Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2008 – A policy change to expand eligibility for the Purple Heart award to prisoners of war who died in captivity represents the right decision that recognizes their sacrifice, a senior defense official told American Forces Press Service. The Pentagon announced the new policy earlier this week that will extend criteria for receiving Purple Hearts to prisoners of war who have died in captivity since the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. “The Purple Heart is an award worn with great pride and recognizes that the servicemember has been wounded or killed as a...

My great uncle was captured in the Philippines by the Japanese during World War II, and died during the Bataan Death March. As far as I remember, I cannot recall anyone in my family saying that he was awarded the Purple Heart. If he was never awarded the Purple Heart, would he be eligible? If he did get it, how can I find out?

I ran across an article in the Army Times regarding the issuing of giving Purple Hearts to individuals suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sustained during combat. This appears to be the origin of much debate… It seems to be that many members of the military want to continue distributing the award based on "singularly meritorious act of fidelity service" and that "a wound which necessitates treatment by a medical officer and which is received in action with an enemy, may, in the judgment of the commander authorized to make the award, be construed as resulting from a singularly...

WASHINGTON -- Centuries before Iraq and Afghanistan, George Washington created the Purple Heart to honor troops wounded in combat. But with an increasing number of troops being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the modern military is debating an idea Gen. Washington never considered -- awarding one of the nation's top military citations to veterans with psychological wounds, not just physical ones. Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered cautious support...

A Marine sergeant who became a symbol of resilience as he strove to recover from a roadside bomb blast in Iraq that blanketed 97 percent of his body with burns has died, the Defense Department said. He was 22. Sgt. Merlin German died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was continuing treatment for the injuries he suffered in combat on Feb. 22, 2005, the Pentagon said Thursday. The former turret gunner was dubbed the "Miracle Man" for his determination in facing his wounds, which cost the former saxophone player his fingers and rippled his...

I t was two weeks ago that I received a phone call from my son. He is a college student so when the telephone rings and I see his number there are always two immediate feelings. First, I hope that everything is all right as he attends college in Baltimore, a hotbed of crime and violence, or, second, how much money does he need. Once I hear his voice and know that he is OK, I can most certainly guarantee that the call is for money. That's when I give the telephone to his father. This call two weeks ago...

FORT HUACHUCA — He has only been an American citizen since January, but Spc. Charles has proven himself a steadfast solider. That was proven Wednesday when Maj. Gen. John Custer, commander of the Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca, presented Charles a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in Iraq last year. Charles — his first name — is all that can be used to identify the soldier. He is an Arabic translator who was born in Sudan and lived for a while as a refugee in Ethiopia. No photos of translators born in other nations serving in the U.S. Army are...

REPORT: Helicopter carrying John Kerry, Chuck Hagel, Joe Biden makes emergency landing in Afghanistan: Developing.

Sen. John Kerry's Sister Mugged In New York City NEW YORK (AP) ― A mugger knocked down U.S. Sen. John Kerry's sister and stole her purse in downtown Manhattan. Police say Margaret Kerry was attacked after leaving a theater in SoHo at about 10:45 p.m. Wednesday. A thief stole her pocketbook, which held about $60 and credit cards. Kerry, 66, suffered a cut to her head. Police say no suspects have been arrested. Kerry told the New York Post that she didn't get a good look at her attacker. Kerry, who works for the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations,...

(One served in Baghdad, other in Korea; both receive Purple Heart) Jessica DeRosia kept her shrapnel; Duane Gehling didn't keep his. The foot-long piece of jagged metal blown into the side of DeRosia's Humvee was saved for her by fellow soldiers and now sits on a shelf in her Bay View home. The shrapnel that pierced Gehling's left hand was yanked out by a medic and thrown away. A different type of metal brought DeRosia and Gehling together on Sunday. Separated by 46 years in age and wars fought half a century apart, the two warriors from Wisconsin received overdue...

Here’s a burning question no one is asking: Whither John F. Kerry? He is his party’s most recent presidential nominee. He came tantalizingly close to winning. And yet no one is looking for him to put his stamp on the 2008 Democratic primary or wondering aloud who he’ll endorse — even though Al Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile says that in the early-state contests, “most of the voters would be thrilled to know who Kerry would back and why.” But the lack of an audible clamor for an endorsement by Kerry is more than a bit deceiving, as is the...

