I THINK EVERYONE THAT HAS SOME SORT OF MEDICAL WOUND BRAIN DAMAGE OR GUN SHOT SHOULD BE AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART.

Everyone who is wounded by either side is entitled to it.  Too many times I have heard of airmen, soldiers, etc denied their purple heart because they found more bits and pieces of the vehicle’s fire extinguisher inside of them vs. the actual IED.  I am here…waving the BS flag!

This whole debate appears to be between ambitious generals out of touch with front line troops, politicans, and medical experts; most, if not all of whom, have never been in combat.  Combat is so chaotic and unpredictable, and head injuries so common, it might be helpful if someone interviewed a wide sample of front line grunts and their junior officers.  As a Corpsman in Vietnam I treated Marines with a wide variety of head injuries that did not involve bleeding, and symptoms that often did not manifest themselves until well after these same Marines had been returned to combat.  These symptoms included everything from seizures, memory loss, panic attacks, vision problems, persistent headaches, etc.  And it is surprising what goes undiagnosed in crowded field hospitals manned by sleep-deprived doctors and medics. Is a man who fractures his skull racing ointo a bunker to keep from being blown up by mortar rounds any less worthy then someone with multiple pin hole fragmentation wounds from a bomb that detonated 50 yards away.

This happens more then people think. My son serving in a SOF unit was in the area when an IED went off on foot patrol, killing one and badly injured two out of 8. I counted my blessing that he wasn’t hurt but when he was home on leave I asked him where he was at the time and he told me 10 feet away and got a face full of dirt. I was under the impression that they got hit by RGP’s, small arm fire. Reading one injured soldiers Bio, it stated that they were hit by a 500 lb IED at their LZ after a mission. Now, even if he was 100 feet away, tell me that his brain wasn’t rattled. He is back over there on his 5th tour now. I found this out after he left and seen a pic of him in dress blues a month before he left again, no purple heart., My son had told me before that his commander doesn’t believe in giving out awards.

Bob your comment is right on target (This whole debate appears to be between ambitious generals out of touch with front line troops, politicans, and medical experts; most, if not all of whom, have never been in combat.)

My son has been medically retired. He is a 24 year old retired disabled veteran who served three combat tours.  He’s got TBI from a blast and PTSD from all that took place on his three combat deployments. How does one leave service as a retired disabled veteran because of combat injuries and end up ineligible for a Purple Heart?

It’s just one more reason that his dignity has been stripped away, and more proof that our nation does not appreciate their veterans.

I hope more lawmakers will join Rep. Pingree and restore dignity to those who have TBI as a result of their service to our nation.

Not only it is unreasonable not to deny these soldiers a Purple Heart, it also disadvantages them financially after they are discharged.  For example, veterans discharged under honorable conditions with a Purple Heart normally have special hiring preference for federal jobs (and some state jobs), if qualified, even if their injuries are not rated severe enough by the VA for monthly compensation checks.  They would also be eligible for free VA medical care for the rest of their lives for any injury directly related to wounds resulting in a Purple Heart.

I THINK EVERY ONE OF THESE COMMENT ARE GREAT. AND THE MILITARY COMMAND SHOULD GET OFF FROM THEIR BEHINDS AND GET TO WORK AND GIVE THESE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO DESERVE THIS MEDAL.

It also impacts future treatment options available to the soldiers through the VA. If the Pentagon successfully denies the claims, and the recognition with the purple heart medal, the long term effects can be swept away in a massive wave of denial. PTSD patients already face that.So do patients from exposure to chemicals not limited to but exemplified by Agent Orange. The “justice” department approved a settlement between the makers of Agent Orange, including Monsanto, for pennies on the dollar at the time, just with contemporary diagnoses, people who were already sick, and, importantly, already recognized as sick.
Those who developed and died from the damage subsequently, Hey, Sorry,USAF Staff Sergeant Howard Lanning, too bad about your business being bankrupt because of your unfunded treatments, too bad that the Air Force didn’t even recognize until after you had been dead for 5 years that you even died of Service Related conditions… too bad your widow had to suffer so much as well…

Are these brain traumas going to be as big a deal 35 years from now as Agent Orange is now? In 1975, the Army was actively denying that Agent Orange even caused minor health problems.
After the pennies-on-the-dollar “settlement” in 1983, no further cases are even considered. Almost. There HAVE been five cases of people whose A.O. exposure was later proven and successfully contested the earlier misdiagnoses. 5.
In 27 YEARS. Sgt Lannings widow probably won’t be compensated for the money she and Sgt Lanning put into the desperate fight for his life.
It’s more than a crying shame… it’s a Screaming in Rage Travesty. And the Military stands poised to do it again. And again.