As to his ourple heart....he was out of commission for a couple of hours.
I don't know that I agree with that. Many years ago an Army colleague of mine was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in London. He was not permitted to wear his uniform and drew a clothing allowance. However, if he had ever been called to account for his actions on duty he would most certainly appear in uniform.
Was he drawing military pay? Did he have a commanding officer? Was he subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice? I don't know what his status was.
"As to his purple heart..."
I should have been more clear. I meant on the officer's right side there are devices I don't recognize. They look like service ribbons but appear next to the unit citations. That is, on the left side relative to an observer.