Chicopee Vietnam War veteran to be one of 50 to be honored by National Purple Heart Honor Mission
Updated Jan 03, 2021;
Posted Jan 03, 2021
John Hurley Jr. and his wife, Gail, at their home in Chicopee. (Hoang Leon Nguyen / The Republican)
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CHICOPEE Despite being injured twice in Vietnam, once so severely he was lucky to survive, John Hurley Jr. says he never regretted joining the U.S. Marine Corps even as it came during wartime.
Fifty years later and after decades of volunteering for multiple veterans’ organizations, Hurley is now one of the first people in the country to be recognized by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission at West Point.
By JEANETTE DEFORGE | masslive.com | Published: January 3, 2021 CHICOPEE, Mass. (Tribune News Service) Despite being injured twice in Vietnam, once so severely he was lucky to survive, John Hurley Jr. says he never regretted joining the U.S. Marine Corps even as it came during wartime. Fifty years later and after decades of volunteering for multiple veterans’ organizations, Hurley is now one of the first people in the country to be recognized by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission at West Point. On the road to his being awarded the Purple Heart and other honors, including the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V, Hurley suffered a hearing loss, multiple shrapnel wounds and other injuries. When he returned home, he faced disdain from those who opposed the war and decades later found himself in therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder.