They returned fire, and only after the smoke cleared did they see they had killed 13 to 20 women and children. Another squad member recalls the raid differently. Gerhard Klann said the group, led by Kerrey, thought its safe escape was threatened. So squad members rounded up the women and children and executed them. Nobody argues that war isn't bloody.
Nobody denies innocent people get killed.
What seems to upset people as much as Kerrey's wartime actions are the silent years that followed. Kerrey did a lot in those silent years. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his role at Than Phong - in a hospital after his leg was blown to bits in another mission. But he still accepted it. He also accepted the Congressional Medal of Honor.