Congressman Calls for Long Denied Purple Heart For Korean War Vet
Jerry Cramer is a Marine who fought valiantly in Korea during the Chosin Reservoir Campaign. He became so frostbitten that he was hospitalized in Japan for months after his rescue. He earned an honorable discharge. Congressman Tom Suozzi (D – Long Island, Queens) has announced legislation calling for the Purple Heart to be awarded to the 91-year veteran.
ninja sends.
SUOZZI HONORS KOREAN WAR VETERAN WHO HAS BEEN UNJUSTLY DENIED THE PURPLE HEART DESPITE SUSTAINING SEVERE FROSTBITE WOUNDS IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY
Congressman Tom Suozzi (D – Long Island, Queens) honored 91-year old Marine Corporal Anselm “Jerry” Cramer of East Northport, who has been repeatedly and unjustly denied the Purple Heart despite sustaining severe frostbite wounds, from which he has never recovered, during the Korean War.
“Today is just a small step forward to right an injustice. Jerry Cramer, a great American, exemplifies everything the Purple Heart represents,” said Suozzi. “During the Battle for the Chosin Reservoir, known at the ‘Frozen Chosin,’ Jerry Cramer fought two deadly adversaries to stay alive – enemy soldiers and subfreezing temperatures. His bravery on the field of battle and steadfast loyalty to his country, family, and fellow Marines are values we must honor and promote in our military. One of my top priorities as a Member of Congress has always been to ensure that our veterans receive the respect they deserve. Jerry Cramer deserves the Purple Heart.”
From November 28 to December 5, 1950, Mr. Cramer braved the bitter cold, without shelter the entire time, and buried himself in the snow to avoid enemy fire. During the subsequent retreat, Mr. Cramer carried fallen comrades, whose bodies were completely frozen. By the time he made it back to the safety of a first aid camp, Mr. Cramer’s hands and feet were black from frostbite. His frostbite injuries were so severe that he was immediately medically evacuated to Japan ahead of soldiers with gunshot wounds. He was subsequently released from the Marine Corps with a 40% disability and returned home.
Read the entire article here: Suozzi House
Our ninja sent this to us for a reason. Took me a while to figure it out- any of our more astute members care to have a try?
Thanks, ninja.
Category: Guest Post, Korea, Marines
Severe frostbite to his hands and feet from which he never recovered? He’s standing and has hands 69 years later. Did a Democrat write the copy?
Call me out if I’m wrong (and I probably am), but it reads as if a DildoCrat Kongress Kritter is trying to make himself and the DildoCrat party look like they care about The Veterans/The Little People/the Seniors.
Symbolic actions, but little of substance.
Oh, and you can call me jaundiced and cynical as well.
Tox, if you wrong then that will make at least 2 of us cause I feel the same way. And you can use those same descriptive adjectives too.
I can in no way imagine what this Marine, and others that were there, went thru as part of the “Chosen Frozen”. Kawd knows we have seen enough stories from the “Another Returns” series that Hondo brings us each Sunday. How many went thru what he did, and then some? And how many got frostbite, wounded, and then became POW, were never heard from again, or Mama & ’em got the PH? My opinion is this. The award was made to others during the time frame that he was eligible. He shoulda/coulda/had oughta been awarded. In my day, frostbite injury would have meant an Article 15 or other UCMJ punishment…damaging gubmint property.
Way to pander and troll for votes there Kongress Kritter. Why’d you wait this long to do anything?
KoB wrote:
“In my day, frostbite injury would have meant an Article 15 or other UCMJ punishment…damaging gubmint property.”
I was wondering the same thing.
I researched about Marines experiencing Frostbite during Korean War…and found this interesting article:
http://www.thekwe.org/topics/homefront/p_cold_injury.htm#:~:text=Walker%20Symptoms-,Introduction,Korea%20during%20the%20war%20years.&text=The%20latter%20lost%20fingers%20and,of%20frostbitten%20noses%20and%20ears.
Were the Marines and their Chain of Command not adequately dressed or educated about Frostbite?
Good link. According to it (and from other things I have read) the answer to your question is no.
Concur. See, Democrats support veterans– vote Joe 2020!
“exemplifies everything the Purple Heart represents” except being injured by enemy action. There are other awards for such bravery, use the award citations of the time for frame of reference.
Using modern era award criteria, BS w/V or SS.
I’m not trying to be a dick, but…
What say y’all?
