My son-in-law served in the Iraq war. He was a low-ranking enlisted man. My understanding is that he was a passenger in a vehicle (an M-RAP maybe) that struck an IED. I think that one person was killed and, among others, my S-I-L was injured. He received a medical discharge from the Army and is now “100% disabled”. (I put that in quotes, because his disability seems to be such that he can do whatever he wants, but is disabled when faced with something he doesn’t want to do.)
So, I was just wondering if he has a Purple Heart. Sure, I could ask him, but he really doesn’t like to talk about his time overseas. I believe that there were experiences there that he does not wish to discuss and I want to respect his wishes on that. We don’t have the best relationship and I want to avoid doing anything that would trigger further friction.
Yeah, the Purple Heart goes to anyone injured by enemy action. It’s not hard to qualify for.
It’s worth noting that “100% disabled” is a legal status, not a medical status. There are some circumstances that automatically cause a certain level of disability, by the VA’s standards, and there’s a percentage threshold that, once you’re above that, you’re automatically considered 100% disabled. This policy actually saves money, in the long run, by cutting down on the bureaucracy involved. But it also means that it’s quite possible for a person to be legally considered “100% disabled”, while still being able to do most of the things in their life, without any chicanery involved.
The Purple Heart is awarded to anyone injured due to enemy action in a war zone. At some point they amended the regulations to include service members wounded by terrorism outside of a war zone.
When I veteran describes himself as “100% disabled” he is usually referring to his VA rating. The VA rating isn’t necessarily an indication of what they can or can’t do. It’s a formula based on the entirety of their military service. He could have 10% for tinnitus, 20% for his left knee, 10% for TBI, 20% for PTSD etc…until it adds up to 100%. My father in law is 100% disabled because he has diabetes and that’s been linked to Agent Orange. I had several things happen to me that adds up to a 30% rating.
It should also be noted part of his rating could have come from other things. I would guess that being blown up would get him to 100% with things like TBI and PTSD being common. However anything that happens during active duty service gets looked at by the VA. I hurt my knee when I wasn’t even at work and it counts because I was on active duty.
Thank you for the replies, particularly about the “100% disabled” comment. Those have been informative. Unfortunately, we know that S-I-L has lied (or exaggerated) his condition to get to 100%. He researched symptoms of PTSD and was careful to display those symptoms to the examiner. I am sure he has consequences from his service, but I’m not convinced they’re “100%”, but I am willing to be wrong on that.
So, the Purple Heart is only awarded for enemy activity? So, a person serving in a combat zone but is injured by slipping the shower is not eligible?
There is quite a bit of judgment in those parenthesis which may be or may not be justified, but as others have noted the medical discharge and disability rating are a military and Veterans Administration administrative evaluation which may indicate any particular degree of physical disability but instead reflects the Army’s decision of whether he could continue to serve in a useful capacity and the VA on the degree to which pre-existing conditions are part of his prior service.
I will note that there are a lot of veterans who may appear to be physically healthy and mentally astute but have significant chronic problems that are not evident such as tinnitus, traumatic brain injury, toxic exposure syndromes, PTSD, et cetera. I see from your followup that you have reasons to believe that your son-in-law is exaggerating or fabricating symptoms and claims, which may be true but regardless that is how the Army and/or VA has evaluated the claim (assuming he is at least being truthful with you about his disability status).
An award of a Purple Heart is for combat-related injuries, and being inside of of an MRAP or other vehicle that was struck by an IED and damaged sufficient to kill another passenger seems likely to justify an award. The way to verify this would be to request his DD-214 (discharge form) which would include his discharge status, foreign duty postings, schools, MOS held, awards and citations, and any major infractions and disciplinary actions. Of course, you would have to ask him to do this, or a next of kin if he were dead, or else make an official request through a law enforcement or regulatory agency for an approved background check.
Well, if she slipped in the shower because the barracks was shaken up by a nearby shell blast … maybe? But yes, accidental injury not caused by enemy action is excluded.
Technically, yes. I suppose if you fell in the shower when the camp came under an incoming attack, the definition may be stretched. Purple Hearts are awarded for even very small injuries, but the general population automatically assigns the “hero” description for anyone who has one. My buddy in Vietnam got one because a very small piece of rocket shrapnel lodged in his leg just under the skin. Other than having a bit of pain for a few days, he was fine, and also rather embarrassed about the Purple Heart.
Another example: When my dad had surgery to remove his prostate (cancer presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure), that checked off the box for “loss of reproductive function”, which raised his disability level by some significant percentage (IIRC, that was what bumped him up to 100%).
There was an episode of MAS*H where Frank Burns gets a Purple Heart for getting a shell fragment in his eye. The joke was it was an eggshell and he got the award fraudulently. The Purple Heart is only for wounds caused by enemy action.
Yeah you have no way of knowing without seeing exactly what he was rated for. It could be a combination. The higher the rating the more money you get. There is no incentive to downplay anything to the evaluator. I’m currently trying to get my rating higher. I’m not going to lie but I’m certainly going to fight for myself.
The VA also doesn’t give anything away unless there is paperwork proving it is service related.
It’s clearly awarded to someone who was in a combat situation. Though the wound was minor it’s more significant than simply saying “I served in 'Nam”. He shouldn’t be embarrassed. Granted it’s not something to brag about to other combat veterans, but it should be dismissed even for the smallest injury.
There are only a couple of things that can be presumed to be service related. Meaning there doesn’t have to be paperwork indicating the condition happened because of active service. One is the all the conditions linked to Agent Orange. Another is the recent PACT Act which covers many conditions caused by burn pits and air quality issues. Presumed conditions are only added to the VA ratings by acts of Congress. Unless it falls under one of those specific circumstances covered by law the VA will only approve a rating for something that was treated while on active duty.
There is some lag time with those presumed conditions. I know my father in law had to fight for years to get his rating. I just put in for something under the PACT Act and was turned down without an exam. I’m fighting that currently.
My uncle saw heavy combat in both WWII and Korea and retired when it looked like he would have to go to Vietnam. The only wound he got was a relatively minor laceration that he got in Korea. He said he didn’t want the Purple Heart and wouldn’t let his command put him in for one. Later it was one of his regrets because he realized he earned it.
Just noting that Congress also passed a law pertaining to presumed service related conditions for Gulf War Syndrome. I don’t fall under that because my unit never left Germany and it doesn’t cover beer related conditions.
Yeah, my dad said that unless you wanted one, you didnt get one for anything that could be handled by a field medic or an aid station- in WW2. In other words, if you were not sent to a hospital, then a purple heart wasnt automatic. Better reporting meant more medals in later wars.
Yeah, we tried to tell him that he was right to get it, but he was uncomfortable with it. We usually had to respond to the aftermath of rocket attacks and the damage and probable carnage was evident. In the same attack that earned him his Heart, four of our guys were medivacked with serious injury. I think that’s what he felt uncomfortable about.
