Marine who survived 2015 shooting has ‘mixed feelings’ about his Purple Heart

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The Marine who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg during last summer’s terror attack on military installments in Tennessee -- including his recruitment center -- said he was humbled to be awarded a Purple Heart Tuesday, but deflected questions about the military's policy of recruiters being unarmed at these facilities.

“What I’ve always been taught is the Purple Heart is a combat award, being deployed overseas and for me to receive it in Chattanooga, Tennessee… I kind of have mixed feelings about it,” Cheeley, who served in Afghanistan in 2011, told the station. He said he is honored to receive the award, but he does not “want to take away from the fallen five.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/01/2...ings-about-his-purple-heart.html?intcmp=hpbt3
 
The Admiral after the award ceremony was at the bar during the collation, one of the seldom times when the brass and enlisted rub elbows. The sailor who had just received a Silver Star was congratulated by the Admiral. The sailor said, "Sir, I just don't feel that I deserve that Silver Star, my buddies did more than I did."

The Admiral, with many combat decorations looked at the sailor and said,
"Son, they don't give you those medals for what you did, they give you those so you can live with what you did."
 
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