Military Order of the Purple Heart: All veterans in this group received a Purple Heart in combat
By Jim Carney, The Akron Beacon Journal | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Others were injured in land mine explosions, by rocket or mortar attacks, by roadside bombs or struck by shrapnel from grenades or many other ways.
Every member of a veterans' group that met on Saturday morning had one life-altering and dramatic thing in common.
All were recipients of the Purple Heart, the award given to members of the military who have been killed or wounded in battle.
"There are so many people who don't understand that freedom isn't free," said
There are fifteen chapters of the Military Order of the Purple Heart in
The
While most of the members of Chapter 699 are
Ballis, 34, of
The group, Ballis said, gives him a chance to meet with other veterans who have been wounded in combat.
"It helps talking to the
Marshall, 35, of
He was injured from a roadside bomb blast that killed three of his friends in a truck in front of him while serving in the
Married and the father of two, Marshall is helped with his PTSD with a service dog named Mic that stays by his side to assist him. "He brings me back to the moment," said Marshall.
Talking to the older vets helps greatly, he said.
"I am just trying to get my bearings," he said.
Every Wednesday, some members of the group spend time at the
The national group was chartered by
The website of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor -- www.thepurpleheart.com -- estimates that 1.8 million Purple Heart medals have been awarded.
The
Paul Suscinski, a 66-year-old Vietnam Marine veteran from Norton who is retired from the insurance business, was shot twice in 1966 in
At Saturday's meeting,
"We come to you with thankful hearts for this time together," Emery said as the vets bowed their heads together.
"A grenade blew a hole in my leg," he said of his injury.
Maxwell likes talking to the younger members of the group, even though speaking of war experiences brings up much pain.
The fact is, said Maxwell, an Ohio Bell retiree, that there is a price for freedom and that is what everyone who ever received a Purple Heart has paid.
"It costs somebody," he said. "It cost me a bit."
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(c)2014 the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)
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