From Stars and Stripes:
ARLINGTON, Va. — Defense officials have rejected the idea that troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder should be eligible for the Purple Heart.
“PTSD is an anxiety disorder caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event; it is not a wound intentionally caused by the enemy from an ‘outside force or agent,’ but is a secondary effect caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event,” said Defense Department spokeswoman Eileen Lainez.
The matter came up in May, when a military psychologist at Fort Bliss, Texas, told reporters he felt that making troops suffering from PTSD eligible for the Purple Heart would help remove the disorder’s stigma.
“These guys have paid at least a high — as high a price, some of them — as anybody with a traumatic brain injury, as anybody with shrapnel wound, and what it does is it says this is the wound that isn’t worthy, and I say it is,” John E. Fortunato said in May.
Posted by Marty on March 29, 2011 at 1:23 pm
When a reporter asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates about Fortunato’s comments, Gates said the matter was “clearly something that needs to be looked at,” prompting a review by the Defense Department’s Awards Advisory Group.
Based on the group’s findings, Dr. David Chu, undersecretary of personnel and readiness, has decided that PTSD does not meet the requirements for the Purple Heart, Lainez said on Monday.
“Historically, the Purple Heart has never been awarded for mental disorders or psychological conditions resulting from witnessing or experiencing traumatic combat events (e.g., combat stress reaction, shell-shock, combat stress fatigue, acute stress disorder, or PTSD),” she said.
The group also found that the requirement that the Purple Heart is awarded for wounds caused by “an outside force or agent” is a fair and objective standard for who should receive the award, but medical science cannot provide such a standard for troops suffering from PTSD, Lainez said.
“Several members could witness the same traumatic event, but only those who suffer from PTSD would receive the Purple Heart,” she said.
The issue of whether troops suffering from PTSD should be eligible for the Purple Heart created a controversy after Stars and Stripes first wrote about the issue in May.
The Military Order of the Purple Heart, a veterans group, responded by saying the Purple Heart should only be awarded to troops who shed blood.
“I don’t think people should get the Purple Heart for almost getting wounded,” said Joe Palagyi, the group’s national adjutant.
Many Stripes readers also opposed the idea.
“Every badge hunter and his brother will have this distinguished award in their sights,” Army Capt. Matthew Nichols wrote in a May letter to the editor.
But Edward Stump, who said he served in Vietnam with the Marines from 1966 to 1967, wrote that the psychological wounds are just as real as physical ones.
“My wounds do not bleed but they have as many scars as a lot of other wounds,” Stump wrote. “These wounds will never heal anymore than the scars, from any that are from combat-related fighting, will disappear.”
Posted by Fernando Delgado on July 5, 2011 at 1:28 am
I am an Iraq combat Marine who suffers from PTSD. I have been in plenty of fire fights, been hit on my plates, have had plenty of IED’s go off around me, seen plenty of civilian and military dead bodies, and have killed my enemy. I have plenty of buddies along of mine who received a chipped elbow and got a Purple for it, they are fully functional. I have a buddy who’s skin got burned by shrapnel and got a Purple Heart, he is doing fine now to. Yes most service member lose the use of a body part but that is not the case with everyone. I do not understand how service members who lose the function of thier minds and the body that comes with it is not looked at the same. I believe that PTSD is the greatest wound a service member can receive because it is one that will never go away. You lose control of everything and it will forever show up at your doorstep when it pleases. For those who turn down the Purple Heart for service members with PTSD, go through what they have gone through. Once you have PTSD then tell me if it rates a PH medal. It is easy to say NO when you don’t have it. PTSD is also combat related because it happened to the Service Member during the time of combat. It makes me sick to know that the Pentegon refuses to give the Medal to Service Members who have given their minds for their country.
Posted by Marty on July 5, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
The mind wounds take the biggest toll I believe. It feels unfair and wrong that people do not understand this disorder. Most of us here have complex PTSD from our childhoods. We feel the same about trauma, we did nothing to deserve it, but no one understands it.
You do not have to suffer with this disorder. It can be integrated and healed with work.
Being a soldier you have the skills and traits to heal. You follow orders and take action. You can heal and take your life back. It is possible if you practice daily and use mindfulness. Please join us on this journey to happiness.
Posted by Anonymous on July 15, 2011 at 1:58 am
I am much surprised and disappointed with the comments coming from some who oppose the award of a purple heart to ptsd sufferers. My brother took his life in 1975
after struggling with this illness. I am a combat veteran of the Vietnam war and I think of what happened and have nightmares frequently about general and specific incidents in which I was involved. I do not desire the medal personally. I do not even really care anything about the medals I earned including the combat action ribbon.
I discarded all medals uniforms pictures and other reminders of my time in Vietnam. All this being said I will tell you that I have a low opinion of a man who denigrates and infers that ptsd sufferers are “weak” or cowards. This blanket assertion demonstrates a high degree of ignorance.
There are a lot of dirty little secrets that take place in a combat area. I saw oodles of senior NCOs’ receive Bronze stars who were in support jobs and never made a patrol. Same with admin officers and supply officers. I had a man who recieved a purple heart because he cut his hand opening an ammo box and was scared to death so was I.
I think those of us who were fortunate enough to exit these wars relatively unscathed
need to support our former comrades in arms and defend them from those who would judge them and put them down.
Of course one must realize that the ones who squawk the loudest about being heroes and such many times are those who never saw combat.
I love all of you whether you have a medal of honor or not one medal at all.
May peace reside in all your hearts.
Ong Phuc
Co Van Hai Quan My
Posted by Rodney L. Ambrose on January 2, 2013 at 3:18 pm
As a combat vet, I think the purple heart should be awarded to military personnel who are rated a 100% [PTSD] I have been in heavy combat and will live on pills and bad memories the rest of my life.
Posted by Rodney L. Ambrose on January 2, 2013 at 3:46 pm
As a combat veteran I’ve in been heavy Combat in Vietnam on the DMZ and tet offensive. and now I will live on pills and bad memories the rest of my life, I’m rated a 100% and when rated at 100% PTSD you should get a purple heart, I was wounded by srcapnole but was never documented. I remember well.
Posted by Rodney L. Ambrose on January 2, 2013 at 3:54 pm
I bet Eileen Lainz or Secratary Chu was never in Combat!