Gaffe-prone Joe Biden claims he awarded Purple Heart in 2008 to his uncle who died in 1999

In the case of US President Joe Biden, it is rare to deliver a speech without a making blunder that ends up in the headlines the next day. Adding yet another gaffe to his long list, Biden claimed on Friday that after he became the Vice President of the United States in 2008, he felicitated his uncle with the Purple Heart medal for serving in the Second World War.

However, many pointed out a major discrepancy in his story, particularly the fact that his uncle, Frank Biden, passed away almost a decade prior to the year Biden was elected to the post. While his uncle died in 1999, his father, Joe Biden Sr, died in 2002. However, Biden narrated the story at a town hall event, where he said that his father urged him to award the medal to Frank Biden because he deserved it for his service in the Battle of the Bulge. 

Addressing the crowd, Biden claimed his uncle told him, "I don't want the damn thing," when he presented the Purple Heart to him as his fellow soldiers did not survive the war. "My dad—when I got elected vice president—he said, 'Joey, Uncle Frank fought in the Battle of the Bulge ... and he won the Purple Heart,’" Biden added. 

Biden shares never-heard-before story at event on veterans benefits

Furthermore, there is no previous record of Biden awarding his uncle with the honor, from news articles to previous mentions of the anecdote. Neither is his uncle’s name included in the list of recipients of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, according to Forbes. 

Biden shared the story during an event to promote the PACT Act, which is a bill that was approved by him in the month of August to boost the healthcare benefits for veterans who suffered medical ailments after getting exposed to hazardous burn pits in the United States.