Trump's Purple Heart Draws Rebuke From Illinois Vets
(CBS) -- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday showed off a Purple Heart he received from a supporter, just days after feuding with the parents of a U.S. soldier killed in action.
"I always wanted to get the Purple Heart," he said at a campaign stop Tuesday. "This was much easier, but I tell you it was such an honor."
The Purple Heart is given to soldiers who are wounded in combat and many veterans are upset the Trump accepted it, especially after he received five deferments to avoid the Vietnam War.
Thomas Kapsalis received a Purple Heart in World War II, after he was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge.
His leg was nearly blown off and he still has shrapnel in his body.
"All hell broke loose, airplanes coming and bombing us, and I was up on the front lines," he told CBS 2's Charlie De Mar.
He was held captive for five months and was awarded the Purple Heart for his bravery and sacrifice. When he enlisted, he said, he was "afraid to even shoot my rifle."
"You cannot get the Purple Heart unless you shed blood," Kapsalis said.
Trump's remarks are not sitting well with him
"I don't understand why he's saying that," Kapsalis said.
Illinois congresswoman Tammy Duckworth posted a photo on Twitter of her with her Purple Heart, with a message directed at Donald Trump.
