OMSA CAMPAIGNS AGAINST PURPLE HEART LEGISLATION

E-Sylum readers are aware of proposed legislation in the U.S. Congress that would further restrict sale & trade of Purple Heart medals. Frank Draskovic submitted this information about the Orders & Medals Society of America's stand against the bill, and how others can assist.

While we try to avoid politics here, Dick Johnson and I have already noted our opposition. U.S. readers can review OMSA's arguments and make up their own minds. To me, this issue is much better handled in the U.K., where the Victoria Cross medals are freely bought and sold, often raising much needed funds for the recipient's family, and generating local and national publicity for stories of their heroism. Lord Ashcroft's collection is on display in a place of honor in the Imperial War Museum in London, and individual Victoria Cross winners are honored with memorials in their hometowns across the country. -Editor

Please see at the end of this note an email notice received from Fred Borch, President of the Orders & Medals Society of America (OMSA). It concerns new proposed federal legislation to ban the collecting of awarded Purple Heart medals, a keystone of American medals collecting.

Medal collecting numismatists everywhere would appreciate E-Sylum's influential readers and other numismatic groups, publications and individual collectors to help in publicizing this ill-advised attempt to quash an important aspect of medal collecting, and also an infringement of all our private property rights. We ask for everyone's support by contacting the government officials listed in Mr. Borch's email to express opposition to the proposed legislation.

For those unfamiliar with attributed American military medal collecting, see the two attached photos of a World War Two posthumous Purple Heart. It was awarded to Seaman 1st Class Joseph H. Mills who was killed in action on April 12, 1945 when his ship, the destroyer USS Mannert L. Abele, was sunk in a Japanese kamikaze attack during the battle for Okinawa. His Purple Heart was posthumously presented to his widow, Mrs. Marie Mills, of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In a perfect world his PH would be held in perpetuity by his family to be remembered and honored. But in the real world that's not often the case. Families don't always stay together and ancestors can be forgotten after a few generations. Close family members die, then with no one to recognize or care about the medals, most are sadly trashed. Fortunately some are saved and come to market via garage sales, flea markets or estate auctions where medal collectors acquire them. That's when the fun begins, not only with Purple Hearts but with all attributable medals.

We research the history of the medal, where it was made (like mint-mark collecting) along with the details surrounding the award. That having been done, we talk about, exhibit and often publish the results in collector journals and elsewhere, thereby memorializing the recipient's service and often valorous act for the public record. Doesn't that make more sense than banning and banishing many tens of thousands of these historical artifacts to either the trash bin or to attics and basements in musty museums or warehouses where they'll likely not be appreciated, rather more likely never to be seen again? Medal collectors are by definition preservationists. No one appreciates them more than we do.

Another ban instituted in the recent past on the buying, selling and consequently the public collecting of Medals of Honor still stands, though Medals of Honor are the personal property of the recipients, their heirs and assigns. This unfortunate law has stopped dead the legal purchase of Medals of Honor along with their study and exposition. Most in the medal collecting community agree that the MOH ban is an unconstitutional infringement of private property rights but to date the prohibition has not been challenged in court, thus it continues in force. Now it's to be the Purple Heart. What will be next?

If there ever was a time to mobilize against such foolish, ill-informed regulation, that time is now. We ask all medal collectors and sympathetic numismatist friends and colleagues help us oppose this legislation. Please read the details below to learn how to help. Many thanks to all.

Sincerely, Frank Draskovic
President, Southern California Orders & Medals Society (SOCALOMS)

First of all, thanks to (Krause Publications' monthly magazine) Military Trader's editor John Adam-Graf, who has already been mobilizing Military Trader readers against the latest challenge to our hobby. Some of what I am using in this message to you comes from John's recent blogging on the topic, so he deserves the credit for being one of the first to see the danger to us as medal collectors.

In September 2016, Member of Congress Paul Cook, a Republican from California, introduced legislation (H.R. 6234) that would make it a crime (a misdemeanor, not a felony) to buy, sell, or trade any Purple Heart awarded to a member of the armed forces. Cook's legislation was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, where it will be examined.

