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Comments on
Another Purple Heart for Gabby
Posted Mar 16, 2011
Dylan Smith TucsonSentinel.com
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, still recovering from a shot through the brain, was informally awarded another Purple Heart on Wednesday. Army veteran Al Lee said that Giffords deserves the honor. "She was injured in the line of duty," he said.
Giffords wasn’t presented with a Purple Heart. She was presented with a challenge coin. These aren’t given to Soldiers who earn the Purple Heart. They are purchased or given as gifts and can be purchased in any military exchange store.
Giffords was injured during the commission of a crime while Lee was injured in combat. While I appreciate Lee’s gesture, there is a difference. This article is very misleading! Politicians get paid three times as much as troops and have, at most, 1% of the risk.
Sorry, Dylan. I guess I misread the story title “Another Purple Heart for Gabby.” And this line: “U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords…was informally awarded another Purple Heart on Wednesday.”
And this one: “This is the second time a veteran has given a Purple Heart to Giffords.”
Yes, you say that a coin was presented, but you don’t make clear to people who have no idea how the military works that the coin is in no way an official part of the Purple Heart. The Giffords shooting was a tragedy, but the truth is that she doesn’t deserve a true purple heart. She does deserve a purple heart coin, but that’s not what this story is saying. To the uninformed, they think that giving her a coin is giving her a purple heart.
Yes, I’m a Soldier who barely survived attacks that I lost friends in, so maybe I’m a little sensitive to this issue. Mrs. Giffords is NOT a Soldier. She’s a politician who was targeted by a completely deranged man. She’s no different than Phyllis Schneck. Who’s that? Exactly. She was the oldest person killed, yes KILLED, the day Giffords was shot.
I’m not going to go on because I don’t want anyone to think I’m dishonoring what happened to her. Let’s just say there’s a reason Purple Hearts are given to troops and not politicians.
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3 comments on this story
Giffords wasn’t presented with a Purple Heart. She was presented with a challenge coin. These aren’t given to Soldiers who earn the Purple Heart. They are purchased or given as gifts and can be purchased in any military exchange store.
Giffords was injured during the commission of a crime while Lee was injured in combat. While I appreciate Lee’s gesture, there is a difference. This article is very misleading! Politicians get paid three times as much as troops and have, at most, 1% of the risk.
CJ,
Thanks for your thoughts. I pretty clearly reported that Lee gave a challenge coin to Giffords, because he couldn’t find his (packed away) medal.
The veteran who left his Purple Heart with Giffords on Jan. 8 did leave his medal, not a challenge coin.
Incidentally, you don’t need to go to a BX/PX to purchase a challenge coin. They’re readily available on Amazon.com and other websites.
Sorry, Dylan. I guess I misread the story title “Another Purple Heart for Gabby.” And this line: “U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords…was informally awarded another Purple Heart on Wednesday.”
And this one: “This is the second time a veteran has given a Purple Heart to Giffords.”
Yes, you say that a coin was presented, but you don’t make clear to people who have no idea how the military works that the coin is in no way an official part of the Purple Heart. The Giffords shooting was a tragedy, but the truth is that she doesn’t deserve a true purple heart. She does deserve a purple heart coin, but that’s not what this story is saying. To the uninformed, they think that giving her a coin is giving her a purple heart.
Yes, I’m a Soldier who barely survived attacks that I lost friends in, so maybe I’m a little sensitive to this issue. Mrs. Giffords is NOT a Soldier. She’s a politician who was targeted by a completely deranged man. She’s no different than Phyllis Schneck. Who’s that? Exactly. She was the oldest person killed, yes KILLED, the day Giffords was shot.
I’m not going to go on because I don’t want anyone to think I’m dishonoring what happened to her. Let’s just say there’s a reason Purple Hearts are given to troops and not politicians.