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Based on the group’s findings, Dr. David Chu, undersecretary of personnel and readiness, has decided that PTSD does not meet the requirements for the Purple Heart, Lainez said on Monday. "Historically, the Purple Heart has never been awarded for mental disorders or psychological conditions resulting from witnessing or experiencing traumatic combat events (e.g., combat stress reaction, shell-shock, combat stress fatigue, acute stress disorder, or PTSD),"

DONATE A COAT LINK President Bush and Mrs. Bush participated in One Warm Coat Holiday Service Project at the Pathways to Housing, D.C. Washington, D.C. The One Warm Coat project is.a nationwide effort to convince our fellow citizens to contribute a used, but not overly used, coat, to help a soul who may need to be warm this winter. The President and Mrs. Bush donated coats personally and also delivered coats donated by the White House staff. Transcript of Remarks President Bush traveled to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to visit wounded veterans and to have an MRI of...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2008 – If Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Sims was a cat, he’d have only six lives left after his yearlong deployment to Iraq with the 1st Armored Division’s Company B, 270th Armor Battalion, out of Fort Riley, Kan. Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Sims, a medic who was wounded three times during his last deployment to Iraq, is preparing to deploy again. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “I was wounded three times in Iraq the last time I was there,” Sims said of the deployment that began in January 2005. Sims, a medic,...

Since the 1960s the combination of the antiwar and non-serving sectors of academia, the media, the leaders of various peace causes, the "allergic-to-combat" upper income sector of society and the “shrinkocracy” have made various cases with various levels of proof that try to establish that not only was the old Mothers for Peace poster correct that "war not healthy for children and other living things," but that it causes far more casualties than are normally counted. Veterans have always found war downright hazardous to their health. But now their own lobbying groups such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American...

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2007 – “Martinez! We made it!” Army Sgt. Luis Rivera-Valentin shouted to his fellow soldier Sgt. Luis Martinez upon seeing him in a coalition hospital in Baghdad. Army Sgts. Luis Martinez and Luis Rivera-Valentin wear the Purple Heart Medals they received July 27, 2007, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., for wounds received in Baghdad in April. Defense Dept. photo by John J. Kruzel  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Hours before, on the morning of April 22, Rivera-Valentin and Martinez rode through eastern Baghdad in an RG-31 Nyala mine-protected vehicle. They were clearing...

Today, President Bush and First Lady Laura went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. to visit with volunteers and our brave troops. He awarded sixteen Purple Hearts. Here he is seen helping volunteer children wrap Christmas presents for children of families whose parent have been wounded in service to our country. Quote of the Day In leiu of a quote of the day, I offer you the complete text of his remarks: THE PRESIDENT: Laura and I are honored to be here to thank the folks working here at this service project. What you're seeing is some...

Single-issue people. They're out there... on every thread. No matter what the topic, they try to link it to their pet issue in some way, shape, or form. They are... The Thread Hijackersâ„¢. While little can be done to stop them, and it is probably best to ignore them, I find it much, much more fun to mock them. Sure, being passionate about an issue you care about is a good thing, but thread hijacking is annoying and, to be honest, turns off people who might otherwise agree with you. So, on to the mocking. I'd like to coin the...

It has come to my attention, quite shockingly, that the Pentagon has not yet given out Purple Hearts to the soldiers killed and wounded in the grenade and rifle attack at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait a few days before the start of the Iraq war on March 23, 2003. It has been three since the attack and family and service members are wondering why the Pentagon’s refusal to give out Purple Hearts? One of them was my cousin, Major Gregory Stone, who was mortally wounded from the grenades that were tossed in his tent while he slept. The Purple Heart,...

I HAD JUST SETTLED DOWN to go to sleep when two thunderous explosions shattered the desert stillness. The blasts were still echoing when a young soldier at the back of my tent started shouting in pain. While other soldiers began tending their wounded comrade, I made my way outside. SCUD alert warnings were already going off--this was March 23, 2003, just days before the start of the Iraq war.For a long moment I assumed that our camp in Kuwait had been hit by one or more missiles. But as I took in the chaos, the reality of the situation slowly...

