BOSTON -- Striking a theme that will be a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, Sen. John Kerry accepted the Democratic party nomination Thursday night, telling a cheering crowd of delegates at the FleetCenter that he was "reporting for duty."

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The reserved New England senator, who has represented the Bay State in Congress for 20 years, offered a military salute as he accepted the role of his party's standard bearer, reminding the crowd in a 45-minute speech of his Navy service in Vietnam.

Job one for the Kerry campaign is to assure American voters who don't know much about Kerry that it's OK to elect a new president in the midst of the war on terror. To that end, Kerry talked about his military experience.

"As president, I will wage this war with the lessons I learned in war. Before you go to battle, you have to be able to look a parent in the eye and truthfully say: "I tried everything possible to avoid sending your son or daughter into harm's way," he said. "And on my first day in office, I will send a message to every man and woman in our armed forces: You will never be asked to fight a war without a plan to win the peace."

Kerry, who won three Purple Hearts during his four-month duty in Vietnam, also subtly addressed Vietnam veterans who have criticized Kerry's anti-war protests when he returned to the U.S.

"We are here to affirm that when Americans stand up and speak their minds and say America can do better, that is not a challenge to patriotism; it is the heart and soul of patriotism," Kerry said.

Earlier in the day, a group calling itself Vietnam Veterans Against Kerry protested Kerry's candidacy in front of his Back Bay townhouse, carrying signs and chanting, "Kerry lied, good men died." They had planned to symbolically throw their medals at Kerry's house, just as Kerry and other protesters did during Vietnam war protests.

"While our members were in harm's way, he came back and called the Americans that were fighting in Vietnam 'killers and murderers.' I find that extremely objectionable for a commander in chief to commit a treasonous act," said protester Peter Horin, referring to Kerry's testimony before Congress as a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against The War.

But while Vietnam will continue to be a point of debate in Kerry's campaign, the candidate also touched on the issues of education, health care and the economy in his acceptance speech, honing in on the issue of jobs.

"Here is our economic plan to build a stronger America: First, new incentives to revitalize manufacturing. Second, investment in technology and innovation that will create the good-paying jobs of the future. Third, close the tax loopholes that reward companies for shipping our jobs overseas. Instead, we will reward companies that create and keep good paying jobs where they belong: in the good old U.S.A.," he said.

Kerry, his running mate, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, and their families ended the night at a Boston Pops concert at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, complete with fireworks over the harbor. They kicked off the first leg of the intense campaign season to come at a "Believe in America" rally Friday morning at a North End park. The pair are embarking on a 21-state, 3,500 mile campaign tour.

A backdrop of the Old North Church and the USS Constitution behind them, Kerry and Edwards, joined by their families, thanked Boston supporters for hosting a successful convention and used the scenic background as an excuse to take a shot at the Bush administration.

"One if by land, two if by sea. And the message was right. Come to think of it, they had better intelligence back then than we do today about what's going on," Kerry said, adding that the colonists who fought the American Revolution understood that life was about choices and values.

Kerry followed up by exhorting the crowd to go out and campaign for the Democratic ticket during the next 97 days of the campaign.

"I ask you to join us. We want to reach for that next dream, look over the horizon. America's best days are ahead. We're counting on you. Let's go out and believe in America," Kerry said.

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