"He had a little scratch on his forearm, and he was holding a piece of
shrapnel," recalled Kerry's commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Grant
Hibbard. "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."

Is he such a Klutz that he fell on the shrapnel and scratched his arm?

Don't you think most commanding officers know what a shrapnel
producing
weapon sounds like?

The Doc had to spray his scratch with bactine.

So he gets his first Purple Heart.

Capt. American