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Purple Heart Day: Lessons for Nigeria

Rather than his opponent Hillary Clinton or members of his party that have been reluctant to support their candidate, Trump’s challenger came in the shape of an eloquent and poised Muslim-American couple who had lost their son in the Iraq war.
Purple Heart Day

Purple Heart Day

The seemingly unstoppable rise of Donald Trump has finally faced a bump in the road from a rather unlikely source.

Rather than his opponent Hillary Clinton or members of his party that have been reluctant to support their candidate, Trump’s challenger came in the shape of an eloquent and poised Muslim-American couple who had lost their son in the Iraq war.

Despite Trump’s propensity for hurling insults and offending almost everyone, it was his disrespect of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, two Gold star parents that was viewed as crossing the line.

The condemnation has been swift and far-reaching, from veteran groups and military families to high-profile Republicans denouncing his remarks. The fallout isn’t surprising, you’d be hard-pressed to find a country that respects and reveres the service of military men and women as much as the US. Irrespective of what side of the political spectrum you might fall under, in the US there’s really only one way to talk about and treat troops—with respect.

That respect is displayed in numerous ways, there are fundraising events, foundations and days set aside to remember and honour the work of those in the armed forces. Purple Heart Day is an annual day of remembrance for veterans who were either injured or killed on the battlefield. The day is named after the Purple Heart medal created on the 7th of August 1932 by George Washington, the first President of the US. The medal is automatically awarded to any serviceman or woman who is injured or killed in battle.

According to the US army the Purple heart is “the oldest military award that is still given to members of the U.S. military and differs from all other decorations in that an individual is not “recommended” for the decoration; rather he or she is entitled to it upon meeting specific criteria.”

Purple Heart day sees Americans pay homage and respect to their military through numerous events across the country. Communities who describe themselves as ‘Purple Heart communities’ will raise the Purple Heart flag and the Empire State Building will be bathed in purple light, and the sacrifices of American veterans will be honoured. What, if anything, can Nigeria learn from this?

Well, there’s already an annual commemorative day dedicated to the Armed Forces. Every January 15th Nigeria’s fallen heroes are remembered on Armed Forces Remembrance Day. Last year President Muhammadu Buhari launched an emblem for the 2016 edition along with a N10 million naira donation for the Nigerian Legion. He also called on Nigerians to support and pay tribute to service. But unlike Purple Heart Day, support for Nigerian veterans doesn’t seem to last beyond that day and the treatment of Nigeria’s veterans has come under criticism.

Veterans have taken to the streets in protest the backlog of pension payments, last year The Guardian reported that celebrations at the Armed Forces Remembrance day were almost disrupted by veterans as a result of the pension issue.

In an interview with NAN in May the Military Pensions Board said that “33% increment arrears owed military pensioners since 2010 will be completed by the end of 2017,” with veterans groups eagerly waiting to see if this promise will be fulfilled.

What makes Purple Heart day important isn’t just because it’s a day that commemorates veterans, yes it’s an expression of the respect given to the sacrifice veterans have made, but it also serves as a reminder of the active servicemen and women and encourages national support, that goes beyond just a day’s remembrance, perhaps this is something Nigeria can learn from.

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