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Who Should Get A ... "Purple Heart" VOTE FOR TWO

Discussion in 'Military' started by SOSHeloPilot, Mar 28, 2011.

?

State Status: Miltary, Former, Civilian/Should "non-traditional" injuries get a PH?

  1. Military

    101 vote(s)
    62.3%
  2. Former Military

    56 vote(s)
    34.6%
  3. Civilian

    24 vote(s)
    14.8%
  4. YES to PH for PTSD/Traumatic Brain Injuries/etc

    97 vote(s)
    59.9%
  5. No to PH for PTSD/Traumatic Brain Injuries/etc

    39 vote(s)
    24.1%
  1. Mar 28, 2011 at 5:19 PM
    #1
    SOSHeloPilot

    SOSHeloPilot [OP] My 1st Muscle Car

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    .

    ... EDIT ... with new poll (thanks to 98acoma27) ... don't forget to to vote twice ... (1) status & then (2) your vote

    I have been watching this new "Purple Heart" debate in Congress & the DoD now and would like to know your thoughts.

    Thoughts of those .... (1) in the military .... (2) have been in the military ..... (3) and those who have not been in the military.

    Without googling it ...the basic rules for a "Purple Heart" up until now ... that the injury had to basically draw blood in a combat and be caused by an enemy.

    Now, before you vote ... a few things to think about ... :confused:

    Many in WW1 who were gassed with poison gas such as mustard gas in combat were not given a "Purple Heart". I grew up with my grandfather and he was in WW1 and was hit with shrapnel and gassed ... but was only given a PH for his shrapnel wound. His gas injury was in field combat in France and was much, much worse than his shrapnel injury.

    I was injured twice (very minor surface injuries) and received 2 PHs in RVN. My last injury was a broken back (much worse than surface injuries) and I did not receive a PH for that back injury.

    Now, with so many TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injuries) and concussions in Iraq & Afghanistan .. should those injured soldiers get a PH too ?

    Should PHs be awarded to those with PTSD too ... PTSD can be worse than a major wound.

    Just curious on your "military status" and what you think about the "PH Debate"

    I tried to set up a poll ... but did not know how to do so ... maybe a poll could be set up on this too ... :D

    Please consider ALL injuries as a direct result of combat in this debate - and please post your thoughts and comments - thanks .... :D
    .
     
  2. Mar 28, 2011 at 5:30 PM
    #2
    98tacoma27

    98tacoma27 is going full "SANDWICH" Moderator

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  3. Mar 28, 2011 at 5:32 PM
    #3
    SOSHeloPilot

    SOSHeloPilot [OP] My 1st Muscle Car

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    Thanks a lot ... and they can vote for 2 ... (1) Military status & (2) Their vote .... :D

    .
     
  4. Mar 28, 2011 at 5:33 PM
    #4
    98tacoma27

    98tacoma27 is going full "SANDWICH" Moderator

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  5. Mar 28, 2011 at 7:21 PM
    #5
    jobrien

    jobrien shit happens then you die

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  6. Mar 28, 2011 at 8:32 PM
    #6
    tacomathom

    tacomathom Well-Known Member

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    It's not new, it's not Mexico
    I think any injury caused by enemy action, that requires medical treatment, rates a Purple Heart. Not all wounds bleed. The Purple Heart should be for Military only, not contractors in a combat zone.
     
  7. Mar 28, 2011 at 8:48 PM
    #7
    tencrawler

    tencrawler I'm a lover not an expert

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    I received my PH for a minor shrapnel wound from a rocket and mortar attack, but the anxiety and depression during/following my deployment and the time following my return to civilian life was much harder to overcome than the scrape on my chin. On a separate note, I "earned" my Combat Action Badge and Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device; it's been a while since I have relived that day, and just wanted to take the time to remember our fallen and thank those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
     
  8. Mar 29, 2011 at 5:28 AM
    #8
    river rat 69

    river rat 69 Well-Known Member

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    NO Chrome,3" NFab's steps,TRD skid,Wet okie's.011 grill, k&n,5100's,All this comes right off when the old lady says let's go get a NEW ONE!!!
    The Purple Heart should be for military only! Yes on the Purple Heart for PTSD some wounds cant be seen and never will heal. Thank God for all who who stand up for the USA. May they never stop showing up in our time of need. RVN river boats 68&69. Jim
     
