Securing Purple Heart Valor

| June 4, 2021

Several U.S. Representatives are making an effort to get the Purple Heart medal listed among other valor awards.

Editorial: A bipartisan effort to secure Purple Heart valor

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Courage is the kind of thing anyone can have. Grab the moment. Seize the day.

But valor is different. Valor is a special kind of bravery. Valor speaks to courage under fire. It is about acts of duty and grit in combat, and it often comes with consequences. Valor is spoken of at gravesides. Valor is commended in those who carry the injuries of battle the rest of their lives.

Valor is noted when a medal is presented — a medal such as the Purple Heart, given to members of the military “wounded or killed in action against an enemy of the United States or as a result of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed forces.”

Then…

U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, Conor Lamb, Mike Kelly and Mike Doyle jointly have asked the department to include the honor alongside the others.

“By listing Purple Heart recipients on the Department of Defense’s valor awards website, we continue the time-honored tradition of recognizing these brave men and women and ensuring they have access to the resources they need from veteran service organizations,” said Reschenthaler, who served in the Navy.

It is something the four men were brave enough to do together, calling a cease-fire to partisan politics in this one field of battle. Reschenthaler and Kelly are Republicans. Doyle and Lamb (a Marine veteran) are Democrats.

It is a noble effort, indeed.  I think it will be a challenge due to the Purple Heart being such an individual award and circumstances are varied.  For this reason, if they do get the listings it may only have limited value as a resource.  It may be difficult to have confidence to say that if someone is not listed that they were never awarded one.

Stated another way – it may not be an indication of stolen valor except in the affirmative.  Meaning, if someone is listed then it is confirmation that they have been awarded a Purple Heart, but if they are not listed it wouldn’t necessarily confirm that they were never awarded one.

What’s the stake from Vietnam?   As part of a Punji pit?  I thought they were primarily wood or bamboo.

Punji Pit

Category: Politics, Purple Heart, Stolen Valor, Stolen Valor Act

14 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
KoB

Glad I never got the “I forgot to duck” award. Doubly glad they didn’t give one to Mama. Did you hear about the MASH Doctor that got a shell fragment in his eye? Just because it was an egg shell fragment shouldn’t matter…should it?

You kongress klown kritters want to do some legislation to help true War Heroes, put some teeth into the Stolen Valor Laws, ‘specially for those embellishing, lying, POSes that use their lies to steal Valor and Benefits that they didn’t earn! To me, there is NOTHING lower than the scum that claim a Purple Heart that weren’t awarded one. That is literally standing on the bodies and in the blood of true Hero Warriors.

ChipNASA

You Tard,
Stop stealing my old memories (at least you’re not stealing my mammaries, and I don’t mean the ones attached to me, but any I may come in contact attached to lionesses), but when I read (or read about this) Purple Hearts, this is one of the first things I thought of.

One thing Steve if absolutely *WILL* accomplish with a null entry are those individuals that claim say, 3+ awards of the PH (or 7 or 9) that are not on the list, therefore, are immediately not only suspect, but instant frauds because I can’t imagine the DOD NOT having someone listed for a couple much less a few or more. They’d be at the TOP of the list, for sure.
“Oh Phil, had 5, yeah, we missed that one.”
Bullshit.
So if this passes and begins, then there’s that.
Happy Friday fuckers.

Anonymous

Don’t forget certain “in a manner reminiscent of jen-giss kahn” navy lieutenant who got to got home early from ‘Nam from getting three minor purple hearts, including one for accidentally hurting himself when shooting a M79 grenade launcher at something he thought was there and hit a rock instead.

Green Thumb

This has the potential to create all sorts of problems.

ChipNASA

It’s a tool, like a gun or an axe, knife or hammer.
If used correctly, it’s worthwhile, if not, it can create problems.
Yep.
I’m still all for it. Like Guns. But not for *everyone*. Some individuals should be restricted access, mentally deficient and those who have shown by their behavior, they’re not responsible citizens.

Green Thumb

Good point.

Roh-Dog

If we make the bar to fake-the-funk too high, and the punishment hammer too heavy, we may find ourselves at a point where The Hair, Senior Chief Don Shipley, is out of a job.
I’m afraid in this case the world might just stop turning.
ymmv

ChipNASA

Not only do I kindly disagree, but, I do believe when The Hair and it’s Earthly host, shuffle off this mortal coil, yea, many millennia from now, their will continue their work in spectral form.
😀 😀 😀

5JC

Why people want to claim the enemy marksmanship award has always been a mystery to me. It seems a straight play for sympathy built on the blood spilled by others, and of course the small financial incentive, but I think there is something darker going on.

Back in the 80s, before Al Gore invented the internet, I knew a retired Sergeant First Class who claimed he had 22 purple hearts. The Albert Ireland wannabe was later convicted of real estate fraud and went to PYITAP.

SV, was much more a thing 40 years ago because it was so much tougher to prove and people were much less likely to challenge even the most outrageous claims without any proof. I’m in favor of the database even if confused by it’s necessity.

MarineDad61

Speaking of recent Phony Purple Hearts…
Google Fu on 2x PPH Annpolis Fake Marine Chipp Reid…
#2 – MP
#9 – VG
Well done!
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22chipp+reid%22

MarineDad61

Bonus – For a special triple treat, on the Google Fu linky above,
click on the Images and Videos tabs.
Note – He should have kept his public apology visible on the Book of Fake.

Hatchet

Total twot with teeth. Conditioned response = Middle finger salute – sah-lute! 🖕

Hatchet

Purple Heart fact – During World War II, 1,506,000 Purple Heart medals were manufactured, in anticipation of the estimated casualties resulting from the planned Allied invasion of Japan. By the end of the war, even accounting for medals lost, stolen or wasted, nearly 500,000 remained.

Just…wow.

Anonymous

And they’re still being issued today… even with all the wars since, there are still about 71,000 of them in stock.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Heart