Will the Pentagon decide to give Purple Hearts for mental injuries by 8/31/08?

Traditionally Purple Hearts are for injuries, not illnesses, even if the illness occurs as a result of combat conditions. Now some are considering allowing soldiers with PTSD to qualify for the nation's oldest military medal.

From http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080609/us_time/purpleheartsforpsychicscars

<<<<<For every solder killed or physically wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan, some 10 others come home psychically scarred. The Pentagon has diagnosed roughly 40,000 troops with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since 2003, and tens of thousands of others are dealing with it on their own or ultimately will be diagnosed. With the war taking such a heavy psychological toll, some inside the military are starting to ask if men and women who become mentally injured in the service of their country deserve the Purple Heart. To some traditionalists, the idea is absurd on its face, but it is not a theoretical debate - the Pentagon is now weighing a change in policy that would make PTSD, in a term only the military could invent, a "qualifying wound" for the medal.

When pressed on the question - shouldn't the Army's top doc have an opinion on whether or not PTSD warrants a Purple Heart? - he punted. "Whether or not a medal should be awarded is not in my purview," he said. "The senior operational commander in the Army needs to decide that."
It's evidence of the sensitivity of the issue that even the army's senior doctor suggests a second opinion.>>>>>


Suspension date of August 25 is set to avoid last minute changes of predictions.