(If he was POW at the time it’d probably be different)
Roh-Dog wrote: “I’m not trying to be a dick, but..” Well, I guess I am a dick, because IMHO, based on Regulations that were implemented at that time, Mr. Cramer should not be awarded the PH, despite this being the 5th time… The US Army Medical Department also did an interesting study about Frostbite during WWII and the PH. Please scroll down to page 189 in the article: https://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/coldinjury/Chapter07.htm “The paragraph in question remained unchanged until May 1951, when the recommendation was revived that the Purple Heart should not be awarded for frostbite. In the notation from (3-1 for the Chief of Staff, United States Army, it was pointed out that the Air Force and Navy had eliminated the award for cold injury, and that the Army, to provide for more uniform standards of awards, should also eliminate it. This recommendation was concurred in on all levels, and the Chief of Staff on 23 August 1951 approved the elimination of frostbite and trenchfoot as reasons for the award of the Purple Heart (Changes No. 4, AR 600-45). The award was therefore not made again during the remainder of the war in Korea.” And this: …”the Army upon the preventable nature of cold injury had to be taken into consideration, even while it was remembered that circumstances beyond individual control might be responsible for any gradation of the injury. It was therefore recommended that if the Purple Heart were to be given at all for cold injury, three criteria must be met: 1. The injury must be severe. 2. It must require hospitalization. 3. It must be ascertained that the circumstances of the injury were not preventable and were beyond human control. The president of the War Department Decorations Board did not look with favor upon a proposal that the whole matter be dropped on the ground that there would probably be few instances of cold injury in the future. He took the position that since the question had been raised it should be settled. He suggested that the criteria of award should include a proviso that the injury had not… Read more »
I am an ordinary citizen, not a Congressman…and yet, with a few strokes of the keyboard, I was able to find articles about Frostbite and the PH.
Looks as if the Congressman’s office did not do a good job in researching nor questioned as to why Mr. Cramer has been TURNED DOWN FOUR (4) TIMES SINCE 1964 for the PH.
Anonymous and Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH B Woodman wrote some good points.
“and yet, with a few strokes of the keyboard, I was able to find…”
Yep. Amazing, isn’t it? So easy and yet so few people bother.
I love the internet. It’s even better than a library, and I can sit around in my undies if I want!
The Internet; It’s Not Just For Porn, Anymore.
Netflix – “oh yeah?”
Pedflix
Cat Porn, those that dig their nails into your back, and those who practice foreplay with canaries.
From the article:
Mr. Cramer has sought and been denied the Purple Heart four times due to a naval department rule change. While some Marines were awarded the Purple Heart for frostbite during that time, in March 1951, the Navy issued a regulation taking frostbite off the award list. Its current position is that frostbite was never a qualifying reason for receiving the Purple Heart and that any medals that were previous awarded were erroneously given.
“Our ninja sent this to us for a reason….” And here is the reason…the Rest Of The Story… Mr. Cramer has been trying SINCE 1964 to be awarded the PH. Since 1964. He has been trying for about 55/56 years to be awarded the PH. He WAS TURNED DOWN 4 times…and yet, a Congressman in New York is trying to pass a Bill to get President Trump to award him the PH. Mr. Cramer is trying AGAIN…For the 5th Time…(I can hear the song from “Frozen”…”Let It Go, Let It Go”).. Mr. Cramer is 91 Years Old. Will he get turned down the 5th time if the Bill goes thru? Most Likely. If he keeps living, will he keep trying? Perhaps. None of us will probably never know as to why Mr. Cramer is so “obsessed” (my words) and persistent in being awarded a PH. IMHO and my opinion only, Mr. Cramer reminds me a bit of Forging Frank’s “obsession” in receiving a PH. IMHO, I feel the Congressman is enabling Mr. Cramer’s persistence (I call it “obsession”) to be awarded the PH. IMHO, I hope the Bill that the Congressman wants to implement is DISAPPROVED. If it DOES go thru, then I am afraid a new can of worms will be opened, i.e. more folks will start requesting the PH for not only Frostbite experienced in Combat, but also for Trench foot and perhaps even a Mosquito Bite (I wrote that with tongue-in-cheek). In other words, the PH will no longer hold on to its true meaning/merit. Mr. Cramer was not a Prisoner of War. He DID serve with the 7th Marines in October 1950. He WAS treated in a Military hospital and returned to CONUS. Research indicates that in April 1951, he was at Parris Island as a PFC with a MOS of 5800 (Military Police?). Mr. Cramer claims he has been awarded 40% Disability for his Frostbite. “In December 1950, as a member of the First Marine Division, Cramer sustained severe frostbite wounds to his hands and feet during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in Jangjin, North… Read more »
Never wanted a PH. Shore didn’t want Mama or the dependapotumas to get one that had my name on it either.
