Help Trump Get a Purple Heart

On 2 August 2016, a veteran handed Donald Trump a Purple Heart medal at one of his rallies in Virginia. Making light of a military decoration awarded to combat-wounded service members just days after attacking a fallen soldier’s family, Trump remarked “I've always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.”

As with seemingly everything else in his life, Mr. Trump got one handed to him instead of earning it. That being said, as a Purple Heart recipient [proof:  http://imgur.com/a/FwMy5] who earned one the old-fashioned way by returning from Afghanistan one leg lighter, I fully endorse his desire to earn one and would happily oblige his interest in doing so, by being one of the first to chip in to fly him to the conflict zone of his choosing. After all, you're never too old to follow your dreams.

…ok, let’s be serious. Super serious. We’re not going to be able to help Donald realize his conveniently retroactive military fantasies, and based on precedent he could likely get a series of deferments to avoid going even if we tried. So instead, we’re going to convert toxic bigotry, ignorance, and callousness into something positive. As Michelle Obama said/as Melania Trump might say at some point in the future: "when they go low, we go high."

What better way to do that than to redirect money to a good cause that Donald Trump would vehemently oppose: aiding Syrian refugees. All money actually raised will be distributed to vetted groups working directly with Syrian refugees as well as refugees of similar conflict zones - the decent fellow humans who were unfortunate enough to be in one of these regions when everything around them collapsed, and whom Trump has broadly categorized as likely terrorists unworthy of resettlement. More information on the charity/ies selected (such as the American Refugee Committee, the Refugees Welcome project, International Rescue Committee, or Save the Children, etc.) will be forthcoming in the next several days - but right now I want to get this started up while it's still timely/topical.

Relevant news articles:
- http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/purple-heart-recipient-blasts-trump/story?id=41075856
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/08/02/donald-trump-says-he-always-wanted-to-get-the-purple-heart/
- http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/trump-purple-heart-226565
- http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-receiving-purple-heart-gift-easier/story?id=41069056
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-purple-heart-barney_us_57a0fabee4b08a8e8b5fdbf6

Admin note: GoFundMe holds fundraisers legally accountable for using money raised on their site "in the exact manner you state within your campaign." I will be vetting various non-profits based on their CharityNavigator, CharityWatch, and BBB ratings, as applicable, to determine which one(s) will be able to make the most out of what we raise, and I will then use GoFundMe's transfers system to get the funds directly to that/those organization(s).

[Also yes, the orange theme on this page is very much intentional.]