  9. Mar 29, 2011 at 6:21 AM
    #9
    ross123

    ross123 Well-Known Member

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    im torn between the purple heart for PTSD debate. i understand some ppl do get it. but Ive also seen far more ppl that didn't see 1 second of combat claim PTSD. now that to me is complete bullshit. but once again theirs really no way to prove one way or the other. so from what Ive seen id say no to purple heart for PTSD until they can come up with a way to prove a lot of ppl are complete lairs and shouldn't receive anything
     
  10. Mar 29, 2011 at 7:36 AM
    #10
    BUB_IROC_Z

    BUB_IROC_Z Well-Known Member

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    I am a combat Vet. I served 2 tours in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan. I was stabbed in the hand and took shrapnel to the legs and arms. All healed fine. I didn't receive a purple heart for some bull shit "command reasons". I have a horrible case of PTSD. I would rather be PTSD free and have a profusely bleeding wound on my body somewhere. Just saying.
     
  11. Mar 29, 2011 at 9:56 AM
    #11
    river rat 69

    river rat 69 Well-Known Member

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    NO Chrome,3" NFab's steps,TRD skid,Wet okie's.011 grill, k&n,5100's,All this comes right off when the old lady says let's go get a NEW ONE!!!
    Im lost here was the shrapnel from a booby trap? If so i dont think it came from one of our boys. Some times command reasons dont pass the smell test. Write your Senator and see if you can get a meeting with him or her this summer. You would like to volunteer for USMC PTSD evaluation. Dont stop trying, Thanks for your service. Jim
     
  12. Mar 29, 2011 at 11:07 AM
    #12
    warpwr

    warpwr Junior Senior Member

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    I'm ex Army but I want to talk about my son instead.
    He was in Iraq in the Army in '03.
    He has PTSD and he also slipped off an armored vehicle while on guard in pitch black darkness and hit his face on the side of it. Knocked out a tooth and it had to be sewn up.
    No Purple Hearts for him.
    A good friend of mine was wounded in Vietnam in combat with the 7th Air Cav. A round went through his hand and wound up in his rear end. He still has the round along with his purple heart framed on his wall.
    Another friend lost an arm and part of his face to a roadside bomb in Iraq, he has a purple heart.
    And this brave young man was a casual friend of mine. You can see his purple heart at the link below and his name in the credits of the movie We Were Soldiers.
    http://www.virtualwall.org/dc/CarnevaleDJ01a.htm

    Personally, I'm satisfied with the Purple Heart award just the way it stands.
     
  13. Mar 30, 2011 at 3:01 AM
    #13
    CoalMedic

    CoalMedic Molon Labe

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    I've got one from my experience with an IED in Iraq. Tore off a good chunk of my face and my right eye. I also received a TBI that wasn't caught for 1.5 years, after I raised hell about it. I was one of the first in the nation to undergo TBI testing and treatment following my discharge.
    I am torn about the TBI/PTSD debate.
    I'm inclined to say "no" to PTSD and "yes" to TBI. I say that because TBI can be clinically proven, whereas PSTD is much harder to clinically define. There are clinical signs that accompany a TBI, reduced brain function, memory loss, etc, whereas PTSD is more symptom based.

    Both can ruin a person's life. I'm not calling anyone who has PTSD a liar, because it is absolutely no fun at all. I've undergone 5 years of therapy in order to function as well as I am, which is still not to the level I was 10 years ago when I joined the Corps. (Please no Marine jokes, this is a serious post).

    Therefore, I voted "military" only. I'm up for an adult debate about why you think PTSD would rate a Purple Heart. I'd gladly trade mine back in to have my old head back and vision back in my eye.


    Before I close, thank you all who have stood up for this country.
    Semper Fi.
     
  14. Mar 30, 2011 at 5:23 PM
    #14
    SOSHeloPilot

    SOSHeloPilot [OP] My 1st Muscle Car

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    FWIW ........ New DoD funded research for blood work to detect TBIs ... maybe ... :confused:

    Link to story --> http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2011/03/30/ksu-prof-gets-28m-dod-grant.html


    Atlanta Business Chronicle
    Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 2:11pm EDT - Last Modified: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 5:04pm EDT

    Read more: KSU prof gets $2.4M DOD grant | Atlanta Business Chronicle

    A Kennesaw State University professor won a $2.4 million U.S. Department of Defense grant to validate a blood test aimed at diagnosing concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI).
    The test, developed by KSU Distinguished Professor of Health and Human Services Svetlana Dambinova, is able to assess a brain injury without the benefit of neuroimaging technology such as CT scans and MRIs, KSU said. According to Dambinova, the blood test detects a peptide that is released into the bloodstream after an injury to the brain, which can cause a concussion or mTBI.