There was another “Forging Frank”, in Korea, that was self awarded a PH. He was a well known surgeon in a M.A.S.H unit. The award was for a shell fragment in the eye. It was an egg shell fragment but…still…..
KoB:
I’m with you.
The PH was an award I never wanted as well.
As shared, we may never know why Mr. Cramer has been persistant in being awarded the PH. He received 40% Disability and was able to work after leaving the Marine Corps in the 1950s.
So different from those who returned from battle with severe wounds, some so severe that they could not take care of themselves.
I can definitely tell you are a alumni
Of the the Ft Sill boys school
While I was at basic there two of our
DI’s made it clean that a PH is and should be a
Award to the bad guys
I never understand that but I do now
I came close to getting a Purple Heart a couple of times. I’m glad not to have one. So were the men I lead in combat. That award is often a function of being in the wrong space at the wrong point in time. It is not proof of valor in most cases. Did riding in a Huey and seeing the AK rounds come through the floor around my feet make me a hero? No. Had I not moved my ass a couple minutes earlier in time, I would have one, likely awarded posthumously. So, still glad not to have a PH.
Me Too……
but great leadership and training that at the at the time seemed crazy paid off
Disclaimer: I am not a recipient of the Purple Heart Medal, but the opening paragraph from the MOPH (Military Order of the Purple Heart) says:
” The Purple Heart Medal is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed or die of wounds received in action. It is specifically a combat decoration.”
” Injured” versus “Wounded” –Your call, but it seems to me that even if Mr. Cramer would ultimately receive a Purple Heart Medal, he would not be eligible for membership in the MOPH based on that opening paragraph.
Claw:
As shared, it seems the Congressman and his office failed to research the Regulation governing the award of the PH as well as ignoring the fact that Mr. Cramer request for the PH has been TURNED DOWN 4 TIMES since 1964.
What a shame that the Congressman is giving false hope to Mr. Cramer…with the possibility of the Congressman using Mr. Cramer as a pawn in a Political Game (Mr. Cramer is just a Pawn in the Game of Life).
🤔
Especially since the old timer was a fellow former Marine, I’d be somewhat biased if I said I’d like to see him get his medal. On the other hand, I always thought the P H was for those wounded in BATTLE. If we are not careful and allow a P H for frostbite, will it be long before others are asking for the same, having suffered from malaria? Rarely discussed, but a LOT of us came back from RVN with something we referred to as “crotch rot”.
It was actually a gaulding of the area where the upper inside fold of your thigh meets the area immediately below your testicles (were it not for EX-Ph2 I’d say BALLS). It was always moist and itchy, worse during the summer heat and humidity. Caused me to wear shorts 99% of the time through today rather than be caged in long britches and made even more unbearable. Even think about a P H for that miserable rash? NOT in this lifetime!
Neighbor: where were you wounded?
Stooge: I was hit by a 40 MM rash during a long battle.
Neighbor: You mean one of those RPG’s I heard about?
Stooge: Yeh, that’s it…a 40 MM Rash Propelled Grenade.
Neighbor: You still got scars from it?
Stooge: Oh hell yeh! I’d show you my wound but I’d have to show you my Johnson to do so.
Neighbor: So now I understand why you were always so fond of farm animals.
If you read the pertinent regulations, the distinction of wounded is made clear for a reason. If you trip and break your ankle running for cover while under mortar attack, that’s not a PH. If you’re in a car that overturns when a roadside bomb goes off and you get hurt, that’s a PH.
It also requires that the wound must of of sufficient severity to require a medical officer’s care, whether one is available or not.
Amen, Mason, Amen.
Mr. Cramer shared that he witnessed “other Servicemembers” receiving the PH when he was recuparating in a Hospital in Japan, thus his reason why he should be awarded the PH.
Mr. Cramer was a Marine. The ARMY changed their guidance in 1951. It looks as if the Navy had always stipulated that a Marine or Sailor were not entitled to the PH based on Frostbite.
Mr. Cramer may have witnessed a Soldier receiving a PH for frostbite while he was in the hospital. If he DID see a Marine awarded the PH, the PH was most likely erroreously given.
