Free Republic

At least the 4th incident this month where homeowners stood their ground against intrudersNaked, grizzled and grumpy after having been rudely awakened, Robert E. Thompson, of Lake Worth, Fla., reached for his loaded .38 caliber revolver and shuffled his way out back where his dog was growling ferociously. The World War II veteran encountered a drunken man who couldn’t speak English; 26-year-old Jose Pasqual was trying to fend off Thompson’s Rottweiler/Doberman pinscher mix, according to the Palm Beach Post. Thompson pointed his gun at the intruder, who had just scaled a fence into his yard. Pasqual took a step towards...

Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan - The soldiers in his New York-based combat unit call Staff Sgt. Brandon Camacho the "Bullet Magnet." Camacho - either the luckiest or unluckiest soldier in Afghanistan - is on his second tour here with the Fort Drum-based 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. The reason for the nickname: He's just earned his fifth Purple Heart after being shot in the left knee in a firefight 100 miles south of Kabul, military officials said. "One of my friends said, 'You're the luckiest unlucky person I know,'" said Camacho, 24, who grew up in Saipan...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~Happy 77th to the Purple Heart Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies militaryand the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. President George W. Bush shakes the hand of Marine Cpl. Andrew L. Tinsley of Annapolis, Md., Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005, after Cpl Tinsley was presented the Purple Heart during a visit by the President and Laura Bush to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. White House photo by Paul Morse. The Purple Heart is an American decoration-the oldest military decoration in...

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- A Seminole County family is happy to get a piece of its family history back, even if it's not the real thing. Two years ago, a Purple Heart awarded to Ray Cox was stolen during a burglary. Private Cox was killed in combat in 1950. Monday, Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas presented his family with a replacement medal. Cox's sister, Dorothy Clawson, is grateful to have the medal, but wishes she could have Ray back. "I would have liked to seen him grow up to be a man and see what he turned out to be. He was...

In conjuntion with www.freerepublic.com, The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Patriot Guard (AR), and Alerts Secure Arkansas is planning a huge rally to support our military. It will be held on Thursday, June 4th, at 4 p.m., in front of the Army-Navy Recruiting Station at Ashley Square, corner of Reservoir Road and Rodney Parham in Little Rock (. This is an emergency rally to show respect for our troops and let them know we mourn the loss of soldier William Long and the wounding of soldier Quinton Ezeagwula. Please bring your Flags, yellow ribbons, and signs. For more...

Governor Sarah Palin, with Jeff Roy, National Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, pins the Purple Heart Medal on Wayne Stackhouse, with his wife, Ilene by his side. Also pictured, the Operation Denali climbing team, who begin their ascent of North America's tallest mountain on June 1, 2009.

KETCHIKAN, Alaska - Alaska's upcoming vacancy on the state Supreme Court has drawn 25 applicants, including 10 Superior Court judges. Justice Robert L. Eastaugh, 65, is retiring in November. He was appointed in 1994.

Ninety-one years after a Herkimer soldier was injured in World War I, he's posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. In 1918, Private First Class Floyd Jackson was on patrol for his unit in France when the German Army released chlorine gas. Jackson warned his unit to put on their gas masks. By doing so, he inhaled the gas himself, but his actions saved the lives of the men in his unit. He had lung damage and was hospitalized and discharged in 1919. On Monday, his daughters received his Purple Heart from Congressman Michael Arcuri. Purple Heart awarded after 91 years Ninety-one...

3/11/2009 - POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFNS) -- Tears stood in Sue Rhyner's eyes as she talked about her son, who, in a ceremony March 10 here received the Air Force Cross, the highest military decoration awarded by the service, and a Purple Heart. Staff Sgt. Zachary Rhyner of the 21st Special Tactics Squadron from Pope Air Force Base, N.C., received the medal for uncommon valor during Operation Enduring Freedom before a crowd of hundreds dotted with combat controllers' red berets. The decoration is second only to the Medal of Honor, and is awarded by the president. "This is...

Fort Lewis is the setting for an emotional Purple Heart ceremony more than 43 years after a young Marine was hurt in Vietnam. The corpsman who treated him attends.

1/9/2009 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- On Christmas Eve, Master Sgt. David Webber wasn't thinking about Santa or sugarplums. He wasn't wrapping presents for his two boys or his wife. He was in a guard tower. In Afghanistan. Helping scan for snipers. But that was before being hit with chunks of shrapnel that had him losing a pint of blood a minute. Since then Sergeant Webber has been recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Jan. 8 was invited to the Pentagon to receive his Purple Heart medal from Gen. Norton Schwartz, the chief of staff of the Air Force....

The Pentagon has decided that it will not award the Purple Heart, the hallowed medal given to those wounded or killed by enemy action, to war veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder because it is not a physical wound.

Charles Dragich survived the fighting in the Philippines, the Bataan Death March, a "hell ship," two bouts of malaria, near starvation, an air raid and slave labor.He emerged from a Japanese prisoner of war camp in 1945 at half his normal weight of 160 pounds, then promptly re-enlisted. He wore the uniform of the Army, and later the Air Force, for 26 years, retiring in 1964 as a chief master sergeant.Rather improbably and inexplicably, Dragich left the military without any decorations for fighting and surviving one of World War II’s most inhumane episodes — a forced 65-mile march in which...

Jamie plops down on the couch with the two most significant members of her menagerie: Rex and Mike. Rex is an 8-year-old bomb-sniffing German shepherd. He was blown out of Jamie's Humvee after they searched a village outside Kirkuk. Rex suffered a singed nose, but Jamie thought he was dead. Mike is the Army medic who helped save her life that day in Iraq. And he later became her husband. {snip} Jamie spent four months at Walter Reed. She met Wayne Newton, was awarded the Purple Heart and discovered that her beloved Rex was alive. "They told me he was...

At John McCain’s rallies these days, the talk is of taxes and Joe the Plumber and the financial crisis and mortgage relief and an end to wasteful federal spending. Those are all perfectly fine things for a campaign to emphasize; polls show voters of all stripes are overwhelmingly concerned about the economy. But at McCain’s events, you’ll also find people who’ve come for another reason, one that is slipping in the polls of voters’ concerns but is deeply personal to them: the war in Iraq. “I just gave John McCain my Purple Heart,” Marine Sgt. Jack Eubanks told me a...

At John McCain’s rallies these days, the talk is of taxes and Joe the Plumber and the financial crisis and mortgage relief and an end to wasteful federal spending. Those are all perfectly fine things for a campaign to emphasize; polls show voters of all stripes are overwhelmingly concerned about the economy. But at McCain’s events, you’ll also find people who’ve come for another reason, one that is slipping in the polls of voters’ concerns but is deeply personal to them: the war in Iraq. “I just gave John McCain my Purple Heart,” Marine Sgt. Jack Eubanks told me a...

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...