    “This is especially helpful in a combat situation when those devices are not available because the quicker a brain injury is diagnosed, the better the chances for successful treatment,” Dambinova said in a statement.
    Dambinova also said the hope is that her test can diagnose mTBI immediately or soon after the injury, as well as determine the severity of the injury.

    About 1.7 million cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) occur every year. And nearly 52,000 people die every year from TBI, while an estimated 5.3 million people live with a TBI-related disability. People with untreated concussions have a higher chance of stroke and epilepsy.

    Dambinova will work with researchers from KSU, Penn State Hershey Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to draw blood to test for peptide levels from 21- to -30 year-olds who have suffered a sports-related mTBI in the previous 24 hours.
    .
     
  15. Mar 31, 2011 at 3:08 AM
    #15
    52419

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    my story, we were on patrol through ------valley its pretty much pergatory right before you get to hell well we were the third truck in the patrol and our buffalo cam up behind us in the midst of the night and started interegationg a previous blast hole then hit there white lights which stunned me through my nods and i hollered down from the gun to the drive "hey can you pull up a little bit please the buffalo is interegating a blast hole" no sooner did i finish my sentence a loud boom followed by a shower of rocks gravel and other misc debry rained down on my head causing minimal scratches, the rest of my truck was dazed and confused truck was airborne for a little bit and the buffalo dameged there shovel and arm, everyone is fine. i dont know what you think about the ph award but thats the closest i ever want to come to getting it
     
  16. Mar 31, 2011 at 6:53 AM
    #16
    tacomunchkin

    tacomunchkin Well-Known Member

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    I'm still trying to convince my buddy he needs to put in for a purple heart after he slipped in a bath tub and cut himself. The best part is I spend the better part of the night in a 3rd world hospital to get him stitched up.
     
  17. Mar 31, 2011 at 7:09 AM
    #17
    ian408

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    I wasn't in the military.

    I consider some of the not so obvious injuries that are combat related worthy of the PH.I would have to qualify it though (since the poll doesn't distinguish). There are injuries that meet the requirement right up to the blood part and should be considered. The TBI is a prime example. Broken bones are another.

    I'm torn on the PTSD thing though. I don't know what the right answer is.

    I do believe that military and former military should be the only recipients.
     
  18. Apr 15, 2011 at 3:09 AM
    #18
    StandingCow

    StandingCow Well-Known Member

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    Former air force... yea you should absolutely get a PH for PTSD.
     
  19. Apr 18, 2011 at 11:22 AM
    #19
    Taco Gunner

    Taco Gunner Well-Known Member

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    WOW...wow...just wow.

    What do you do in the Army?

    Point by point:

    PTSD...you are right, everyone deals with it differently..but we are ALL different. I know guys that are tough as nails and have seen shit 99.9999% of people have not or should not see...and they have broken down. Let me tell you something...YOU are not that tough...no one is. You are in no position to judge how one person reacts to life changing event and how it effects them. Again, maybe your breaking point is higher than most, but I assure you, you have one. We all do.

    WWII...plenty of them and many will not say shit about what they saw and experienced. And many went home and DID NOT assimilate into life like you say. The did not..FACT. Some took their own lives, some became alcoholics, some just wasted away. Look into the guys who raised the flag in Iwo Jima...some of them had a tough life..some a short one. PTSD is just the latest name for an issue that has been around since rocks and spears. I know people who could take you too your breaking point before you could even shit your pants..and leave scars that would never heal. Does that make you a pussy? Nope, makes you human.

    This statement smacks of arrogance and ignorance of a real problem. I pray to God you do not lead men or are any sort of command structure with this attitude. For the reasons stated above, we all react differently and to ignore, push aside, torment, banish and individual for not "sucking it up" is irresponsible as leadership and and human being.

    I am stunned the Army is wondering why the suicide rate is so high..especially with attitudes like this.

    For everyone: read this book..it is required reading for some. I learned a great deal...everyone will. Even the toughest guys in the group have broken down.

    http://www.amazon.com/Combat-Psychology-Physiology-Deadly-Conflict/dp/0964920514
     
  20. Apr 18, 2011 at 11:33 AM
    #20
    mgrande

    mgrande iKill

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    PH recipient here, I think TBI warrants a the PH, however since the symptoms are closely linked to PTSD ( which I have seen some people that have never seen any action claim to have) it would have to be lean to the more severe side. I suppose the golden criteria would be if the service member lost consciousness or not. Or lost vision. When I was hit I got my bell rung and was diagnosed later on with mild TBI, although there are issues that come with it I dont feel that I deserve a second PH for such a lesser case when some guys lose there speech after words.
     

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