Your comments in italics:

These questions will not go away. Why doesn't Kerry just open his military records? Is he afraid they will disclose other fabrications.

Perhaps.

Was the guy ever really shot at?

Yes, he was on more than one occassion. I don't think anyone is disputing that.

It is quite possible that all of his medals are from battles that never happened.

I don't think that's the case. Even the Swiftboat vets aren't claiming that. They're claiming he exaggerated on some things, but not on everything.

Did Kerry do anything more noble that to set fire to grass huts that were occupied by innocent civilians???

I'm pretty sure the Swiftboat vets dispute that Kerry burnt down huts.

What if the records how he was anything but a hero? And instead a coward and/or worse.

I don't think that's the case. Kerry did serve in a dangerous job. How well he served is a matter of some dispute, but I don't think it's reasonable to call him a coward. He may not be as big a hero as he's been making himself out to be, but that's a long way from calling him a coward.

Kerry made his war record an issue, but he won't release all of his record...Why???

I guess we won't know unless he releases his records or the Press starts to ask him about it. I'm not holding my breath for either to happen.

the only answer can be that the "public" is contradicted by the "private" record.

Quite possible

Scott Evil

P.S. If he really served "two heroic tours" as Kerry wants us to believe, how come he never advanced beyond the rank of lieutenant? Did he even make 1st lieutenant? I'm sure if he made commander, that we would have heard about that by now...Common, "Commander Kerry" would be just too cute for the bumper stickers to resist. Its not a giant leap in rank. Especially for a war hero/warrior poet/leader of John Kerry's stature.

You must be mistaking Navy rank for the rank structure of other services. Navy officer ranks are different from the other services except the Coast Guard. Here's a link to Navy Officer Ranks compared to Army Ranks. The officer ranks are the same for the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

The easy way to compare officer ranks is by the "O" number. A Navy Lieutenant is an O3, the same as a Captain in the other services. If Kerry was an O3, it isn't likely that he would've been promoted any faster than he was unless he was moved into a command position. That didn't happen.

Even during Vietnam, officers didn't make rank as quickly as some did in WWII (I know a WWII vet who enlisted in 1942 as a Private E-1. Two years later, he was in line for Major O-4 until he was show down over France). People with ability and who survived could make rank very quickly back then. It just didn't happen that fast in Vietnam.