No Purple Hearts for PTSD, Pentagon rules

[unhappycamper]

No Purple Hearts for PTSD, Pentagon rules
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 5, 2009 20:27:19 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.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/01/military_purpleheart_ptsd_010609w/%2e

[Demeter]

1. After all, Don't Want to "Debase" the Purple Heart Like Bush Did the Medal of Freedom!

They'd have to hand them out like gumballs.... :sarcasm: