John Kerry was greeted by 30,000 citizens during his October 21 visit to Minneapolis. He was joined on the stage by Walter Mondale and Max Cleland, a disabled Vietnam vet. Vitriolic right-wing ideologue Ann Coulter wrote that Cleland should not be referred to as a war hero, as he had lost his limbs in a routine non-combat misssion. Regardless of the exact circumstances of the explosion, or its non-relation to the prior battles for which the stars were given, it is worth noting that Cleland was awarded a Silver Star "for gallantry in action" at the battle of Khe Sanh.