Jack Murtha's 'Fake' Purple Hearts - An Open Letter May 5, 2002 Dear Jack, I’m writing on matters of joint concern. A number of weeks ago I was talking with someone who is a mutual acquaintance and your name came up. It was an unusually frank discussion and I considered it private. I did relate some opinions about you and shared some recollections about experiences with you in Congress. I was, to be honest, critical about how you misled me about ABSCAM where you convinced me you had voluntarily told federal agents about the offer of money to you and...

(CNSNews.com) - Having ascended to the national stage as one of the most vocal critics of President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman John Murtha has long downplayed the controversy and the bitterness surrounding the two Purple Hearts he was awarded for military service in Vietnam. Murtha is a retired marine and was the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to Congress. Since 1967, there have been at least three different accounts of the injuries that purportedly earned Murtha his Purple Hearts. Those accounts also appear to conflict with the limited military records that are available, and...

BETHESDA, Md. - Since the Iraq war began in 2003, it has become an annual pre- Christmas rite for President Bush to personally comfort wounded soldiers. He continued that tradition Wednesday, going bed-to-bed in an intensive care unit and handing out Purple Hearts to the valiant. Bush was visiting with Marines wounded in Iraq and the medical staff treating them at the National Naval Medical Center here. Before going behind closed doors to spend about two hours with servicemen and women, Bush spoke briefly to medical care givers and troops able to leave their rooms.

Dear Wanker, Later today, I will deliver a major speech on the war in Iraq. It asks a hard and essential question: how do we bring our troops home within a reasonable and responsible timeframe, while achieving what needs to be achieved in Iraq? One thing is certain. It isn't by continuing to pursue the Bush administration's "stay for as long as it takes" rhetoric. And it isn't by blindly following their policy of cutting and running from the truth that underlies that rhetoric. That's why my speech today will call on the Bush administration to immediately draw up --...

FORT HOOD, Texas - The 1st Cavalry Division presented 17 Soldiers with the Purple Heart medal Jan. 25 in a ceremony honoring their sacrifice. One of the Soldiers, Sgt. Jerone Johnson, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, received two awards for injuries received on two separate occasions while serving in Baghdad. "I'm speechless being awarded two purple hearts at one time, knowing that it's rare," said Johnson. His first injury, in the middle of July, was the result of shrapnel from an Improvised Explosive Device. The blast left him with a concussion and minor injuries around his eye. The second injury...

THE CHRISTMAS SONG JINGLE BELL ROCK IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER LET IT SNOW UP ON THE HOUSETOP GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER ==================================================================== MIDI - I'M GETTIN' NOTHIN' FOR CHRISTMAS I told lies about Vietnam...those Swiftees snitched on me I left things off Kerry dot com...those Swiftees snitched on me For treason I should have been tried...'cause of me more soldiers died My discharged had been modified...those Swiftees snitched on me Oh, no more electors for Christmas...my message failed to come through No more electors for Christmas...I'm scared of...

In contrast to the ideals, opinions and feelings of today's "Hollywonk" the real actors of yester-year loved the United States. They had both class and integrity. With the advent of World War II many of our actors went to fight rather than stand and rant against this country we all love. They gave up their wealth, position and fame to become service men & women, many as simple "enlisted men". This page lists but a few, but from this group of only 18 men came over 70 medals in honor of their valor, spanning from Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Distinguish...

NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (NNS) -- Three Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 received Purple Hearts during a ceremony held Nov. 16 at Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, Calif., in recognition of their wounds sustained in action while serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command and Chief of Civil Engineers Rear Adm. Michael Loose presented the awards to Master Chief Constructionman Martin Yingling, Chief Equipment Operator Darion Williams, and Steelworker 3rd Class Justin Sasser. Assigned to Task Force Echo, they were injured through indirect fire from a rocket attack...

