# Purple hearts in M\*A\*S\*H **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purple-hearts-in-m-a-s-h/761752 "2016-08-04T16:52:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purple-hearts-in-m-a-s-h/761752/21 "2016-08-05T01:12:38Z")
Question: would getting hit by friendly fire qualify for the Purple Heart? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purple-hearts-in-m-a-s-h/761752/22 "2016-08-05T01:28:57Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Question: would getting hit by friendly fire qualify for the Purple Heart? It did for [Pat Tillman.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Tillman) ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purple-hearts-in-m-a-s-h/761752/23 "2016-08-05T01:43:24Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Question: would getting hit by friendly fire qualify for the Purple Heart? If you met the other qualifying criteria yes. From Regulation again > [@](#): > > (8) Servicemembers who are killed or wounded in action by friendly fire. In accordance with 10 USC 1129 for award of the PH, **the SECARMY will treat a Servicemember of the Armed Forces described in paragraph 2–8b(8)(a), > in the same manner as a Servicemember who is killed or wounded in action as the result of an act of an enemy of the United States.** > (a) A Servicemember described in this subsection is one who is killed or wounded in action by weapon fire while directly engaged in armed conflict, other than as the result of an act of an enemy of the United States, unless (in the case of a wound) the wound is the result of willful misconduct of the Servicemember. > (b) This section applies to Servicemembers of the Armed Forces who are killed or wounded on or after 7 December 1941. In the case of a Servicemember killed or wounded, as described in paragraph 2–8b , on or after 7 December 1941 > and before 30 November 1993, the SECARMY will award the PH under provisions of paragraph 2–8a , in each case which is known to the Secretary before such date or for which an application is made to the Secretary in such manner as the Secretary requires. A little extra quote to show that it applies back to Korea since we started talking about MASH. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purple-hearts-in-m-a-s-h/761752/24 "2016-08-05T01:47:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I would think that being awarded any medal while a patient at a forward operating hospital would be rare or actually never happened. Those patients would have been moved as soon as possible to rear areas. You are not going to bother with such things in a MASH. The paperwork wouldn’t be done and approved before they were moved. > > A more modern example would be someone like my cousin. He was badly wounded in Afghanistan, sent to a CSH (modern equivalent of a MASH), as soon as possible sent to Landstuhl Germany and then on to Walter Reed. He was presented his Purple Heart by President Obama at Walter Reed on one of his visits. > [@TriPolar](#): > > That medal was manufactured in WWII in preparation for the invasion of Japan. They made 500,000 of them. Over 100,000 have yet to be awarded (and hopefully never will be). More likely, his medal was manufactured since 1970. The style of clasp is how you can distinguish WWII medals from those produced since 1970. Yes, there are still WWII medals in the pipeline, but I was just suggesting the odds. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purple-hearts-in-m-a-s-h/761752/25 "2016-08-05T02:01:35Z")
Just as an example of not qualifying, the only person in my husband’s unit who died, died in a truck accident on the base, DH says it was avoidable, although probably partly attributable to badly demarcated roadways. The alarm for incoming artillery was sounding, which no doubt probably affected the actions of the drivers, but there wasn’t any artillery actually incoming (this happened all the time-- false alarms were about 75% of all alarms). On the other hand, a guy who got a concussion when his truck hit some razor wire in the road, put there by insurgents, did get a purple heart, after a bit of discussion. He was wearing his helmet and his seatbelt, and apparently they had to verify all of that before granting him the award. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purple-hearts-in-m-a-s-h/761752.md?page=1)