Purple Heart awards?

Are Purple Hearts awarded for just* being wounded in service. My wife thought they had to be saving someone and wounded to receive one.





*i am in no way trying to trivialize anyone who is wounded in service to to our country.

Purple Heart awards?
It's for wounds sustained in combat actions. During vietnam this was stretched to include abuses of the medal (such as splinters for a serviceman who fell out of his bunk during a mortar attack landing him a service medal) but that was cleaned up and restored to order shortly thereafter.
Reply:The purple heart was America's first medal, even older than the USA itself. It was designed by George Washington and awarded for ANY wound received in combat.





When you consider at the time even the smallest would could kill you due to infection, no lower limit as to how "bad" you had to be wounded was put on the medal.





This fact has led to a number of people getting purple hearts for the most minor band aid type wounds, wounds that otherwise would have been ignored. With three purple hearts, even for minor band aid wounds, a person gets a free trip home from the war zone. Even knowing those small minor wounds in no way endangered the person's life.





So according to the LETTER of the award, John Kerry was entitled to his three purple hearts, even for his minor band aid wounds. And with three, he was entitled to his free trip home from the war zone. According to the LETTER of the award and the rules in place, Kerry did nothing wrong.





However, there is also the SPIRIT of the award. When you consider some guys got all their arms and legs blown off and got ONE purple heart for it, and others gave their lives due to their wounds, collecting a purple heart for a wound any KID would ignore back home, it says a lot about the person collecting the band aid award.





I feel it shows a lack of moral quality that makes one unfit to be president. And that is why I was against John Kerry and voted against him. And that is also why I think the Swift Boat Vets were also against him. He lacks moral courage.
Reply:Best not, it's illegal and jail comes with the penalty. Check out the web page The American war college or Lost Valor. Don't get caught, someone from a war may give you a public spanking.
Reply:You must be injured in a combat situation.


I got a Purple Heart when my tank was hit. Got a Bronze Star for helping my loader run over to another tank. They claimed that I saved his life, I was just trying to get both of us to a safer place.
Reply:A Purple Heart is ONLY awarded to someone who sustains an injury as a result of actions during combat...it is not a hero's award
Reply:You get a Purple Heart for being wounded or killed as a result of enemy action among the most obvious of criteria (obviously the "action" has to be designated as such by a proper authority).


For instance, a humanitarian mission would not issue Purple Hearts because it was not a combat mission but a something else.


You really should read the "Criteria" section of the link below as it goes into great detail on the criteria for getting the award.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Hear...
Reply:The wounds require treatment by a Medical Officer, as in an MD, in an Aid Station or Hospital. The wounds must occur in combat. Not accidents or other non-combat situations.





b. A wound for which the award is made must have required treatment by a medical officer





This was the reason that John Kerry created such an uproar over the "band aid" wounds he suffered.





My Dad got hit by a very small piece of shrapnel in his heel. A medic cleaned it up put a band aid on it and sent him on his way. He was buried with it and no PH. The idea is to award them for serious events not minor.
Reply:Wounded or killed as a result of enemy action.
Reply:Any wound you don't have to be saving anyone. Being wounded is enough.
Reply:That is usually what the medal is given for. I don't know what else the medal could be given other than wounds received in combat. Originally nearly 200 years ago, it was the highest decoration one could receive---it was first given by George Washington to troops who performed and died with valor during the Revolutionary War.
Reply:Any wound received in battle is awarded a Purple Heart.
Reply:You get it for any wound recieved in combat action. My girlfriends dad is a vietnam vet and he said they used to call it the I forgot to duck medal.
Reply:being wounded as a result of enemy action...
Reply:people get purple hearts by risking their life in favor for another's.

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