Kerry had been wounded three times and received three Purple Hearts. Asked about the severity of the wounds, Kerry said that one of them cost him about two days of service, and that the other two did not interrupt his duty. "Walking wounded," as Kerry put it. A shrapnel wound in his left arm gave Kerry pain for years. Kerry declined a request from the Globe to sign a waiver authorizing the release of military documents that are covered under the Privacy Act and that might shed more light on the extent of the treatment Kerry needed as a result of the wounds.
What were the wounds for which he was awarded his Purple Hearts again?
#1 A tiny scratch on his arm that was treated with a band-aid. (He hasn't released the paperwork on this one, and it was likely accidentally self-inflicted (and in the absence of enemy fire)).
#2 Shrapnel in his left thigh.
#3 Accidentally self-inflicted rice wounds to his rear end, and a "(minor) contusion" to his arm.
So when did this "shrapnel wound" which gave Kerry "pain for years" occur? Did the band-aid wound supposedly cause him such long-lasting pain, or is this the mysterious "(minor)" bruise from March 13th?
Update: The link provided for Purple Heart #3 (on the bottom of pg 3) specifies that the "(minor)" contusion was on his RIGHT arm. So he is either refering to the band-aid wound or he forgot which arm had supposedly given him pain for so long.