The following is from an email I received. Thanks to the sender. This may have been posted before, but it's worth reading again. If you know a VET who is going to vote for Kerry, it may be worth printing this off for him/her to read. An Open Letter to Senator John F. Kerry >From Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. October 19, 2004 Dear Senator Kerry, I never met my uncle Will. He was a lieutenant in the Navy during WWII. He was killed in action on his PT boat in the Pacific. For his fatal wounds, he received the Purple...

Dear Senator Kerry, I never met my uncle Will. He was a lieutenant in the Navy during WWII. He was killed in action on his PT boat in the Pacific. For his fatal wounds, he received the Purple Heart posthumously. The first-captain of my West Point class took a bullet through the heart while leading a South Vietnamese airborne battalion into combat. For this fatal wound, he was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. My senior year roommate at West Point became a tunnel rat. A booby trap explosion killed him in the tunnels of Duc Pho. The army awarded him...

An Open Letter to Senator John Kerry and a Statement of Solidarity with our Swift Boat Brothers-in-Arms from Special Forces Vietnam Veterans The undersigned Special Forces Vietnam Veterans support our Swift Boat brothers-in-arms and believe that John Kerry is unfit to be our Commander-in-Chief or to lead our nation as President. The Kerry presidential campaign has raised the significance of this deeply-felt and long-standing issue. While many, if not a majority, of the signatories of this request are Republicans and Bush supporters, many are not. Those who are Democrats have been effectively disenfranchised by Kerry’s candidacy. For most of us...

Open Letter to Senator Kerry From a Veteran Sunday, October 24, 2004 Dear Senator Kerry, I never met my uncle Will. He was a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II. He was killed in action on his PT boat in the Pacific. For his fatal wounds, he received the Purple Heart posthumously. The first-captain of my West Point class took a bullet through the heart while leading a South Vietnamese airborne battalion into combat. For this fatal wound, he was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. My senior-year roommate at West Point became a tunnel rat. A booby trap...

John Kerry, a Lifetime of Wasted Opportunities Written by Michael Ashbury Tuesday, October 19, 2004 Unlike the average American, John Forbes Kerry was born into a family of wealth and privilege. His mother, Rosemary Forbes, was a French national, and heiress to the Forbes family fortune. Her father James Grant Forbes was born in Shanghai, China. Family members, including her father were leading opium dealers in China during the Opium War accumulating a considerable fortune. With support of the Forbes wealth, John Kerry had the opportunity of the finest education being trained at boarding schools in Switzerland and Massachusetts, including...

WRITTEN BY LT.COLONEL CHARLES WADE Wednesday, October 13, 2004 Even before the primary elections, President Bush’s military service was a political issue as was Senator Kerry’s military service which he touted and others questioned. Reporters continue to seek comment from candidates, political operatives, and pundits. It seems that everyone is an expert, and everyone has an answer. Some of the more interesting responses have come from Republican senators who typically begin by asserting that they honor Senator Kerry’s Viet Nam service, but… Honor: What is that all about? What virtues are honorable? More important, what virtues are both militarily and...

The Emperor Has No Clothes By: Brian Tracy John Kerry is neither a “war hero” nor a “patriot.” It is about time that someone pointed out that “the emperor has no clothes” and that Americans are being presented with a false choice. If you read the newspapers long enough, a series of facts emerge that appear undeniable and irrefutable. But no one seems to want to “connect the dots” for fear of offending the powers that be in the national media, such as CBS. Here is what we know. First of all, Kerry did not “volunteer” for service in Vietnam....

