Now, I'm no expert...

"Rainbow" (rainbeaux) 12/31/2013 at 04:20 • Filed to: None

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But a Purple Heart isn't something you just sell on Craigslist, right?

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Apparently it's the real deal and it's at a flea market. It's legal to buy and sell these, but that's just not something you intentionally do... I'm thinking its current owner isn't the person who earned it, and that the person who earned it doesn't know where it is.

 V8 Rustler > Rainbow 12/31/2013 at 04:27

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Listing of the craig

shpuker > Rainbow 12/31/2013 at 04:38

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This is wrong on so many levels.

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Rainbow 12/31/2013 at 05:04

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My guess is that the person who earned it died and it is now being sold by a relative or even someone later on down the chain. Honestly there are millions of these around, literally. According to wikipedia almost 2 millions have been awarded since WW1.

Dusty Ventures > Rainbow 12/31/2013 at 06:36

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Not to be all dark and depressing but I could see the recipient selling it, considering its given to those wounded or killed in combat. Maybe the soldier lost close friends in the attack that earned him the medal. Maybe it left him with a permanent debilitating injury (nerve damage, paralysis, loss of limbs), making it impossible for him to do what he used to love (or, if a reservist, impossible to continue his livelihood). Or maybe it was given to a spouse or child because the soldier earned it with the ultimate sacrifice. In any of those situations I could see the medal being a constant reminder of the pain and loss, and therefore why they'd want to be rid of it.

Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > Rainbow 12/31/2013 at 08:28

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There were some periods during 'Nam when they were handing them out... not quite like candy, but for almost any conceivable injury requiring treatment. It's not inconceivable for someone to have lost track of one or not feel like hanging onto it, particularly if this isn't the original owner or it got sold a long time ago.

William Byrd > Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull 12/31/2013 at 08:50

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My Dad was there, he said that some guys didn't quite duck enough running into a bunker and got Purple Hearts for hitting their head. In hindsight, they earned that and more for going through what they did during (and after) being over there. Still interesting to see the differences in criteria across time.

stoke > Rainbow 12/31/2013 at 10:02

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I have a very close family friend (my godparents' son) who is an Afghanistan vet. He was badly injured when his Humvee hit an IED (others on the vehicle were killed, but he was lucky) and received a Purple Heart and honorable discharge.

Last week his storage unit was broken into and - I can still barely believe this - along with a bunch of stuff like electronics and furniture, the thieves took his Purple Heart. The assholes were caught a few days later. It was a meth-fiend married couple that had stolen a car and robbed several storage units to get money for drugs, leaving their three kids alone in a hotel room for a couple days. And fortunately, he got his medal back. But I still cannot understand the mindset of someone who has so little respect for others that they would steal a Purple Heart to hawk for drug money.