Congressman Cook is a retired Marine colonel, and he feels strongly that there should be no buying or selling of Purple Hearts that have been awarded. His rationale is that the Purple Heart "holds a special place of honor" as a symbol of "the great and sometimes ultimate sacrifice of American service members." Note that Cook's legislation would not prohibit the buying and selling of all Purple Hearts. Rather, it would only prohibit the buying and selling of those actually awarded to individuals. For us collectors, however, as we are chiefly interested in medals linked to a recipient, Congressman Cook's legislation has the potential to strike at the heart of collecting Purple Hearts.

I personally agree with Congressman Cook's conviction that the Purple Heart is special and is deserving of both protection and preservation. That's why I collect them, as do many of us in OMSA. All of us, without exception, cherish the Purple Hearts in our collections, and seek to honor the recipients of those medals. That's why prohibiting the buying and selling of Purple Hearts---or any US decorations for that matter---is not going to make them any more special. Or protect or preserve them more. On the contrary, Cook's proposed legislation is going to harm veterans and their families, and collectors. As John Adams-Graf puts it in Military Trader: Cook's legislation "is an affront to the liberty of veterans to decide how to dispose of their medals or of the collectors who desire to purchase and preserve the medals."

For those of you who are not familiar with how legislation gets enacted, Congressman Cook's proposed ban on Purple Heart buying and selling is now with those Members of Congress on the Committee of the Judiciary. You can find a list of those members here:

At this point in early 2017, all OMSA members who feel that this legislation is misguided should write to the Judiciary Committee. You also should write to your local Member of Congress, even if that person is not on the Judiciary Committee. Why? Because if Representative Cook's proposed legislation makes it out of the Judiciary Committee and on to the floor of the House, your Representative will be voting on it.

Here is a proposed letter that John Adams-Graf sent to Military Trader readers; I've modified it slightly but I did not change the tenor of the letter. Any OMSA member is welcome to copy and use it. I have already used the letter and mailed it to Representatives Goodlatte and Conyers. You should do so too. Note that you will need to send two copies of the same letter because Representatives Goodlatte and Conyers have different addresses and are from different political parties. A third letter could go to your own Member of Congress in your congressional district.

Dear Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers,

I am writing to you express my concern about H.R. 6234, the "Private Corrado Piccoli Purple Heart Preservation Act," that has been submitted for the Committee's consideration by Rep. Paul Cook (R-CA).

While I believe that Rep. Cook's bill is well-intentioned, I am concerned that it overlooks certain liberties.

As you are aware, a veteran's medals are given to him by our government in recognition of his service. If that veteran chooses to sell or trade or otherwise dispose of those medals, that should be his right to do so---as he would be able to do with any personal property. I do not believe Rep. Cook considered that property right in his Bill because, if his Bill is enacted, it would infringe upon these rights of veterans or their heirs.

Furthermore, Rep. Cook's proposed legislation, as it is now written, fails to acknowledge the thousands of private collectors and researchers who often become the custodians of these medals, whether through purchase or gift. In so doing, these people perpetuate the memory and deeds for which the medals were originally awarded. Without these committed researchers, historians, and hobbyists, these actions would be forgotten to the ages. Rep. Cook's Bill would effectively criminalize these efforts to preserve the record of our military history.

I ask the Judiciary Committee to not recommend HR-6234 for a floor vote in the House. Rather, I hope the Committee and Rep. Cook will give consideration to alternatives that will both preserve the right of the veterans or their heirs to decide how to retain, transfer, give away, or sell their medals as well as the collectors and historians who are committed to preserving the historic record by purchasing, collecting, researching, and displaying these medals.

One final point. We do not want this proposed legislation to be the 'camel's nose under the tent.' If Congress bans the buying and selling of Purple Hearts, there is nothing to preclude it from deciding to prohibit the buying and selling of Silver Stars, Meritorious Service Medals, or any other medal or decoration that is awarded to a soldier, sailor, airman, marine, coast guardsman or merchant mariner.

Thank you for your thoughtful attention.

Best to all, Fred Borch, OMSA President