Soldiers With Brain Trauma Denied Purple Hearts, Adding Insult to Injury

[kpete]

Source: ProPublica

Soldiers With Brain Trauma Denied Purple Hearts, Adding Insult to Injury
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, and Daniel Zwerdling, NPR Yesterday, 10:05 p.m.


The U.S. Army honors soldiers wounded or killed in combat with the Purple Heart, a powerful symbol designed to recognize their sacrifice and service.

Yet Army commanders have routinely denied Purple Hearts to soldiers who have sustained concussions in Iraq, despite regulations that make such wounds eligible for the medal, an investigation by NPR and ProPublica has found.

Soldiers have had to battle for months and sometimes years to prove that these wounds <1>, also called mild traumatic brain injuries, merit the honor, our reporting showed. Commanders turned down some soldiers despite well-documented blast wounds that wrenched their minds, altered their lives and wracked their families.

................

The denials of Purple Hearts reflect a broader skepticism within the military over the severity of mild traumatic brain injury, often described as one of the signature wounds of the conflicts, according to interviews, documents and internal e-mails obtained by NPR and ProPublica.

Read more: http://www.propublica.org/article/soldiers-with-brain-trauma-denied-purple-hearts-adding-insult-to-injury

[pasto76]

1. interesting

I can see the point of view for wanting to deny these awards. It is highly subjective and revolves around a romanticized version of war at best.

from wiki:

"A "wound" is defined as an injury to any part of the body from an outside force or agent sustained under one or more of the conditions listed above. A physical lesion is not required; however, the wound for which the award is made must have required treatment by a medical officer and records of medical treatment for wounds or injuries received in action must have been made a matter of official record. When contemplating an award of this decoration, the key issue that commanders must take into consideration is the degree to which the enemy caused the injury. The fact that the proposed recipient was participating in direct or indirect combat operations is a necessary prerequisite, but is not sole justification for award. Contrary to popular myth, the Purple Heart is not awarded for non-combative injuries."

To deny this award - the only citation not RECOMMENDED, but earned by meeting the criteria, is literally saying to troops, "hey I know your hmmwv just rolled into a canal when that IED went off, but Jones here had his arm turned into hamburger, I dont see anything wrong with you" - as the troop stands there wondering which of the eight commanders he sees is actually the one talking.

Also a purple heart goes a long way to getting disability awards, which we all know, BushCo made damned sure the whole machine knew that disability for TBI and PTSD were not approved. I have no evidence to that point, just a long time in the army and seeing how it works. Yeah, total bullshit.

sgt pasto

[No Elephants]

6. I like posting here, but I'll risk a tombstone over this: Go shit in your hat.

[No Elephants]

8. Too late to edit, but I may have misunderstood your post. I still am not sure what

you are advocating. So...

If you are for brain-damaged troops getting a purple heart, profound apologies for my prior post. If you are against their getting it, though, my prior post stands.

[indepat]

2. Playing like combat-related brain injuries are not injuries. Unbefuckingly unbelievable, but this

delusion is perhaps no more delusional than the entire Afgan-Iraqi experience wherein almost an entire nation has deluded itself it its illusory reichousness. ;)

[librechik]

3. sickening. The way these so-called patriots treat our soldiers is heartbreaking

why should I be surprised, though? The PTB who deny our soldiers want them there getting shot at for profit and politics in the first place. They are cruel and ignorant low lifes, hardly human IMO.

[Redstone]

4. I heard that story on NPR this morning. Thanks for posting it.

Redstone

[TacticalPeek]

5. Fuck that horseshit.

Cheap-ass conservative blockheads.





PAY FOR OUR TROOPS, YO

[Wilms]

7. Support the Troops n/t

[Gin]

9. my take is.... if they get the medal...then that proves they were

injured in battle...without it and no obvious physical wounds...somehow the government saves $$$

[Odin2005]

10. This is disgusting!

:grr: