Comments for The lingering scars of a Purple Heart

The lingering scars of a Purple Heart

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:19:52 -0600

That's a scan of a piece of paper that's pretty rare. A seventh Purple Heart. With the passing of the Auld Soldier I've been going through the accumulated "stuff" of a long, and at times adventurous, life well lived. The Purple Heart is a funny thing. It's a medal no one wants, but is very proud of if they get it.There's a famous politician who got three of them, none requiring a stitch or a moment of lost time, much less a day or years in the hands of the medical system, and used them to depart Vietnam early.Then there's our...

Comment from LaMigra on 2009-09-30

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:49:19 -0600

The most Purple Hearts received by one person is eight. Six U.S. Army soldiers share that distinction:

Richard J. Buck - Four Purple Hearts in the Korean War and four in the Vietnam War
Robert T. Frederick - Eight Purple Hearts in World War II; also received two Distinguished Service Crosses
David H. Hackworth - Eight Purple Hearts in the Korean War and Vietnam War; also received two Distinguished Service Crosses and ten Silver Stars
Robert L. Howard - Eight Purple Hearts in the Vietnam War; also received the Medal of Honor
William L. Russell - Eight Purple Hearts in World War II; Silver Star
William Waugh - Eight Purple Hearts in the Vietnam War; also received the Silver Star

Comment from lvncenturion on 2009-09-29

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:41:20 -0600

Purple Hearts do not come in a single flavor. Mine was a cheapie. An Air Force Cluster Bomb Unit (CBU) set as a booby trap - IED in today's parlance and tripped by my RTO. I heard the noise and turned to see what it was. I knew immediately, but did not have time to react. The explosion scared me, but did not hurt me. The piece that would have killed me was deflected into the dirt by my helmet. The pieces that found their mark were in the fleshy parts of my trail party.

I did not need to be evacuated, the battalion surgeon flew out with a few tools and some disinfectant. He removed the fragments with forceps, complained that I should go to the evac hospital and left disinfectant with both me and with the company medic. The stuff he gave me was called Jack Daniels. The company medic kept it all from getting infected and all was forgotten until I out processed and the S-1 clerk handed me my purple heart, a product of the paperwork mill that started with the surgeon's report. A real cheapie.

I compare this with missing limbs, body bags, and multiple assaults on the human body. Its not a perfect world, but some deserve these more than others.

Comment from AFSister on 2009-09-28

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:54:12 -0600

*sigh*
Sad, but true, John.

My Mom has an artificial knee for the same reason right now: her doctor ignored her complaints about feeling a lump behind her knee for a year. The lump was not due to her arthritis, but was, instead, a tumor. She has a couple of inches of bone removed below her knee and replaced by a rod during the knee replacement surgery which would have been completely unnecessary if her doctor had just taken an x-ray when she first complained about it. Oddly, it was a substitute doctor who ordered the x-ray and discovered the tumor when her regular doctor was on vacation.

Comment from Heartless Libertarian on 2009-09-27

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:13:06 -0600

Within the last couple of weeks, after presenting a soldier's 5th PH, Spartan6 (CDR, 3/10 MTN) informed SSG Camacho that 1) He was not a cat, and thus did not have 4 more lives; and 2) he was going home, whether he liked it or not.

Somehow, we still make guys like that.

Comment from SangerM on 2009-09-27

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:12:44 -0600

I am grateful beyond words to not have one of those certs in my possession, either from my own experiences or those of my many relatives who've worn uniforms. My friend has at least one (I haven't asked or counted), having got blown up not once, but twice, by IEDs. And I can't begin to say how much I hate that vile truth. I just can't imagine how odd it would feel to sift through that pile of paper and with each one be reminded of how close I came to being an orphan, or how screwed up a world it is that we live in that we still count coup, so to speak, with these things.

I have nought but the most sincere respect for the people who've 'earned' them, but I hate seeing them on uniforms.

As to the 'Died of Wounds' notion, I've known a couple people that I believe that to be true of. I've known more--a LOT more--who wore some kind of scar or disfigurement they acquired at the hands of an enemy who was trying to kill them. I know I am far from alone in this company, but sometimes, it saddens me to tears to think about all of them.....

Comment from og on 2009-09-27

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:43:37 -0600

That's...

God hold the Auld Soldier in the hollow of his mighty hand forever.

Thanks.

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-09-27

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:54:13 -0600

7?? Maybe a lucky number. The Auld Soldier led a charmed life. Is that the record or is there someone out there with more magnetism? And...even more good luck.

Comment from 11B40 on 2009-09-27

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:28:20 -0600

Greetings:

In a comment to one of your earlier posts about your father, you mentioned his having received a Combat Infantry Badge. I would be interested in hearing more about that.

Comment from Miss Ladybug on 2009-09-27

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:02:23 -0600

Amen to that, John.