”His boat took 188 enemy hits”: Another Kerry Swift Boat story surfacesBy Fedora During the 2004 campaign, John Kerry faced a firestorm of controversy over the events surrounding the awarding of his third Purple Heart and his Bronze Star. One inconsistency investigators noticed was that although military documents described Kerry’s Swift Boat team as facing “about 5000 meters” of enemy fire while travelling down a 75-yard-wide stretch of the Bay Hap River, there was no record of any bullet damage to craft or crew. Not publicized in 2004 was another discrepancy magnifying this issue: while Kerry was making his first...

(Day 1) Monday Sept 3 2007 9:00 AM - Carson City, NV Pro-Troop Rally & News Conference Mills Park - at intersection of East Williams & North Roop St. [CLICK HERE for MAP] Update: Congressman (and presidential candidate) Duncan Hunter to Address the Crowd!

8/22/2007 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- The scene in the rotunda of Randolph's Taj Mahal Aug. 21 probably seemed like too much hoopla to one former Army Air Corps staff sergeant. But all the TV cameras and reporters there to capture the moment, the remarks by an Air Force major general and the admiration shown by servicemembers and civilians alike more than fit the occasion -- a long-overdue ceremony to honor a true American hero. With one of his daughters at his side, Roy E. Talbott, 84, a self-effacing veteran who once served as a B-24 gunner...

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/08/marine_debusk_purpleheart_070817/

PEARLAND — This time, Nyles Reed didn't have to pay for his Purple Heart medal. Monday, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn awarded him the medal, saying it is "embarrassing" Reed was ever told he'd have to pay $42 to get his own. The 75-year-old retired salesman got a standing ovation at a packed luncheon of the Pearland and Alvin Chambers of Commerce. Navy officials notified him a couple of weeks ago that he had qualified for the medal 55 years ago as a Marine sergeant in Korea. The medals were out of stock, officials told him in a letter. He got...

8/13/2007 - MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- Wayne Sufficool vividly remembers what happened to him Feb. 19, 1968, when he was a crew chief on the RF-4C aircraft at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam. It was the day the flightline area he was working on was hit with more than 40 rounds of 122 mm mortar rounds. Now Mr. Sufficool has another date that will be permanently etched in his memory. On Aug. 9, in the presence of his son, Bradley, his daughter-in-law, Vanessa, and more than 120 6th Air Mobility Wing maintainers and base members,...

Honoring Those Who Sacrificed Life and Limb By Mike Baird Sunday, August 12, 2007 Twenty-two Purple Heart recipients shared wartime stories and thanked one another for their sacrifices as 100 family members and supporters at Sherrill Park sweltered in the Saturday morning sun. Retired Navy chaplain Capt. Alston Kirk talked about a Vietnam soldier he remembered who died using his body to protect a wounded Marine. "Take this story and multiply it by thousands of corpsman, combat medics and grunts who looked after each other," he said. "Those people without legs, in wheelchairs, still suffering from wars, paid for our...

NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. -- Gen. George Washington created a heart-shaped award made from purple fabric as his battle-weary troops camped here 225 years ago. Since then, Purple Hearts have been awarded to roughly 1.5 million U.S. service men and women wounded or killed in combat in such far-off locations as the beaches of Normandy, the jungles of Vietnam, and now, increasingly, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hundreds of veterans from around the country watched three service members receive the award Tuesday as the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor commemorated the anniversary of the award's inception. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton helped...

Powell Presents Purple Hearts; Postal Service Reissues Stamp Honoring Medal WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2007 – Retired Army Gen. Colin Powell presented Purple Heart Medals to two wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here today, as the U.S. Postal Service reissued a stamp honoring the medal and those who wear it. The medal, which features George Washington’s family crest and the first president’s silhouette set against a purple heart, is awarded to U.S. servicemembers wounded by an instrument of war in an enemy’s hands. Powell received a Purple Heart after a booby trap wounded him in 1963 near the...

WASHINGTON -- As a new version of the Purple Heart stamp was unveiled Tuesday, more wounded soldiers received Purple Hearts of their own. In a ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Retired Gen. Colin Powell awarded Purple Hearts to two men wounded by IEDs in Iraq. "When the time came, they were there. When the time came, they showed up, when the time came they showed bravery. When the time came, they stood by their fellow buddies. When the time came they stood by the nation, they did not turn away, did not blink, did not find an excuse...

   The Free Republic Canteen Looks At The Purple Heart     Attached to the piece of dark blue cloth is a purple heart of silk, bound with braid and edged with lace. The cloth is believed to be part of the uniform or the tunic of a soldier of the Continental Army. There is no name, rank or regimental insignia on the piece of cloth. The Purple Heart is displayed in Washington, DC, at the Society of the Cincinnati's Anderson House Museum and another at Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh, New York. The Purple Heart itself...

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2007 – U.S. soldiers called Haifa Street in Baghdad “Purple Heart Boulevard” for the trouble they encountered on the street. Today, U.S. and Iraqi forces are teaming to provide security for the Iraqis living on Haifa Street. The street is the heartbeat of the Karkh District, a neighborhood of 250,000 people on the west side of the Tigris River. Army Col. Bryan T. Roberts, the commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, has responsibility for the section. He spoke to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Baghdad today. “Our brigade, partnered with the...

Memorial Day: Purple Hearts and Heroes May 24, 2007 | Linda Keay Purple Hearts and Heroes By Linda Keay May 24, 2007 Last year, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, New York, opened on a springlike November day. Far apart in their world views, Senator Hillary Clinton and former Governor George Pataki sat side by side. Senator Clinton (D) spoke mostly about the historic significance of the area (the Hall of Honor is at the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, not far from General George Washington’s last winter outpost). Her remarks focused on the Revolutionary...

Purple Hearts and Heroes By Linda Keay May 24, 2007 Last year, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, New York, opened on a springlike November day. Far apart in their world views, Senator Hillary Clinton and former Governor George Pataki sat side by side. Senator Clinton (D) spoke mostly about the historic significance of the area (the Hall of Honor is at the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, not far from General George Washington’s last winter outpost). Her remarks focused on the Revolutionary War, although she did have one interesting comment. She said, “General Washington’s...

A Purple Heart day as pupils pay tribute JAYNE HULBERT jayne.hulbert@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki | Saturday, 19 May 2007 PEOPLE fought back the tears as Manaia school children sang a song of tribute to George the plucky Jack Russell yesterday. Penned by Erica Veale - whose children George protected from attack by two vicious pitbulls - the song was a poignant tribute at a ceremony held to award George a posthumous medal for bravery from the SPCA. And for George's owner Alan Gay (69) the ceremony at Manaia Primary School was especially emotional. George gave his life in saving the group...

Dog gets medal for saving kids Tue May 8, 2:53 AM ET WELLINGTON (AFP) - Nine-year-old Jack Russell terrier George is being honoured with a posthumous bravery medal for saving five New Zealand children from an attack by two pitbulls. The medal from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) comes after US Vietnam veteran Jerrell Hudman said he was sending his Purple Heart medal to George's owner after hearing of the dog's bravery. George, who had a heart problem, won fame after defending five children from the pitbulls in the small North Island town of Manaia...

SPCA medal for dog that saved children from attack NZPA | Tuesday, 8 May 2007 FAITHFUL FRIEND: George, the Jack Russell, who died after being mauled by pitbulls. George, the nine-year-old Jack Russell terrier who defended a group of children from being attacked from two pitbulls, will receive a posthumous medal for bravery from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The award will be the second for George, after American Jerrell Hudman said he was sending his Purple Heart medal awarded during from the Vietnam War to New Zealand to honour the bravery of the terrier. The...

Hero Jack Russell to receive Purple Heart By JAYNE HULBERT - Taranaki Daily News | Saturday, 5 May 2007 TOUCHED BY BRAVERY: Texan Jerrell Hudman is pictured with his Purple Heart medal from the Vietnam War that he is sending to New Zealand to honour the bravery of heroic dead Jack Russell terrier, George. Hero-dog George has touched plenty of hearts - now he's being honoured with a Purple Heart. American war veteran Jerrell Hudman was so moved by the Jack Russell's story of sacrifice that he is sending George his Purple Heart medal. Last weekend George gave his life...

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2007 – Purple Heart recipient Spc. Joseph D. Bacani will embark on 45 days of much-deserved convalescent leave in his hometown of Tustin, Calif., tomorrow, but he says he’d rather be elsewhere. U.S. Army Spc. Joseph D. Bacani, a cavalry scout assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment , Fort Hood, Texas, talks with reporters following a ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he received a Purple Heart, April 6, 2007. Defense Dept. photo by John J. Kruzel.   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “I wish I was still...

The Gathering of Eagles rally and follow-up counter protest of the Moonbats' surrender parade was such a huge success that an item very near and dear to the DC Chapter members' hearts was lost that day.As the rally was winding down, I was handing out MOABs (each was disassembled and packed in a drawstring bag) to Freepers who offered to carry them over to the Lincoln Memorial for use as the Moonbat parade marched by. I also handed out the bags holding our many 3' x 5' flags, so that the Moonbats would be met with a sea of US...

