Is there a certain degree to being wounded?

You can't be a little bit pregnant.

Either you are or you're not.

Certainly, we're going to see a lot more of this. The article helpfully notes that GOP oppo researchers working for the president are investigating whether the wounds Kerry sustained in the war were really so bad after all. www.talkingpointsmemo.com

So, how wounded is wounded?

Does the degree of being wounded make one a bigger or lesser hero?

your body - are not in the same degree.

being awarded the Purple Heart.

If they were sustained in a combat setting.

So is Bush saying Kerry wasn't hurt enough?? :shrug:

And we already saw something like this on these boards when someone said Kerry only went to Vietnam because of his resume and that his wounds weren't really that bad after all.
As it only came from people whose agenda and mental capacity can be questioned, I hope that the large majority doesn't see it like this.

I would like to see the same people who argue like that on the battlefield and getting some "minor" wounds from shrapnels.

So Kerry can get a bunch of Purple Heart winning veterans to complain about how Bush* is disrespecting war heroes who were injured, which can lead to a discussion of how Bush* has cut benefits for veterans.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1128869

Working on the political campaign? In his own way, Bush was also "in the sh*t."

... would have been for a champagne hangover.

I really don't see why he can't just put it all on the table and stand tall. Swing voters don't like to have secrets kept from them. Even if the three wounds were minor scratches the purple hearts say it all and he had a right to come home.

Or do you prefer not to notice those FACTS in favor of perpetuating HORSESHIT Talking points from the rightwing?

Metaphorically, Bushco is mortally wounded. This issue is a loser for them any way they try to spin it.

Did Kerry really deserve his medals? There'a a lot of evidence to back that up, including powerful stories from people who served in combat with him. Photographs, documents, eye-witness testimony: Kerry's heroism is in evidence.

Did Bush really serve his country? There's something about dental records, I don't know. You decide.

But maybe back then, going to the dentist was some kind of hell as well.

early during WWII. Causing two people to die. Hmm?

In terms of receiving a Purple Heart, you're right, there's no such thing as being 'a little bit pregnant'. You're either wounded, and receive a Purple Heart, or you're not wounded, and don't receive one. There are no degrees to the Purple Heart.

And yet every combat veteran will tell you pretty much the same thing: Not all Purple Hearts are created equal. John Kerry was wounded on three occasions, of varying degrees of severity, none requiring extensive hospitalization. He received three Purple Hearts. Max Cleland was wounded once, losing both legs and an arm. He received one Purple Heart. If you're shot 15 times, and die, your survivors receive one Purple Heart. I'm sure that John Kerry would be the first to tell you that, yes, there are degrees to being wounded. Everybody with a Purple Heart on their chest, walking up to someone with an empty sleeve, knows the difference in the sacrifice and acknowledges that. And Max Cleland would be the first to say, no, there is no difference between Purple Hearts. It is awarded to those that shed their blood for our country. No distinction is made for the quantity of blood shed.

Being wounded does not make one a hero. The most unwilling coward, laying in the mud, unable to fire his weapon will be awarded the Purple Heart if a piece of shrapnel brushes his skin, and causes enough damage that it requires a medic to bandage it.

Action is what makes hero's. Max Cleland is a hero, not because he lost three limbs; he's a hero because he used that one remaining limb to push his wheel chair into the halls of power, and work to make life better for all of us vets.

I'm posting the criteria for receiving a Purple Heart, taken from the home page of The Military Order Of The Purple Heart. This info can be used to combat the rethugs, as they try to smear Kerry. I've highlighted the pertinent parts.


The Purple Heart was established by General George Washington, at Newburgh, New York, on 7 August 1782, during the Revolutionary War. It was reestablished by the President of the United States per War Department General Orders 3, 1932 and is currently awarded pursuant to Executive Order 11016, 25 April 1962, Executive Order 12464, 23 February 1984 and Public Law 98-525, 19 October 1984.


While clearly an individual decoration, the Purple Heart differs from all other decorations in that an individual is not "recommended" for the decoration; rather he or she is entitled to it upon meeting specific criteria.