One of the most notoriously left-wing judges on the federal bench has or dered the Pentagon to release by next week any unreleased files related to President Bush's Vietnam-era service in the Air National Guard. ~snip~ It was told by the U.S. Navy that 31 pages of documents remain closed to public inspection. Why? Because under the law, the documents can't be disclosed without John Kerry's authorization. And John Kerry refuses to grant that authorization. Even though he and his aides repeatedly have suggested that all his records are public and available on the campaign Web site. ~snip~ But if...

Gentlemen: This letter supplements Judicial Watch’s August 18, 2004, letter Re: “Request for Investigation, Determination and Final Disposition of Awards Granted to Lieutenant (junior grade) John Forbes Kerry, USNR.” Recent press reports have documented how Senator Kerry’s DD Form 214 lists a “Silver Star with Combat ‘V.’” Senator Kerry posted his DD Form 214 (and other selected service related documents) on the Internet at JohnKerry.com. As you are aware, the “Combat ‘V’” device is never awarded with the nation’s third highest award for heroism. Journalist Thomas Lipscomb, writing in the Chicago Sun-Times quoted a Navy spokesman stating: “The Navy has...

In his campaign book Massachusetts Senator John Kerry notes there was fine line between actions that merited a court martial -- or a medal. He reported that medals were given for questionable activities in order to boost morale. This narrow distinction figures into the controversy that has raged for a several weeks regarding the Silver Star Kerry was awarded for killing a Vietnamese man. For more than 30 years, Kerry has portrayed a heroic version of a life and death struggle -- of staring down a suspected guerilla who was about to fire upon Kerry's swift boat. It was kill....

Just as I was on my way to play golf, an idea popped in to my head. A trip to my desk and the medicine cabinet armed me with a purple magic marker and a Band-Aid. You guessed it. I now sport a purple heart Band-Aid on my left arm. I never hit the ball left. Perhaps a few Freepers would join me. You don't need to play golf.

I was updating my John F. Kerry Timeline and ran across this item on the Kerry-Edwards official web site (johnkerry.com). John Kerry's Vietnam Service Timeline March 17, 1969 The policy of Coastal Squadron One, the swift boat command, was to send home any individual who is wounded three times in action. After sustaining his third wound from enemy action in Vietnam, Kerry was granted relief under this policy. Question for military freepers: 1. Is this a policy for the Navy or just the Coastal Squadrom One? Or just John Kerry? 2. What about the Army, Air Force, Marines, etc. 3....

Now With Purple Hearts And Bronze Stars!"They're Always After My Purple Hearts!!!"

John Kerry has presented his Vietnam record as his major qualification to be president of the United States.Before we get to his record in Vietnam, however, we should examine the widespread misconception about how he got to Vietnam. The oft-repeated claim that Mr. Kerry volunteered to go to Vietnam misleads: He apparently volunteered only after the draft deferment he had applied for was turned down — thus allowing him to choose service in the Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army. I served as a combat surgeon in DaNang, (U.S. Naval Support Hospital) from Dec. 10, 1967, through Dec....

Purple Hearts, Kerry’s Exit Strategy by Col. Bob Pappas, USMC, Ret. Official Navy records establish that Kerry served well in Vietnam, albeit a host of witnesses have come forward to challenge the legitimacy of both the record and Kerry’s self-exalted hero status. The fact remains that he has awards, except now there is an admission by Kerry’s campaign (not Kerry), that his first purple heart may have been due to an unintentional self-inflicted wound. In copyright article by Art Moore dated August 17th, 2004, Kerry's war journal contradicts medal claim? The author states, “A previously unnoticed passage in John Kerry's...

'Trying to acquire Purple Hearts' By Martin L. Fackler John Kerry has presented his Vietnam record as his major qualification to be president of the United States. It is, therefore, the duty of the American public to scrutinize that record carefully. And it is the duty of candidate John Kerry to facilitate that scrutiny. If all the senator's claims about his four months in Vietnam are factual, it would be to his great advantage to facilitate such scrutiny. Before we get to his record in Vietnam, however, we should examine the widespread misconception about how he got to Vietnam. The...

