Pentagon: PTSD Not Enough For Purple Heart

[The Straight Story]

Pentagon: PTSD Not Enough For Purple Heart
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Not Caused By Enemy


The Pentagon has decided it will not give the Purple Heart, the prestigious medal awarded to service members wounded or killed in action, to sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The Defense Department has determined that based on current Purple Heart criteria, PTSD is not a qualifying Purple Heart wound," department spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said.

"PTSD is an anxiety disorder caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event," Lainez said. It is not "a wound intentionally caused by the enemy from an outside force or agent."

The Defense Department statement announcing the decision, released Tuesday, said the Purple Heart has never been awarded for mental disorders of psychological conditions.

http://www.clickorlando.com/health/18436983/detail.html#-

[YOY]

1. Possibly because it could be faked...but why you'd want to fake it is beyond me.

Purple Hearts are an honor but not neccesarily something people aim for.