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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,834 |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5828 Posts |
Hello. I recently picked up what is my favorite medal in my collection. It is my fourth Purple Heart medal, although I have a uniform with the ribbon and several ribbon bars with the Purple Heart as well. The medal is a WWII produced medal, but the vets family probably requested the medal during WWII (the medal wasnt created until 1932). This one is extra special, however, because it is named to a soldier who was KIA during the first world war. He was Private 1st Class James S Jones. He was a member of the 1st Infantry Division, 16th Infantry Regiment and was KIA during the liberation of Fleville on 4 October 1918. Fleville was the setting of one of the worst battles during the Meuse Argonne Offensive (for the 16th regiment, at least), and its capture is known as "the [16th] regiment's most gallant action". He is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery. It is an honor to own such a medal, and I cannot wait until I have it in hand.    Edited by ChildOfTheWheat
05/31/2017 12:40 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4212 Posts |
Very nice medal.
If it were I collecting these, I can think of no more satisfaction
than reuniting it with the soldier's family.
On another note, I've noticed they're getting really good
w/the fakes.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1695 Posts |
Quote:
If it were I collecting these, I can think of no more satisfaction than reuniting it with the soldier's family. My reading of the original post made me feel uneasy, and I find myself agreeing with the above. |
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Rest in Peace
10197 Posts |
 as a vet, those medals belong to the dependants, when at all possible. Sometimes these service medals were stolen (happens a lot!), or mistakenly discarded once a veteran dies. ALL effort should be taken to reunite these medals of valor, esp. this one with the family. OP says he has 4 PH's, hope these can be verified as well.  Edited by Crazyb0
05/31/2017 4:17 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
937 Posts |
The present owners of medals owe no obligation, duty or responsibility to the families of the winner of the medals they now own.
The medals are on the market most often because the winner and or their family did not want them.
David Hackworth packed all of his medals in a box and sent them to Washington with explicit instructions as to where they should be stored. (I have this from his own mouth. not here say)
To many the medal is little more than costume jewelry
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5029 Posts |
To many it may be costume jewelry, as you say Tryna. To many others and their families the medals and ribbons may be far more than that. David Hackworth does not speak for everyone whom served, or even most of those who have served. In this case, we have no idea if the medal was stolen at some point then sold, or if it was given up freely by the family or the owner at some point.
To the OP - you do what you think is the right thing in your mind - not anyone else's. I appreciate the history of the person you gave and the fact that you do seem to honor his service.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5828 Posts |
Thank you for the comments... Quote:Quote:
If it were I collecting these, I can think of no more satisfaction than reuniting it with the soldier's family. My reading of the original post made me feel uneasy, and I find myself agreeing with the above. The issue with this is that the family sells these medals 99/100 times, and that there may not be any family left. Also, militaria collectors put more effort into displaying and researching medals and take better care of them than the families tend to. Whats better, a medal in a box upstairs in the attic collecting dust or on display in a collection, fully researched? Quote:
OP says he has 4 PH's, hope these can be verified as well. I have 5 now, as I have added one, and two are named. The other 3 are unnamed unfortunately. The most recent one is named to a 17 year old sailor who was KIA on the USS Claxton when a kamakazi hit the ship. These two have been identified but the others never will be. Quote:
as a vet, those medals belong to the dependants, when at all possible. Sometimes these service medals were stolen (happens a lot!), or mistakenly discarded once a veteran dies. ALL effort should be taken to reunite these medals of valor, esp. this one with the family. First off, thank you for your service. However, I'd like to say that 99/100 times the medals are NOT stolen, but sold or given away by the family. As I stated above, collectors do a lot better job preserving these medals than you give us credit for. Quote:
To the OP - you do what you think is the right thing in your mind - not anyone else's. I appreciate the history of the person you gave and the fact that you do seem to honor his service. Thank you, scopru. I now have two KIA medals and 3 WIA... Also several ribbon bars with purple hearts, uniforms, etc. I try my very best to honor each vets service. I have every branch represented in my collection and every war represented from WW1-the War on Terror. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
2668 Posts |
I would rather see these in a collection than in a Goodwill.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3472 Posts |
In September 2016, Member of Congress Paul Cook, a Republican from California, introduced legislation (H.R. 6234) that would make it a crime (a misdemeanor, and not a felony) to buy, sell, or trade any Purple Heart awarded to a member of the armed forces. Cook's legislation was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, where it will be examined.
Congressman Cook is a retired Marine colonel, and he feels strongly that there should be no buying or selling of Purple Hearts that have been awarded. His rationale is that the Purple Heart "holds a special place of honor" as a symbol of "the great and sometimes ultimate sacrifice of American service members." Note that Cook's legislation would not prohibit the buying and selling of all Purple Hearts. Rather, it would only prohibit the buying and selling of those actually awarded to individuals.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5029 Posts |
That seems a little odd - if I was awarded the Purple Heart and wanted to sell it then who is Congress to tell me otherwise? I think the Colonel is wrong in his thinking. I am going to research that piece of legislation as that is a slippery slope. Good intentions often wind up having a larger impact than the original (although misguided in my opinion in this case) intent. Thanks for posting that info nfine.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5828 Posts |
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,834 |
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Posted 05/31/2017 2:56 pm