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- Within an hour of waking up in the Air Force Theater Hospital on the morning of Feb. 11, Staff Sgt. Kathryn Robinson was presented with the Purple Heart. Sergeant Robinson, a videographer assigned to the 4th Combat Camera Squadron in March Air Reserve Base, Calif. , was shot once in the left forearm and on the tip of her right thumb. The day prior, the 13-year service member was on a cordon and search mission with U.S. and Iraqi Army soldiers near Baqubah when the team took small arms fire. After the sniper's bullet penetrated...

1/31/2007 - LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. (AFNEWS) -- Two explosive ordnance disposal Airmen from the 314th Civil Engineer Squadron received combat medals for their actions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Jan. 30 in a ceremony here. Staff Sgt. Lawrence Lipinski was awarded the Bronze Star and Staff Sgt. Matthew Patnaude received his second Purple Heart for their actions while deployed with the Army's 101st Airborne at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq. "They define the wingman concept; meeting the objective under the worst of circumstances," said Brig. Gen. Kip L. Self, the 314th Airlift Wing commander who presented the...

Anderson, a Navy hospital corpsman assigned to the Marines, died fighting in Iraq on Dec. 4 and was promoted after his death to petty officer. An admiral will present his family with Anderson’s Purple Heart during this afternoon’s service. Also planning to show up in force are members of the Patriot Guard motorcycle riders. The veterans attend funerals of fallen military men and women to show their respect. They also attempt to serve as a counterpoint to protests by members of the Westboro Baptist Church. This afternoon, Anderson’s body will be driven to north Longmont and the start of Lake...

One area deemed off-limits by the Left is criticism of its “war heroes.” Take, for instance, John Murtha’s failed bid to become the next House Majority Leader last week. Murtha, who has become the primary Democratic Party critic of the war in Iraq, came under fire by Republicans and Democrats alike during his Majority Leader bid for his role in the ABSCAM scandal in the early 1980s and his constant pork-barreling with no protest issued. Undoubtedly, these led to his defeat for the position. But there are real questions surrounding Murtha’s Vietnam-era military service, particularly the circumstances surrounding the issuance...

Robert T. Frederick From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Robert Tryon Frederick (1907-1970) was a highly decorated combat commander during World War II, who commanded the 1st Special Service Force, the 1st Airborne Task Force and the 45th Infantry Division . Robert T. Frederick was born on March 14, 1907 in San Francisco, California and died on November 29, 1970 in Stanford, California. He attended Staunton Military Academy from 1923 to 1924 and the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1924 to 1928. Upon graduation from West Point, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in...

The history of the Purple Heart is as old as the United States. The members of the Major John R. Tabia PhD., Chapter No. 608 Military Order of the Purple Heart will celebrate 224 years of the Purple Heart today. A Purple Heart Family Dinner will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. at the China Buffet in Prescott. Chapter Commander Alfonso Santillan said all Purple Heart recipients are welcome to the no-host event. He encouraged non-members to join the celebration, bring a copy of their DD214 and sign up. Santillan said the Military Order of the Purple Heart is...

Federal Bureau of Investigations Washington, D.C. Gentlemen: I was very pleased to read about your "sting" investigation and to learn that you have finally uncovered Congressman John P. Murtha for what he has been doing to the people of this Congressional Districy. He has been parading up and doen this 6-county area with a twice-wounded Vietnam War hero background, and even has the audacity to list this in his Congressional Directory. In your investigation, you will discover a phoney! Murtha's own Marine Corp Official Record indicates that he incurred two lacerations during his Vietnam service-- March 22, 1967 -- on...

John Kerry's Skimmer Scam By Thomas Lipscomb As the Kate Zernike front page Memorial Day weekend New York Times story indicates, a number of Kerry supporters were disappointed that Kerry had not vigorously defended himself against the charges of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth during the 2004 Presidential campaign. According to Zernike some "are compiling a dossier that they say will expose every one of the Swift boat group's charges as a lie and put to rest any question about Mr. Kerry's valor in combat." That might not only be a difficult task but it could backfire badly. As...

CBS reporter injured in Iraq given Purple Heart by wounded soldier DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer June 2, 2006 4:56 AM BERLIN (AP) - Kimberly Dozier, the CBS reporter wounded by a car bomb in Iraq, now has a Purple Heart at her bedside in a U.S. military hospital in Germany after a young American soldier gave her his medal, the network said. Dozier, 39, was seriously injured in a blast Monday while covering a story on Memorial Day in Iraq. Her camera crew, Britons Paul Douglas and James Brolan, were killed in the attack, along with a U.S. soldier...

By DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 11 minutes ago BERLIN - Kimberly Dozier, the CBS reporter wounded by a car bomb in Iraq, now has a Purple Heart at her bedside in a U.S. military hospital in Germany after a young American soldier gave her his medal, the network said. Dozier, 39, was seriously injured in a blast Monday while covering a story on Memorial Day in Iraq. Her camera crew, Britons Paul Douglas and James Brolan, were killed in the attack, along with a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi translator. Dozier, who was flown Tuesday to Landstuhl...

VAILS GATE, New York (AP) -- Cpl. Robert Frink was captured in Germany during the final months of World War II. He and two comrades were forced to swap uniforms with their Waffen SS captors, lined up and shot in the back of the head. Miraculously, the bullet entered Frink's neck and exited his cheek without shearing his spine or jugular vein. He even felt a German kick him as he lay bleeding. "Believe me, I played dead!" After his captors left, Frink fled, found some Canadian troops, and was saved. The wound earned him a Purple Heart.

Cpl. Robert Frink was captured in Germany during the final months of World War II. He and two comrades were forced to swap uniforms with their Waffen SS captors, lined up and shot in the back of the head. Miraculously, the bullet entered Frink's neck and exited his cheek without shearing his spine or jugular vein. He even felt a German kick him as he lay bleeding. "Believe me, I played dead!" After his captors left, Frink fled, found some Canadian troops, and was saved. The wound earned him a Purple Heart. Sixty-one years later, it is earning him an...

Purple Heart Park in Southeast Tucson has a new monument to honor the park's namesake. The city has replaced the crumbling Purple Heart statue in the park on East Rita Road in the Rita Ranch community with a new monument honoring those killed or wounded in combat. The 12-foot-long brick monument, about 5 feet high, features a heart in the middle made of squares of purple glass, said Jim Conroy, the East District administrator of the Parks Department. He called the monument very well done. Mike Dyer, chaplain for the local chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart,...

An article and a picture caption yesterday about the funeral of Sgt. Jose Gomez of Queens, who was killed on April 20 in Iraq, referred incorrectly to the Army representative who comforted his mother. She was a sergeant first class — an enlisted woman, not an officer. The article also misstated the name of a service medal that a general presented to Sergeant Gomez's mother. It is a Purple Heart, not a Purple Star. In some copies, a picture of the coffin being carried out of a funeral home carried an erroneous credit. The photographer was Ozier Muhammad of The...

Two years ago, Charleston's Billy Schachte was caught in the undertow of presidential campaign debates over the circumstances of John Kerry's first Purple Heart. He had commanded Kerry's first Vietnam combat mission and his recollection of the experience was very much different than Kerry's published account. Today, this tussle over truth and confusion simmers on just beneath the public's attention. That's likely to change soon. Television news veteran Marvin Kalb and his daughter are working through a Harvard-based grant to publish a book that will include commentary on the effectiveness and the credibility of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth,...

   The Free Republic Canteen Looks At The Purple Heart     Attached to the piece of dark blue cloth is a purple heart of silk, bound with braid and edged with lace. The cloth is believed to be part of the uniform or the tunic of a soldier of the Continental Army. There is no name, rank or regimental insignia on the piece of cloth. The Purple Heart is displayed in Washington, DC, at the Society of the Cincinnati's Anderson House Museum and another at Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh, New York. The Purple Heart itself...

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2006 – Not far from the city that bears his name, George Washington reposes in his crypt at Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate he retired to after serving as America's first president and commander in chief of the armed forces. George Washington, commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and the first president of the United States, originated the Purple Heart Medal. After the American colonists had won their freedom from England, the medal was discontinued until it was revived in 1932. Photo by Gerry J. Gilmore  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Yesterday,...

MOUNT VERNON, Va., April 20, 2006 – Top DoD and Army leaders gathered here at the home of the country's first war hero today to honor soldiers wounded in Iraq. Army Capt. Robert Klinger shakes hands with Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England after being presented with the Purple Heart Medal during an award ceremony on George Washington's Mount Vernon estate, in Mount Vernon, Va., April 20, 2006. Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "I feel very lucky, very lucky. It's nice being married to your own personal hero," Mollie Borders, the wife...

John Kerry Opposes Iran Nuke Strike, Backs Censure 2008 presidential hopeful John Kerry said Sunday that he opposes a U.S. strike against Iran's nuclear facilities that would involve nuclear bunker-busting bombs - and announced his support for Sen. Russ Feingold proposal to censure President Bush. Asked about reports that U.S. contingency plans include using "tactical nuclear devices" in a possible Iran attack, Kerry told NBC's "Meet the Press": "I think that is another example of the move from the hip, shoot from the hip, cowboy diplomacy of this administration . . . For us to think about exploding tactical nuclear...