No Purple Heart for PTSD? Then give them something else.

Aside from the DOD being clueless what Washington's original medal was about, which had nothing to do with being wounded, they should at least come up with something else. They need to stop acting as if PTSD is anything to be ashamed of. The title itself means "wound" by the word "trauma" which is Greek for wound.

There was an award called the Wound Chevron.

Wound Chevron
A Wound Chevron was a badge of the United States Army which was authorized for wear on an Army uniform between the years of 1918 and 1932. The Wound Chevron was displayed on the lower right cuff of a military uniform, and denoted wounds which were received in combat against an enemy force. The Wound Chevron was a replacement insignia for the short lived Army Wound Ribbon.

In 1932, with the creation of the Purple Heart, Wound Chevrons were no longer awarded to Army personnel. A directive of the United States War Department permitted soldiers to exchange wound chevrons for the new Purple Heart medal. This was not required, however, and some Army personnel elected to retain wound chevrons for wear on the military uniform instead of the Purple Heart. For those who were subsequently wounded in the Second World War, both the original wound chevrons and the Purple Heart medal were worn simultaneously. It is historically agreed that Army regulations did not permit wearing both the Purple Heart and the Wound Chevron at the same time; however, photographic evidence indicates that this was often done by veterans of both the First World War and Second World War.

If they really want PTSD to be seen for what it is, then they should stop treating it like a sub-class wound that is less honorable than other wounds. Just because it does not break the skin that does not mean it was not caused by the enemy. Combat is inflicting the most harm on the enemy as possible. This wound cuts them so deeply many would rather have lost a limb instead. Since the DOD does not sub-classify a graze instead of an entry wound, they should treat all wounds equally. I've posted on this before and I'm more convinced than ever they need to actually honor this wound as a wound if they really want to get rid of the stigma.

No Purple Hearts for PTSD, Pentagon rules

By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 6, 2009 12:31:49 EST

The Purple Heart will not be awarded to service members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, the Pentagon confirmed Monday.

“It’s not a qualifying Purple Heart wound,” said Defense Department spokeswoman Eileen Lainez, although she added that “advancements in medical science may support future re-evaluation.”

The decision, reached Nov. 3 but not made public until now, followed months of evaluation by military and outside officials. That evaluation was spurred when Defense Secretary Robert Gates was asked at a May press conference whether he would support awarding the Purple Heart to PTSD sufferers.

Gates said the idea was “clearly something that needs to be looked at.” His undersecretary for personnel and readiness, David S.C. Chu, decided against making such awards after conferring with the Pentagon’s Awards Advisory Group, which includes “awards experts” from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the military services, the Institute of Heraldry and the Center for Military History, according to Lainez.

Gates concurred with that decision, Lainez said.

The decision was first reported Monday by the Stars and Stripes newspaper.

The Purple Heart “recognizes those individuals wounded to a degree that requires treatment by a medical officer, in action with the enemy or as the result of enemy action where the intended effect of a specific enemy action is to kill or injure the service member,” Lainez said.

PTSD “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,” she said.