[fintstone]

No inference, that was the testimony of all the other officers that served with him. Not one, but all!

It is pretty simple. He is in charge of his boat-supervises his sailors- and writes reports regarding his sailors and their actions while other officers are in charge of their boats and do the same.

At the same time, the boats typically do not go out alone, but are in groups...other boats are very close (fighting in a river, not the ocean)similar to a wingman in formation flying (e.g. topgun) that gives the other officers an even better vantage point to view Kerry and his boat's actions than even some on his boat. Especially since the enlisted soldiers on board kerry's boat may not even know the orders oir strategy for a specific action.

The other (approximately equally ranked officers) would not be privy to reports written by Kerry..and if they were, it would have taken longer than the few days between Kerry writing himself up and his departing to return home and dishonor them.