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The writer, of Omaha, is a lawyer. He served in the U.S. Army, the Marine Corps and the Navy.
The Purple Heart had not been in use for over 125 years until it was re-established by Douglas MacArthur in 1932 while he was serving as chief of staff.
The medal is unique for several reasons:
First, it is the oldest in American history. Second, it comes from the greatest of all Americans, George Washington. Third, it is the only decoration that does not depend upon approval or favor by anyone. It goes only to those who are wounded in battle, and enemy action alone determines its award.
It is a badge of honor, and everyone who wears it does so with pride.
Medals today mean very little. Recruits leaving basic training do so with at least two medals on their chests: the National Defense Service Medal and the War Against Terror Medal. The only shots they had fired were at the rifle range.
Bestowing medals on those who have done nothing to earn them is a disservice to those who were shot in combat by enemy soldiers, not criminals.
Today, we have forgotten the real heroes who defended this country when it was attacked by Japan, the greatest military power in the world. Japan hadn’t lost a war in its history when it bombed and strafed Pearl Harbor.
That sneak attack by a Japanese armada of destroyers, battleships and aircraft carriers was the beginning of a real war. Few today know what war is.
It is not 19 terrorists (most of whom were from Saudi Arabia) carrying box cutters and hijacking commercial jets, which is how George W. Bush and Dick Cheney described those criminals. And under American law that is what they were: criminals.
Despite the fact that no enemy forces attacked the United States, Bush invaded Afghanistan, where we remain today, eight years later. That campaign brings me back to my subject: the Purple Heart.
Anyone today associated with the military is considered a hero. Why? No one returning from Korea or Vietnam was honored with bumper stickers or parades. Daily counts weren’t taken of battlefield deaths and recounted nightly on the news. And those were real wars against soldiers, tanks, ships and planes.
The absurdity of medals today was illustrated by the death of Pat Tillman, a former football player who joined the Army after 9/11. Tillman was standing on a hill in Afghanistan doing nothing but enjoying the view when he was shot and killed by a fellow American soldier.
Everyone present knew Tillman died from friendly fire, but the Bush administration, for propaganda purposes, said Tillman had died while leading a charge against a fortified machine gun. They even prepared a phony citation awarding Tillman a Silver Star for gallantry. He also was promoted in rank — all for being accidentally shot by a fellow soldier.
As far as the Purple Heart Tillman received is concerned, at least he died on a battlefield.
Today, a Texas politician has proposed legislation to provide Purple Hearts to everyone killed or wounded at Fort Hood by the deranged American major, a psychiatrist who apparently was nuttier than his patients.
Purple Hearts, as mentioned earlier, are awarded only to those injured in battle by enemy action. None of the soldiers killed or wounded at Fort Hood is entitled to a Purple Heart. If the proposed legislation is enacted, it will demean a once-honored medal.
Medals today mean little, but the Purple Heart on one’s chest means the recipient was wounded in action. The Purple Heart has served for all time and for all eyes as the outward symbol of the gallantry and devotion of those who earned it.
If the proposed legislation becomes law, the only medal that has any meaning will be as worthless as the Silver Star given to Pat Tillman.
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