Back in 1950, Corporal Clem Boody was listed as missing in action. In 1953, he was presumed dead. In 1954, his family was notified that he had been awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. Finally, his family has received the medal.
Why in the world does it take this long to award a medal to a serviceman's family? Haven't they suffered enough?
It's just a shame how we treat our veterans and their families in this country. We collectively ask a lot of our servicemen and women, but we sure don't give a lot back -- and when we do, we take our sweet time.
God Bless
Here's the copy of the article from CNN.com:
DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) – At a campaign stop in Des Moines Monday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson presented a Purple Heart medal to the niece of Corporal Clem Boody, who was listed as Missing in Action while serving in North Korea in 1950.
Richardson said Boody's niece told him the family was notified back in 1954 that Boody had been posthumously awarded a Purple Heart but that the family had never received it.
"I'm very proud to say that the plea made by the family of Corporal Boody has been answered."
Richardson thanked a member of his staff who, he said, was vital in securing the award.
Boody was presumed dead in 1953, but it wasn't until 2007 that his remains were identified.
The Democratic presidential candidate said he'd been negotiating with the North Koreans "for many years" to collect the remains of nearly 8100 servicemen from the Korean War but that he didn't want to turn that part of the story into political exploitation.
"I also realized at the time that I was a candidate for president," Richardson said, "and that it was important that an event like this, the return of remains, should not be politicized."
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