Again, my question is:
What is the hidden agenda behind Mr. Cramer’s persistance quest for the PH?
He can’t take NO for an answer?
Monetary gain? A “LOOK AT ME!” gain? Bitterness for having frostbite?
Is Mr. Cramer going to keep trying over and over and over again to be awarded the PH?
Did he embellish his time with the Marine Corps and told folks for years that he received a PH? Records indicate Mr. Cramer was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1954 (same year he was married).
Why did he wait 10 years later in 1964 to request a PH?
What triggered that?
An Honorable man with closing in on the last 100 yards with a fading memory.
A good man.
But with time things change and progress.
Whether perceived or realized.
My dad was docked two days pay for a severe sunburn that kept him off duty.
B17 crewmember could not fly. I have the records.
Where do I apply for his Purple Heart?
^Word^ Details are fuzzy ‘beans, but in the FRG winters we stayed on Pvt Snuffy’s azz about it. Granted the supply chain/logistics that we had in the FIRST (ht to R-D) part of the 70s was way yonder better than Korea of 1950 and we had plenty of warm weather gear. If you reported on sick call or were observed to have cold exposure related problems, you could find your azz in a sling. Some of the Senior NCOs and ossifers had seen FIRST (ht 2 R-D) hand in WWII Europe and/or Korea what could happen.
Warm weather gear was considered a “wears out” item and the Supply Daddy was instructed to keep plenty on hand and there was very little accounting done if you needed replacements. You get caught out in the elements without your gear ON YOUR EXPOSED BODY, then YOU had some accounting to do.
Sounds like the Congressman is fuzzy on both how to read, and the distinction between ‘injured’ and ‘wounded’. A PH is given for the latter.
Mr. Jerry seems a nice old guy, but I’ll bet he has no idea whether those ‘other Marines with frostbite’ had legit wounds earning those PHs.
Sounds like an honorable man.
Sadly, he does not qualify.
The floodgates would open…
Reminds me of a sunny Sunday off the coast of California.
Our ship went to rescue a fisherman’s boat with two people and one dog on board. Got them off safely.
Went on watch down in #2 engineroom.
All stop on the engines.
Three sudden loud booms right outside the hull.
Pinging noises on the hull.
Chief Engineer comes on 1MC and says “all hands topside, lay below”
WTF…
Seems that the Captain decided to sink the fishing boat using a M79 grenade launcher… 17 wounded sailors. One flown back to shore by helo.
Came up out of the engineroom and ran across a fellow chief. He raised his shirt and said “Look!!”
Showed me his shrapnel wound.
He said
“I’ll get a Purple Heart!!!”
I said…
“You don’t get one if your own captain shoots you….”
Hack Stone’s first encounter with Stolen Valor was two or three days after graduating while home on leave. Hack went to a local drinking establishment with his older brothers, and this guy comes up to Hack and tells him that was a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps and had SEVEN PURPLE HEARTS. Incredible that Hack would have the opportunity to meet such a legend this early in his career.
Hack Stone: Seven Purple Hearts. How many tours did you do in Vietnam?
Shit Talker: Oh, I wasn’t in Vietnam. When I was a Drill Instructor, every time a Recruit dropped a hand grenade, I would pick it up and throw it. If I got hit with shrapnel, I got a Purple Heart.
Hack Stone: That’s not how it works.
My first encounter with SV was Friday afternoon about 30 minutes after we did PIR at Great Lakes.
A few enterprising (yet incredibly stupid) boots thought it would be a great idea to go to the NEX and load up on ribbon racks, red Company Commander ropes, and the like.
Right up to the point they got caught, sent back to RTC, and immediately set back 2-plus weeks in training.
Whoops.
Thankfully we never dealt with that on the boats.
Be kinda tough for the CO to explain what happened to a $1M+ Mk-48, although I would have paid to be a spectator at that conversation.
Ok, if Mr Cramer is NOT eligible for the PH, then what award WOULD he legitimately be eligible for, given the same circumstances?
Not that.
A “Sucks To Be You Ribbon” for sure.
And maybe 100% across the board?
But not that.
The same as everybody (even Kirjath Toney) else: NDSM, UN Service Medal, Korea Service Medal and (maybe) the ROK Presidential Unit Citation./s
Curious as to if Lori Benton, the former legal counsel for The False Commander “Phony” Phil Monkress (CEO of All-Points Logistics based in Merritt Island, FL) will be stepping in to handle his “claim”?
Commemorative edition 45rpm of “Popsicle Toes”.