March 16, 2004
Sometimes, we love lawyers.
59 years ago, Teddy Draper Sr was a Navajo Code Talker injured at the battle of Iwo Jima. George P. Parker Jr thought it wasn't right that he had recieved no recognition or veterans' benefits for his service, and set about getting them.
One the one hand, it's an uplifting story; on the other, I can only be appalled at the ongoing pettiness that saw his Purple Heart mailed to him, rather than presented, and for it to take this long and an otherwise high-priced lawyer working for free for this man to get his dues. It's also more that a little sad to read how much his service and the things he saw and did haunt him to this day. [via Fark, of all places]
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I can only wonder: What the hell were people thinking? "He's only a Injun?" or what exactly? Sometimes news like this makes me wonder what kind of weird reality some people live in. He's a veteran, he fought, played his part, got hurt, almost killed; so what is the problem? Why wasn't his due given to him? Why did it take decades and a lawyer to get him what the country rightfully should have given to him with a marching band and newspaper columns? Sheesh.
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Good post, rodgerd. I cannot believe they mailed his Purple Heart to him. Christ, they should have crawled to his doorstep asking his forgiveness. Typical bastards. Good job on Parker's part for slogging thru all the bullshit, and perservering. American's owe Teddy Draper a debt of gratitude. I wonder how many other's are out there going thru similiar circumstances.
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Great story. It is a shame that veterans get overlooked and snubbed that way. Alnedra, I doubt it was because he was an "injun". I've heard stories from veterans of all skin color of similar mistreatment. Unfortunately veterans benefits come out of the bureaucracy in Washington.
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Fine post -- this long overdue rectification is sadly diminished by the mailing of the Purple Heart, in fact seems petty and a shameful behaviour on the part of the Marines. Can't believe this is customary.