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Purple Heart Not For PTSD

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The New York Times

Published: January 8, 2009

The Pentagon has decided that it will not award the Purple Heart, the hallowed medal given to those wounded or killed by enemy action, to war veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder because it is not a physical wound.

The decision ends the hope of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have the condition and had hoped that the Purple Hearts could honor their sacrifice and help remove some of the stigma associated with the condition.

The disorder can include nightmares, uncontrolled rage and, sometimes, severe depression and suicide. Soldiers grappling with PTSD are often unable to hold down jobs.

In May, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said awarding Purple Hearts to such service members was "clearly something that needs to be looked at," after he toured a mental health center at Fort Bliss, Texas.

But a Pentagon advisory group decided against the award because, it said, the condition had not been intentionally caused by enemy action, like a bomb or bullet, and because it remained difficult to diagnose and quantify.

"Historically, the Purple Heart has never been awarded for mental disorders or psychological conditions resulting from witnessing or experiencing traumatic combat events," Eileen Lainez, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said. "Current medical knowledge and technologies do not establish PTSD as objectively and routinely as would be required for this award at this time."

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