I served as a combat surgeon in DaNang, (U.S. Naval Support Hospital) from Dec. 10, 1967, through Dec. 11, 1968. While there, I evaluated and treated hundreds of severely wounded combatants. During my year in DaNang, a few combatants urged me to verify small abrasions as "wounds" so they could get a Purple Heart. Each freely admitted trying to acquire Purple Hearts as rapidly as possible to take advantage of the policy allowing those with three Purple Hearts to apply to leave Vietnam early. I refused them. But some went shopping for another opinion. Unfortunately, we had some antiwar physicians...

The Washington Times www.washingtontimes.com 'Trying to acquire Purple Hearts'By Martin L. FacklerPublished August 26, 2004 John Kerry has presented his Vietnam record as his major qualification to be president of the United States. It is, therefore, the duty of the American public to scrutinize that record carefully. And it is the duty of candidate John Kerry to facilitate that scrutiny. If all the senator's claims about his four months in Vietnam are factual, it would be to his great advantage to facilitate such scrutiny.     Before we get to his record in Vietnam, however, we should examine the widespread misconception...

WASHINGTON - Former Sen. Bob Dole joined Vietnam Swift boat vets who question John Kerry's combat heroics, claiming yesterday the Democratic presidential candidate's three Purple Hearts got him out of the war - but without a scratch. Dole, a Kansas Republican who was horribly wounded in Italy during World War II and who lost his own presidential bid in 1996, said his "good friend" and "hero" Kerry embellished his war experiences. "I respect his record, but three Purple Hearts and [Kerry] never bled that I know of," Dole told CNN's "Late Edition." "I mean, they're all superficial wounds." Dole also...

Dole rips Kerry over war medals By Audrey Hudson THE WASHINGTON TIMES World War II hero Bob Dole yesterday questioned whether presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry deserved the Purple Hearts he was awarded during the Vietnam War and said the issue could lead to the Democrat's defeat. Mr. Dole's comments came in response to the book "Unfit for Command" by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi and to television ads criticizing Mr. Kerry's behavior during and after the war by members of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

Dole wants to know how Kerry got three purple hearts without "bleeding". Dole is rocking.

Severely wounded World War II combat hero Sen. Bob Dole questioned whether John Kerry deserved his three Purple Hearts on Sunday, and suggested that the top Democrat should apologize to his fellow Vietnam veterans for engaging in anti-war protests while they were still fighting the war. "I respect his record - but three Purple Hearts, he never bled that I know of," Dole told CNN's "Late Edition." "They were all superficial wounds." "As far as I know he never spent one day in the hospital, I don't think he draws any disability pay. He doesn't have any disability. And he's...

Kerry cut a dashing figure as a war hero, lots of medals, and returned home because of multiple war wounds..even a silver star. His Senate testimony confirmed what every hippie had been chanting on the streets.."Hey hey LBJ..How many kids did you kill today"????? He obviously was running for political office in 1971. Until Lt. John O' Neil, himself a Swifboat commander, spoke out before the 1972 elections against Kerry's outright deceptions, there was no one from the Swiftboat scene that could contradict Kerry's self serving lies. I was a POW of the Vietnamese in Hanoi in 1971, and I...

Trotwood, Ohio - An Ohio factory worker who was with John Kerry on a dangerous night mission 36 years ago in Vietnam said he has no doubt Kerry was grazed in a firefight and deserves his first Purple Heart for a combat injury. "We were on about a 14-foot boat with an outboard motor. We started out, taking a guess, around 10 p.m. We were sup posed to sneak up and check sampans," said Pat Runyon, a 58-year-old grandfather from Eaton, a small southwestern Ohio town near the Indiana border. Runyon, an enlisted man who served on Swift boats in...

