MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR:
On Purple Hearts and Bleeding Hearts

The Houston Chronicle ran a story recently about a wounded war veteran who was told by the Navy that Purple Heart medals are currently “out of stock,” so he could either ask again in 90 days or buy his own for $42 (plus tax).

What a telling, emblematic symbol of precisely what’s wrong with this Administration and what a perfect microcosm of the Republican Party and its so-called “values”!

Created by General George Washington in 1781 as a way to recognize the importance of common soldiers and provide “due reward” for their gallant service, the Purple Heart medal is awarded to individuals serving in the armed forces who are wounded “in action with an enemy.” General Washington directed that the medal – “ a figure of a heart in purple cloth or silk edged with narrow lace or bindings” – be worn openly over the recipient’s left breast so all could see and honor the bearer and thereby come to recognize that, “the road to glory in a patriot army and a free county is thus open to all.”

The “out of stock” story thus resonates at so many levels. First, the fact that the military has run out of medals for wounded soldiers reminds us of the terrible toll this war has taken on ours sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. And it confirms again the complete lack of planning by this Administration – even four and a half years into this disastrous invasion of Iraq, the Pentagon apparently didn’t realize there would be more than 29,000 troops wounded in this ill-considered adventure. The White House didn’t understand that the so-called “surge” would require more – not fewer – medals for wounded soldiers.

And the cold-heartedness of telling wounded veterans they should buy their own Purple Heat medals (for $42) because they are “out of stock” at the Pentagon is appalling. But really, what else would you expect from an Administration which sent tens of thousands of soldiers into a war zone with instructions that they buy their own body armor because the military wasn’t going to provide it for them? And a war department which would provide troops with Humvees without protective armor, seems singularly unlikely publicly to recognize the injuries sustained by the troops it placed in harm’s way but failed adequately to protect in the first place.

Then there’s this Administration’s callous disregard for veterans this story again betrays. From Walter Reed to VA hospitals throughout the nation to veterans benefits of all kinds, the Bush White House has been all too willing to talk about “supporting our troops,” but repeatedly proven itself to be completely unwilling to take care of the men and women who have served this country in the military in real life.

And once again we see an Administration so inept, so incompetent it cannot even keep an adequate supply of Purple Heart medals on hand to provide a small measure of recognition and appreciation to those who have been wounded in the service of the country.

At a broader level, the fact that Hearts are out-of-supply in this Administration should come as no surprise to anyone. Where’s the “heart” when it comes to providing health insurance for kids? The President promises to veto the Democrats’ Children’s Health Insurance Program funding. What kind of “heart” did the Administration show during the Katrina disaster and in its aftermath? And when a few Republicans tried to show some “heart” in dealing with immigration issues, they were roundly condemned by their Party and treated as outcasts. Extremely promising medical research involving stem cells, which could save thousands and thousands of lives and spare millions from agonizing disease, is repugnant to this heartless White House, and the list goes on and on.

Of course Purple Hearts are “out-of-stock”; in this Administration all hearts are “out of stock”!

I suspect I’ll be accused of being a “bleeding heart” liberal for the attitudes reflected by this article. Well, if being in favor of doing more to honor our veterans and providing health care for children (and other Americans) and finding cures for terrible diseases, and responding promptly to people in need (like Katrina victims) and providing armor for troops in the field without making them pay for it themselves, and being unalterably opposed to this ill-begotten war make me a “bleeding heart,” liberal, I have one thing to say: Here’s my $42; where do I buy my medal?

I sure hope they’re not out of stock.

Gerry Birnberg
Chair, Harris County Democratic Party
August 17, 2007

Archive of Gerry Birnberg's Messages

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