Trump says he's always wanted a Purple Heart; bone spurs stood in the way

AROUND THE BLOCK

News with a Twist

Donald Trump is gifted a Purple Heart

Receives award on the same day his draft record is revealed

At a campaign rally in Ashburn, Virginia today, Donald J. Trump announced that a “man came up to me and he handed me his Purple Heart. Now, I said to him is that, like, the real one or a copy. And he said, ‘That’s my real Purple Heart.’” (NBC News later confirmed that the medal was a copy)

After taking in the ooh’s and ah’s from the adoring crowd, Trump went on to say, “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart; this was much easier.”

It is unclear whether Trump actually knows what a Purple Heart is. In fact, the medal is a military decoration awarded to those wounded or killed while serving with the U.S. Military.

In a spot survey of veterans, 94% indicated that “nobody WANTS the Purple Heart,” reflecting the view that you generally don’t go into combat hoping you get injured or killed. Of the 6% who indicated that they always wanted to get a Purple Heart, 4% are self-described masochists and 2% indicated that they are avid viewers of “Duck Dynasty.”

Ironically, Trump’s receipt of the gifted Purple Heart occurred on the same day that it was reported by the New York Times that in 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War and after his college deferment ended, Trump avoided the draft by finding a doctor who diagnosed him with “bone spurs” allowing him to be classified 1-Y, medically deferred.

According to the Times report, at the time of the diagnosis, Mr. Trump “stood 6 feet 2 inches with an athletic build; had played football, tennis and squash; and was taking up golf. His medical history was unblemished, aside from a routine appendectomy when he was 10.”

In an earlier interview with The New York Times, Mr. Trump said the bone spurs had been “temporary” — a “minor” malady that had not had a meaningful impact on him. 

“I had a doctor that gave me a letter — a very strong letter on the heels,” Mr. Trump said in the interview.

The bone spur deferment is also at odds with Mr. Trump’s earlier assertions that it was “ultimately” the luck of a high draft lottery number — rather than the medical deferment — that kept him out of the war.

Commenting on his receipt of the Purple Heart and looking to put the draft issue behind him, Trump campaign spokesperson Katrina Pearson, issued the following statement:

“Mr. Trump is thrilled to have finally received the Purple Heart, an award, similar to the Emmy, he has coveted for years. It also points out the sacrifices that Mr. Trump made, even as a young man, as the search for a doctor who would diagnose and describe his debilitating malady took a lot of time and effort, delaying Mr. Trump’s ability to make the other sacrifices he has recently identified such as ‘building great structures.’ and 'working very, very hard.'”