On Sat, 1 Nov 2003 16:22:19 -0800, "jps" wrote:

"Joe Parsons" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 1 Nov 2003 14:20:52 -0800, "jps" wrote:

"JohnH" wrote in message
.. .

Yes, I was there. Yes, I was wounded. Yes, I was awarded a Purple
Heart.
No, not
baseless rhetoric.

So, what you're saying is that your Purple Heart was based on stupidity
or
coincidence so everyone else's must've been too.

A Purple Heart is based on only one thing: being wounded in action while
serving
as a member of the U.S. Armed Services.

So all one can reliably conclude is that the recipient of a Purple Heart
served
on active duty, saw some sort of action and was wounded.

I don't think it takes a genius to agree that a serviceperson (awkward
inclusive
language!) can get wounded as severely while doing something smart and
brave as
they can doing something stupid and not-so-brave. Either situation meets
the
criteria for the Purple Heart.

Kerry requested the transfer just days after a March 13, 1969 incident for
which he was awarded a Bronze Star. Kerry, while under fire, rescued a Green
Beret who had fallen overboard. Kerry had been wounded just moments earlier
when a mine detonated near his "swift boat," the small vessels that made
forays into the Mekong River delta.

"The man was receiving sniper fire from both banks," according to Kerry's
Bronze Star citation. "Lt. Kerry directed his gunners to provide suppressing
fire, while from an exposed position on the bow, his arm bleeding and in
pain, with disregard for his personal safety, he pulled the man aboard."



Doesn't sound accidental that Kerry was awarded three Purple Hearts and a
Bronze Star.

Nothing in my comments about the Order of the Purple Heart should be construed
as being anything other than respectful. During armed conflict, many people do
things we might call "stupid," and which resulted in their being wounded. They
are no less deserving of respect.

There is a huge difference between a medal like the Bronze Star, which is
awarded based on "heroic or meritorious achievement or service" and a Purple
Heart, which is awarded solely upon the recipient's having been wounded.

The criteria by which a Purple Heart is awarded are quite specific.

Joe Parsons