Pres. Trump awards Purple Heart to Army Sgt. Alvaro Barrientos, who was recently wounded in Afghanistan https://t.co/Xucpktr8ji pic.twitter.com/RhZaQbugwY
— ABC News (@ABC) April 22, 2017
On Saturday, President Trump paid his first visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. While on the scene, Trump awarded the Purple Heart to Sergeant First Class Alvaro Barrientos, who was recently wounded in Afghanistan. Barrientos attended the ceremony in a wheelchair while Trump — who had tweeted his excitement about visiting the “bravest and greatest Americans” — presented the Purple Heart and stated, “When I heard about this, I wanted to do it myself… Congratulations … tremendous job.”
Trump then kissed Barrientos’ wife, Tammy, on the cheek before patting his shoulder and posing as the cameras clicked away. The Purple Heart, of course, is awarded to solders who are wounded or killed in the line of duty. So, the president is now being slammed on social media for congratulating rather than thanking Barrientos for his sacrifice and service.
Yet this isn’t the first time Trump’s treated this award in an overwhelmingly positive manner. During an August 2016 rally in Virginia, Trump was thrilled when a veteran arrived onstage and handed him a (replica) Purple Heart. At the time, he raved, “Man, that’s like big stuff. I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.”
At times like these, it’s worth recalling how Trump received five draft deferments — four of which were granted while he was attending college; and the fifth was reportedly due to “bone spurs in his heels” — during the Vietnam War. Following Saturday’s very public ceremony, some are also remembering that President Obama regularly presented Purple Hearts while visiting Walter Reed but would only do so without the presence of cameras.
(Via ABC News, Fox 32 & New York Times)