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 Vietnam
Veterans of America condemns frivolous use of the Purple Heart
WASHINGTON, July 26 /U.S.
Newswire/ -- Vietnam Veterans of America national President Thomas
H. Corey today harshly condemned the producers of the Hollywood Film
Wedding Crashers for their crass use of the Purple Heart in the film
and for placing a printable medal on a Web site to encourage men to
use it to impress women.
"Millions of American fighting men
and women have been awarded the Purple Heart since it was introduced
by Gen. George Washington in 1782," Corey, a Purple Heart recipient
who was severely disabled by his wounds in the Vietnam War, said.
"That award honors the service and sacrifice of those who put their
lives on the line for our country and were wounded in action. It is
unconscionable to me -- and is an insult to everyone who has served
the nation in the military -- to trivialize the Purple Heart in this
way."
Corey praised U.S. Rep. John
Salazar (D-Colo.) for the bill he introduced in the House on July 22
that would expand a current law making it a crime to wear,
manufacture, purchase, sell or trade the Medal of Honor. Salazar's
bill would make it a criminal offense to claim falsely to have
earned the Purple Heart or other military medal.
"We're pleased that the movie's
producers removed that offensive printable Purple Heart from their
Web site," Corey said, "and we hope that Rep. Salazar's bill becomes
law to prevent similar occurrences of this in the future."
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Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)
is the nation's only congressionally chartered veterans service
organization dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and
their families. VVA's founding principle is "Never again will one
generation of veterans abandon another."
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