What Are the Wounds of War?

Matthew Leake

What Are the Wounds of War?
Military Debates
Purple Heart Awards
For Mental Stress
By YOCHI J. DREAZEN
May 13, 2008; Page A11

WASHINGTON -- Centuries before Iraq and Afghanistan, George Washington created the Purple Heart to honor troops wounded in combat.



But with an increasing number of troops being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the modern military is debating an idea Gen. Washington never considered -- awarding one of the nation's top military citations to veterans with psychological wounds, not just physical ones.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered cautious support for such a change on a trip to a military base in Texas this month.

"It's an interesting idea," Mr. Gates said in response to a question. "I think it is clearly something that needs to be looked at."

The Pentagon says it isn't formally considering a change in policy at this point, but Mr. Gates's comments sparked a heated debate on military blogs, message boards and email lists. The dispute reflects a broader question roiling the military: Can psychological traumas, no matter how debilitating, be considered equivalent to dismembering physical wounds?

Supporters of awarding the Purple Heart to veterans with PTSD believe the move would reduce the stigma that surrounds the disorder and spur more soldiers and Marines to seek help without fear of limiting their careers.

The High Price Paid

"These guys have paid at least as high a price, some of them, as anybody with a traumatic brain injury, as anybody with a shrapnel wound," John Fortunato, who runs a military PTSD treatment facility in Texas, told reporters recently. Absent a policy change, Dr. Fortunato told reporters, troops will mistakenly believe that PTSD is a "wound that isn't worthy."

Opponents argue that the Purple Heart should be reserved for physical injuries, as has been the case since the medal was reinstituted by Congress in 1932. Military regulations say the award should go to troops with injuries "received in action with an enemy." Some opponents also note that PTSD can be faked, which can't easily be done with a physical wound.

"The Purple Heart was meant to be a badge of honor to show you were wounded in battle," says Bob Mackey, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who fought in the first and second Iraq wars. "I've been in combat three times. There's stuff I've had to deal with. But it's substantially different from being physically hurt."

The biggest difference, he says, is that some veterans may be diagnosed with PTSD even if they never saw combat or fought an enemy -- requirements, historically, for receiving a Purple Heart.
click post title for more

trauma: from Greek trauma ("a wound"): "an emotional shock which has a lasting effect on the mind; any abnormal physical or mental condition produced by shock or injury; also, any bodily injury or wound"
http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/Wordpower/answers/greek/171819.htm

The term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has the fact it is a wound right in the words itself. The word "trauma" comes from the Greeks, who knew quiet a bit about the wounds of war. They had been at war in one way or another for centuries as invaders tried to claim the lands of Greece and as they dealt with the aftermath of it. They were, among other things, documenters of the human condition.

We know that people are wounded by traumatic events, natural or manmade. This has been used by some to deny PTSD for the Purple Heart. In doing so, they then subject all battle wounds to the same scrutiny. People can receive bullet wounds in daily life but they do not receive them in the line of duty, unless they are in law enforcement. If they are wounded by a bullet in the line of duty, they are taken care of accordingly. When they are wounded by a bullet in combat, they are awarded a Purple Heart for their wound. They are awarded the Purple Heart for any blood shed but when it comes to PTSD and TBI, it is still a wound nonetheless.

The scar of PTSD cuts so deeply the entire family is wounded. They helplessly watch their veteran die a slow agonizing death of torment until the family falls apart, the veteran takes their own life or provided the knowledge of what the wound is, they support the veteran in seeking help. There is, in this article, a statement that PTSD can be faked. While this is true, it is highly unusual for this to take place. The vast majority of veterans with PTSD are the last ones to admit they have it and reluctant to seek help for it. There are tests to prove the existence of PTSD and there is a long list of tested events that must accompany the diagnosis. No one can simply say "I was there" and then be provided with a disability claim.

If we say "we believe in God" yet we cannot see Him, believers will point to evidence of His existence. Just because PTSD cannot be seen with the human eyes to most, there is evidence of the existence of it. To the trained eye, there are clear, physical clues. Involuntary body movements known as twitches. Eyes that the pain reflects in. There are even more which cannot be "faked" easily to the trained eye.

The other notion of financial gain is also a false argument. When a veteran is awarded 100% disability because they cannot work, they lose income. Far too many would be financially hurt when they find they can no longer do their jobs which provided a higher income than the disability payment from the VA. Some worked in fields where they made overtime pay. There is no overtime pay in the VA checks. Some received bonuses while working yet when they find they can no longer do those jobs, the VA does not provide bonus funds. There are no promotions to strive for when you have a VA disability. The veteran simply receives whatever any one else does in their percentage range.

The assumption of veterans lining up to make false claims also comes with penalties under the law. They face not only having to repay the funds obtained fraudulently, but they also face prison time. They then face a lifetime of being seen as someone who has insulted all veterans wounded in combat.



Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
International Fellowship of Chaplains
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington