benefits it conveys in earning a purple heart, among other things, earns you the right to be buried at arlington cemetery. it is a big deal. 29 soldiers got those purple heart awards despite the fact that the commander in chief at the time was literally telling the country over and over again that he didn't think their injuries should count. the problem with this story now, for months now, has been this. it appears that it wasn't just those 29 soldiers who were seriously wounded that day. dozens more american soldiers were also wounded that day. "usa today" has spoken to both survivors of the attack and a u.s. official who reviewed the damage to the base immediately after the attack was over, and they now have multiple sources corroborating that, quote, commanders discouraged wounded troops from filing paperwork for the purple heart. if that "usa today" reporting is true and nbc news has not independently verified it, but if that is true it is vile, right? wounded soldiers hurt in an enemy attack told that they shouldn't apply for the purple heart as the president at the time gave these repeated

he then accompanied them to arlington national cemetery. he laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier, which is actually in its centennial year this year, since 1948, the tomb of the unknowns has been guarded night and day by 24-hour military guard, and while the public can witness that from afar, none of us are allowed to get anywhere near it as a sacred site and a literally well-guarded one, but this week sort of specially for its centennial for its 100th year, americans have been -- just regular folks have been allowed to line up and approach the tomb of the unknowns for the first time in decades so people have been able to leave flowers or say a prayer there. it's a very unusual thing. it's the first time in decades. today on veterans day, the biden administration announced new research, new resources, new support for iraq and afghanistan veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits during their service thanks to the inexplicable but apparently systemic practice of handling waste of all kinds at military facilities in those wars