Claim: John Kerry's Vietnam War service medals (a Bronze Star, a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts) were earned under "fishy" circumstances. Status: False. Example: [Collected on the Internet 2004]

First of three excerpts In the history of Swift Boats in Vietnam, all military personnel served a tour of duty of at least one year unless seriously wounded. Among the few exceptions was John Kerry, who requested to leave Vietnam in 1969 after four months, citing a regulation that permitted release of personnel with three Purple Hearts. Kerry, now the four-term senator from Massachusetts and the Democratic presidential nominee, is also the only known "Swiftee" who received the Purple Heart for a self-inflicted wound. None of Kerry's three Purple Hearts was for serious injuries. They were minor scratches, resulting in...

Kerry received three purple hearts and therefore, upon his request, was allowed to leave the combat area of Vietnam. I understand that the Navy's policy of letting those leave the combat area after getting three purple hearts was rarely used. Does anyone in this vast knowledge of military history and facts know how many others (besides Kerry): 1. Left the combat zone after receiving three purple hearts? 2. Got three purple hearts in the Navy during Vietnam? I think this could be a most excellent point of discussion...

HEAR JOHN KERRY'S COMMANDING OFFICER ASK KERRY TO LEAVE VIETNAM, AND, KERRY'S FIRST "PURPLE HEART" INJURY AS DESCRIBED BY THE DOCTOR WHO TREATED HIM.

During World War II, Dole served as a combat infantry officer with the 10th Mountain Division in Italy. He was wounded twice and hospitalized for thirty-nine months. He received two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star. He eventually lost almost all use of his right arm due to his war injuries. Source: http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Bob-Dole Democrats tout the Silver and Bronze Stars won by both Kerry and Cleland in Vietnam. But they prefer not to mention that, despite losing two legs and an arm to a hand grenade, Cleland was never awarded even one Purple Heart. The reason, as columnists Ann Coulter...

According to Kerry's peers, two of his wounds which earned purple hearts were both superficial and self-inflicted. In one case, he apparently got hit with dry rice! The questions surrounding the details of John Kerry's purple hearts reminded me of a M*A*S*H episode. Major Frank Burns, the sniveling idiot who had no respect from his peers or his subordinates, got an egg shell in his eye. He tried to get a purple heart citing "shell fragment in eye"! Since Kerry also has little respect from his "Band of Brothers" and apparently got medals under exaggerated claims, I am now referring...

Anthony Arrington extended his hand in order to shake mine. A conventional greeting, of course, but when a man's hand is encased in a glove that is part of a "burn wrap" of padded sleeve going all the way up the arm, that handshake is going to be gentle, rather than hearty. Medals and honor ceremonies for a returning National Guard unit were conducted July 25 in the World War II vintage gymnasium at Camp Roberts. A room full of folks - friends, family - rose to their feet to applaud Staff Sgt. Arrington, the combat veteran of Iraq who...

Their voice will not be silenced. They will go across America to spread the truth. Former swifty boat commander Bob Elder did a devastating segment on Laura Ingraham's show this morning. He and his group are determined that American will know the truth of John Kerry's Vietnam record. Elder says that two of the Purple Hearts were the result of Kerry's own hand. He had to put in for them himself. One was turned down twice and Kerry finally got someone in Saigon to come through for him. Kerry left his comrades in arms and then turned on them accusing...

<p>While I disagree with you on just about every domestic issue a liberal could dream up, I strongly agree with your assertion that "Bush Must Win" if we are to continue to send the bin Ladens of this world crawling into their caves and spider-holes in the ground. Your comparison of the George Bush Doctrine to the Monroe and Truman Doctrines is fitting indeed. Thank you also for discussing the anti-American activities of the unconvicted manslaughter-criminal and Senator-for-life Ted "Chappaquiddick" Kennedy. That was refreshing to read coming from someone in the same political party. It is important that you know now that I am not a Republican, I am an Independent who believes political parties have stolen representative government from the people by voting party line instead of constituent line.</p>