End Mental Health Stigma and Disparity by Awarding the Purple Heart

End Mental Health Stigma and Disparity by Awarding the Purple Heart for War Stress Injury
Huff Post
Mark C. Russell, Ph.D., ABPP
Retired U.S. Navy Commander, Military Clinical Psychologist
Posted: 04/12/2013

On 17 April 2013, a diverse group of veteran's advocate organizations, military service agencies, and national mental health alliances will meet to discuss re-opening a controversial national campaign to award the Purple Heart, one of the oldest and most recognized American military medals, to service members who were killed or wounded by enemy action, for war stress injury (WSI) like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) earned honorably in engagement with the enemy.

Overview of the Controversy

The current petition rekindles an impassioned debate started in 2008, when Secretary of Defense Robert Gates initiated a formal review. However, in 2009, Dr. David Chu, Undersecretary of Personnel and Readiness, decided that PTSD did not meet the requirements for the Purple Heart in that "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, or PTSD)." However, during the First World War British "shell-shocked" soldiers were initially awarded the "Red Wound Stripe"-a Purple Heart equivalent.

Dr. Chu's circular reasoning is problematic-just because the Purple Heart hasn't been awarded for WSI doesn't mean that it shouldn't be. For instance, the original Badge of Military Merit designed as a purple heart of cloth, was introduced by George Washington in 1782 to encourage gallantry and fidelity among soldiers, and not specifically given to the physically wounded. In fact, prior to 1932, wounded American soldiers were only awarded "wound chevrons" according to Army Regulation 600-15. It wasn't until General Douglas MacArthur renamed the "Purple Heart Medal" in 1932 that it became focused on soldiers killed and wounded in combat.
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I have seen this "moral injury" when veterans come home and I have seen PTSD in survivors of what civilians go through. There is only one type of cause that comes close to what combat does and that is what happens to members of law enforcement.

Anyone who knows this personally, aside from reading it in a book, knows the history of individuals changing on a daily basis, aside from monthly therapy sessions, would agree.
The Purple Heart does not have increased levels of "honor" so a graze receives the same award as an amputation so why are we arguing about this?