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PTSD is not a Purple Heart injury.
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Why not? It can completely destroy the lives of some of its victims, and Purple Hearts have long been awarded for minor physical injuries that heal completely and have no long term impact on the person’s life. If PTSD is severe enough to require medical treatment, it’s every bit as significant as a bullet wound.
One possible reason for approaching this as a purple heart issue is not to give purple hearts per se but to define the PTSD as a combat related injury. I don’t know a single soldier who would accept the purple heart for PTSD but those that do have it would like to have it diagnosed and treated. Not asking for a free ride, just want to get put back to normal before they get put out of the service.
Currently some posts are pushing soldiers out of the military who are suffering from PTSD. They are misdiagnosing it as a “pre-existing personality disorder”. This keeps the posts numbers down and also saves money... at the expense of the warrior who served honorably.
As a senior NCO I have a real problem with that. If my soldiers get broken in combat they are OWED the best treatment, anything less is unacceptable.