Purple Heart Award Research Paper

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Purple Heart Award for PTSD “About 6 of every 10 (or 60%) of men and 5 of every 10 (or 50%) of women experience at least one trauma in their lives”, says National Center for PTSD. Some people say that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder should be eligible for the Purple Heart Award, but it is hard to determine what triggers this disease. Instead of decreasing the significance of the award, PTSD from combat action should be awarded a different medal. The Purple Heart was formed in 1932 by the Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A. (MOPH) for the protection of wounded soldiers of veterans and active duty men and women. The Purple Heart Award lists certain criteria that a person must have to qualify for the award such as any injury caused by enemy bullet, shrapnel, or other projectile created by enemy action. As well as enemy placed mine or trap, enemy released chemical, biological or nuclear agent. It could also be a …show more content…
Sometimes the soldiers had blank stares and seemed not to be aware to their surroundings. Their symptoms include fatigue, tremor, confusion, nightmares and impaired sight and hearing. In World War II they began classifying the disease as “Battle Fatigue” or “Combat Stress Disorder” and finally by the Vietnam War it was renamed PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). It is a disease that is easy to diagnose, but hard to find the root cause. “You can develop post-traumatic stress disorder when you go through, see or learn about an event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violation” (http://www.mayoclinic.org) Therefore, you can not be certain if the battlefield is a definite reason for the PTSD. This leads back to my point that it does not qualify for the Purple Heart Award because more than half the population goes through a traumatic experience within their