Great News For All!!!!

[HARDCORE]

This great news comes in two packages!!

First of all, that ?House Bill? for the award of the Purple Heart to all POWs (1941 - to now, and into the future) who perished in captivity, now has a number! IT IS ?HR 4425.? It is entitled ?HONORING OUR FALLEN PRISONERS OF WAR ACT" (PRINTED BELOW)

It should come up on the House Floor, either June 2 or June 3, and should be covered on C-Span!!

SECONDLY - Linda Morgan, the widow of Robert Morgan, the Pilot of the Memphis Belle (B-17 with 25 missions over Europe), and the Dauntless Dotty (25 Missions over the Pacific Theatre), has gotten a temporary reprieve from homelessness! For the next six months, this gallant lady will be living, along with Colonel Morgan?s pets and loving memory, somewhere in a cottage in the Great Smokey Mountains! This gives a little time to recover from the shock of the Colonel?s death and to plan ahead!

Ms. Morgan will also continue to carry on in Colonel Bob Morgan?s name, and will attend air shows, carry on his website (www.memphis-belle.com) etc!

The President?s military liaison, the Charlotte Observer, and ABC, among others, have been advised, but I am still worried about Linda Morgan, a true patriot and splendid lady!

VERITAS
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Honor Our Fallen Prisoners of War Act (Introduced in House)

HR 4425 IH


108th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 4425

To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the Purple Heart to be awarded to prisoners of war who die in captivity under circumstances not otherwise establishing eligibility for the Purple Heart.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 20, 2004

Mr. FILNER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services


A BILL

To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the Purple Heart to be awarded to prisoners of war who die in captivity under circumstances not otherwise establishing eligibility for the Purple Heart.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Honor Our Fallen Prisoners of War Act'.

SEC. 2. AWARD OF PURPLE HEART FOR PRISONERS OF WAR WHO DIE IN CAPTIVITY.

(a) Persons not Otherwise Eligible for the Purple Heart- Chapter 57 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

`Sec. 1134. Purple Heart: members who die while prisoners of war that are not otherwise eligible under the circumstances causing death

`(a) For purposes of the award of the Purple Heart, the Secretary concerned shall treat a member of the armed forces described in subsection (b) in the same manner as a member who is killed or wounded in action as the result of an act of an enemy of the United States.

`(b) A member described in this subsection is a member who dies in captivity under circumstances establishing eligibility for the prisoner-of-war medal under section 1128 of this title but not under circumstances establishing eligibility for the Purple Heart.

`(c) This section applies to members of the armed forces who die on or after December 7, 1941. In the case of a member who dies as described in subsection (b) on or after December 7, 1941, and before the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary concerned shall award the Purple Heart under subsection (a) in each case which is known to the Secretary before the date of the enactment of this section or for which an application is made to the Secretary in such manner as the Secretary requires.'.

(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

`1134. Purple Heart: members who die while prisoners of war that are not otherwise eligible under the circumstances causing death.'.
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This was Wilbert [Shorty] Estabrook's [himself an ex-POW] brainchild. It was done with dedication, remembrance and love for his fallen comrades. Thanks also to Congressman Filner, JW August and Kim Edwards [ABC - San Diego] who carried the ball, and to all others who support was the backbone of this "BILL"

[HARDCORE]

For The Record!

Here are the figures that I came up with of those Who Died in Captivity while POWs! Naturally, the actual number of POWs are many times the figures below, but these are the numbers of those WHO DIED IN PRISONER OF WAR FACILITIES.

World War I - 147 Died While POWs

World War II - 14,072 Died While POWs

Korean War - 2,701 Died While POWs

Vietnam War - 84 Died While POWs


Of this figure [17,004] it was estimated that (possibly) 40% of "Those Who Died While in Enemy Captivity" did not receive the Purple Heart Medal.

As a matter of fact, and this according to Army Causalities in Virginia, Army Reg # 600-8-22, prevented those whose wounds or death was not directly attributed to Actual Combat from receiving this medal. HR 4425 would rectify this longstanding wrong by awarding [posthumously] the Purple Heart Medal to those "WHO GAVE THEIR LAST FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION AS PRISONERS OF WAR!"

VERITAS

[MORTARDUDE]

Thanks for the info. I guess I missed the story about Linda Morgan. What happened ? Thanks.

Larry