Recently, Donald Trump has come under fire for accepting a Purple Heart medal from a Vietnam War veteran at a campaign event on Friday, despite having famously avoided military service. Critics have called the gesture “disrespectful” and “disgusting.”
The former president received the medal from veteran Dwight, who, in a letter read by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, expressed his admiration for Trump’s resilience during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
The veteran wrote, “Dear President Trump, watching you during the Butler rally and you getting back up, both my wife and I gave a sigh of relief as well as a few tears. I would be honored if you would accept this small token I received as a young marine in Vietnam. My wife and I both thought it appropriate.” Thus, sparking outrage among people.
In response to the honor, Trump joked, “It looks like a check. It’s cash!” Later on stage, Dwight praised Trump for his courage, stating, “I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving.”
Social Media Reacts
Meanwhile, this gesture sparked outrage on social media, with critics pointing out that Trump avoided military service five times, including once for a medical exemption due to bone spurs and four times for academic reasons.
Many found it deeply offensive, given that the Purple Heart is awarded to service members who have made significant sacrifices in combat.
Taking to X, Disabled veteran Ted Cocoran expressed his disapproval, sharing a memory of a soldier being awarded a Purple Heart in Iraq while unconscious in a hospital. The soldier, Cocoran wrote, died before making it back to the U.S. “This is beyond disrespectful,” said Cocoran.
Another user shared a similar sentiment, saying, “My son EARNED his Purple Heart in an Afghani barracks bombing. This mocks his service and is an unforgivable insult.”
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