John Plahovinsak
On September 27, 2023, Representative Mike Levin introduced bipartisan legislative bill H.R. 5765, the Passports for Purple Hearts Act to eliminate passport book fees for Purple Heart recipients. This Bill would amend the Passport Act of 1920.
It would cost a disabled veteran to obtain their passport book the first time or renew their passport book for international travel a total of $130.00. If it were for the first-time passport book applicants there would be an additional $35.00 charge added to the $130.00 fee.
According to Congressman Levin, the Passports for Purple Heart Act, if passed, would exempt recipients of the Purple Heart Medal from paying passport book fees, “as a small token of gratitude for the recipient’s incredible sacrifice and service.”
The Purple Heart is considered the military’s oldest medal and is awarded to those wounded or killed in combat. In the Korean War, 118,000 Purple Hearts were awarded; 350,000 were awarded during the Vietnam War; and 607 Purple Hearts were awarded during the Persian Gulf War.
Statistics (from November of 2018) indicated that 12,500 Purple Hearts were awarded for serving in Afghanistan and 35,000 were awarded for serving during the Iraq War.
“The costs of obtaining and renewing a passport should not be a burden for veterans who made great sacrifices in the line of duty,” stated Levin. “Eliminating this potential financial barrier will make it easier for Purple Heart recipients to obtain this essential document.”
The Passport Act of 1920, and other amendments to this Act, has already included exemptions from paying passport book fees to other classes of individuals.
These exemptions include: officers or employees of the U.S. proceeding abroad in discharge of their official duties; American Red Cross workers traveling overseas to perform duties; and Peace Corps volunteers.
Other exemptions from the passport related fees are: a widow, widower, child, parent, grandparent, brother, or sister of a deceased member of the Armed Forces proceeding abroad to visit the grave of such member to attend such members funeral and an individual abroad returning to the U.S. when the Secretary of State determines the fee can be waived.
“Passports are the keys to see the world, but the application fees are very expensive,” said Rep. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa. “This is one government fee that can be waived as a thank you to our Purple Heart Veterans, who have put their lives on the line.”
According to Rep. Radewagen, “I’m proud to say that American Samoa has one of the highest per capita veteran populations in the country, and I appreciate Congressman Levin for leading this bill to thank our Purple Heart veterans.”
“Our Purple Heart recipients flew to foreign lands to put their bodies and lives on the line to protect us and our freedoms,” commented Scott Peters, a co-sponsor of the pending legislation. “The very least we can do is to remove the cost of obtaining a passport so they can travel more freely.”
“Obtaining passports often comes with bureaucratic roadblocks and hefty application fees,” said Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, another co-sponsor of the legislative bill. “I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to alleviate these burdens for our Purple Heart veterans to make their travels easier and more accessible.”
The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has issued a statement of support for the Passports for Purple Heart Act, stating that this bill “will help honor the sacrifices made by these veterans and their families.”
As of October 8, 2023, this proposed legislation has also been endorsed by the American Ex-Prisoners of War, the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH).
“As the Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, we are undertaking in support of our nation’s Purple Heart veterans by eliminating the fees associated with passports and/or renewals for Purple Heart veterans,” said National Commander Carder Ferguson.
“We believe that this is a small yet meaningful step in showing our appreciation for the sacrifices made by our veterans and ensuring that they can enjoy the benefits of their hard-earned freedoms,” concluded Commander Ferguson.
My Opinion: I totally agreed with MOPH Commander Ferguson, that this Act is “a small yet meaningful step” in displaying our appreciation of service members, who have been awarded the Purple Heart.
These service members have been wounded in combat with the enemy and should be granted an exemption from the fees associated with obtaining a passport. Other similar fee exemptions have been granted to other individuals, such as members of the Peace Corps, as cited in the above paragraphs.
This should be an easy piece of legislation for Congress to approve. However, with the current governmental standdown situation, no legislation can be passed until a Speaker for the House of Representatives is elected.
A few Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) have already honored the members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart in some manner. For example, being awarded the Purple Heart Medal grants a veteran immediate eligibility to join the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
BioSketch: John Plahovinsak is a retired 32-year Army veteran, who served from 1967 to 1999. He was elected to the Board of Directors of Chapter 649 of the Vietnam Veterans of American (VVA) and serves as the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio Hospital Chairman. He can be contacted at: plahovinsak@msn.com.
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