Commander’s Claim:

Russert's question about Kerry's war records was prompted by a story in the Boston Globe in which Kerry's commanding officer in Vietnam, Lieutenant Commander Grant Hibbard, raised doubts about Kerry's first Purple Heart. "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 on which he suffered the wound in question.