(1) A Purple Heart is authorized for the first wound suffered under conditions indicated above, but for each subsequent award an Oak Leaf Cluster will be awarded to be worn on the medal or ribbon. Not more than one award will be made for more than one wound or injury received at the same instant or from the same missile, force, explosion, or agent.

(2) A wound is defined as an injury to any part of the body from an outside force or agent sustained under one or more of the conditions listed above A physical lesion is not required, however, the wound for which the award is made must have required treatment by a medical officer and records of medical treatment for wounds or injuries received in action must have been made a matter of official record.

(3) When contemplating an award of this decoration, the key issue that commanders must take into consideration is the degree to which the enemy caused the injury. The fact that the proposed recipient was participating in direct or indirect combat operations is a necessary prerequisite, but is not sole justification for award.

(4) Examples of enemy-related injuries which clearly justify award of the Purple Heart are as follows:

(a) Injury caused by enemy bullet, shrapnel, or other projectile created by enemy action.

(b) Injury caused by enemy placed mine or trap.

(c) Injury caused by enemy released chemical, biological or nuclear agent.

(d) Injury caused by vehicle or aircraft accident resulting from enemy fire.

(e) Concussion injuries caused as a result of enemy generated explosions.

(5) Examples of injuries or wounds which clearly do not qualify for award of the Purple Heart are as follows:

(a) Frostbite or trench foot injuries.

(b) Heat stroke.

(c) Food poisoning not caused by enemy agents.

(d) Chemical, biological, or nuclear agents not released by the enemy.

(e) Battle fatigue.

(f) Disease not directly caused by enemy agents.

(g) Accidents, to include explosive, aircraft, vehicular, and other accidental wounding not related to or caused by enemy action.

(h) Self-inflicted wounds, except when in the heat of battle, and not involving gross negligence.

(i) Post traumatic stress disorders.

(j) Jump injuries not caused by enemy action.

(6) It is not intended that such a strict interpretation of the requirement for the wound or injury to be caused by direct result of hostile action be taken that it would preclude the award being made to deserving personnel. Commanders must also take into consideration, the circumstances surrounding an injury, even if it appears to meet the criteria. Note the following examples:

(a) In case such as an individual injured while making a parachute landing from an aircraft that had been brought down enemy fire; or, an individual injured as a result of a vehicle accident caused by enemy fire, the decision will be made in favor of the individual and the award will be made.

(b) Individuals wounded or killed as a result of "friendly fire" in the "heat of battle" will be awarded the Purple Heart as long as the "friendly" projectile or agent was released with the full intent of inflicting damage or destroying enemy troops or equipment.

(c) Individuals injured as a result of their own negligence; for example, driving or walking through an unauthorized area known to have been mined or placed off limits or searching for or picking up unexploded munitions as war souvenirs, will not be awarded the Purple Heart as they clearly were not injured as a result of enemy action, but rather by their own negligence.

You made my DU day. :hi:

 
 

:-)

thanks

:hi:

When I hit 'reply' to your posts, nobody had as yet answered you. By the time I posted it, there were 11 answers! lol I type so damn slow.

This is a very funny, slightly embarrassing true story about getting a 3rd Purple Heart. I don't want to post it here, as I don't know this man, but you can go here to read it:

http://www.3rdmarines.net/Vietnam_Self_inflicted_Purple_Heart.htm


I love this story, since it's about the Marines, but also because it demonstrates the insanity of war, and the utter uselessness of armchair warriors trying to pass judgement on something that happened in combat 38 years ago.(my god, has it been that long? I think I need a smilie with a long grey beard).

out of the water. The shrapnel was from Rassman's boat that exploded.

A man that is in a life and death situation and under heavy gunfire noticed Kerry's wounds and his valor at the time, while today well paid propagandists who never came close to a wartime gunbattle, sit around and belittle and revise the histories of those who did serve.

Fockers!

The bush campaign loves to belittle combat decorated veterans. I guess it makes the boy prince feel better about himself to smear people like McCain, Clark, Cleland & Kerry.

Let's ask the Republicans if they would agree with that.