Globe reporter showed up at Kerry campaign headquarters, he was refused, and Kerry's spokesman said the records would not be released.
Lieutenant Commander Grant Hibbard, Kerry's commanding officer in Vietnam, recently raised doubts about Kerry's first Purple Heart medal in the Boston Globe, prompting Russert to ask Kerry about his records. "He had a little scratch on his forearm, and he was holding a piece of shrapnel," Hibbard told the Globe. "People in the office were saying, `I don't think we got any fire,' and there is a guy holding a little piece of shrapnel in his palm."
The Globe added that Hibbard said he remembered asking Kerry about the wound, and that he couldn't be certain whether Kerry actually came under fire on Dec. 2, 1968, the date when he supposedly received it.
