Army Clarifies Purple Heart Criteria for Concussions

Recently the Department of the Army clarified its criteria for awarding the Purple Heart to soldiers suffering from blast-related concussion wounds like traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

In a letter to AMVETS from the Army Adjutant General, Brig. Gen. Richard P. Mustion, the Department of the Army clarified its policy toward concussion injuries that did not result in loss-of-consciousness, which was often considered a defacto criterion for rating the Purple Heart.

In the letter, Mustion encourages soldiers who may have been previously denied the Purple Heart for the injury to resubmit their paperwork through the first general officer within their chain of command for review.

The policy is retroactive for concussion injuries sustained on the battlefield through contact with the enemy dating back to Sept. 11, 2001.

Mustion was clear to note that the memorandum was not a change in policy, but rather a clarification. The Marine Corps recently amended its policy to conform with other service standards, dropping the caveat for loss-of-consciousness and leaving discretion for awarding the Purple Heart to battlefield doctors who could diagnose the injuries properly.

AMVETS supported the Marine Corps adopting its new standard for the Purple Heart that was in line with the standard of the other uniformed services.

"As a veterans’ advocacy group, AMVETS’ primary concern is delivery of proper care for combat injuries," said AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop in response to the change in Marine Corps policy. "A Purple Heart automatically entitles combat-wounded veterans to receive requisite care from VA. In the case of TBI, the old Marine Corps policy may have actually created an unnecessary roadblock to care for veterans exposed to blast injuries. Like broken bones or internal bleeding, you can’t always necessarily see the physical damage caused by roadside bombs. This is particularly true with TBI, which is why AMVETS believes the Marine Corps is making the right decision by deferring to its doctors to make that call."

In reaction to the Army's clarification of its policy, AMVETS leaders encourage any soldier who suffered a blast injury in combat who was previously denied the Purple Heart to resubmit their paperwork in a timely manner.

"We applaud the Army's outreach on this critical issue," said Hotop. "No veteran who needs care for a blast-related injury should be allowed to slip through the cracks, and we're encouraged to see Army leadership taking the necessary steps to ensure their soldiers receive the care that they need."

Proper identification and treatment for polytraumatic blast injuries like TBI is one of AMVETS top legislative priorities for 2011, as outlined in the 2011 Legislative Priorities book. American Veteran will continue to follow this issue closely. Check back regularly for updates.

(Image: Letter from the Army Adjutant General to AMVETS clarifying the Army's policy for awarding the Purple Heart for concussion injuries.)

San Diego Padres Kick Off 2010 Campaign Honoring America's Military

In April the San Diego Padres kicked off their 2010 season at Petco Park in San Diego. Keeping with tradition as the "Team of the Military," Padres Director of Military Outreach and retired Navy Capt. Jack Ensch hosted the team's annual Military Opening Night on Wednesday, April 14.

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Tom Conant, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing threw out the ceremonial first pitch and the Padres recognized 20 military award recipients from San Diego-area commands on the field.

Local military children Jacob and Jeremiah Bruce called "play ball," accompanied by their mother, Aleah, only to be treated to a surprise message from their deployed father, Navy Chief Todd Bruce broadcast on the stadium's big screen.

Northrop-Grumman provided more than 5,000 tickets to the game for San Diego military men and women and their families, and the Padres hosted wounded warriors from nearby Balboa Naval Hospital.

The Padres also unveiled their new military logo, which will be featured on all Padres military outreach materials and new souvenirs throughout the 2010 season.

Throughout the 2010 season the Pacdres will offer discounted tickets to members of the military, retirees, Department of Defense civilians and dependents with valid DoD ID cards. The will also introduce the Padres Veterans' Appreciation Card, or PVAC, offering benefits and discounts to non-career veterans.

For more information on the Padres' military programs, Click Here.

(Images: Top: Naval Base San Diego's 50-state Flag Team lines the outfield of Petco Park, as the Edwards Air Force Base Honor Guard presents the colors on Military Opening Night. Photo by Shana Siler. Middle Left: Maj. Gen. Tom Conant waves to the crowd before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Photo by Chris Handy. Middle Right: Jacob, Jeremiah, and Aleah Bruce look up at the stadium's big screen for the special greeting from Navy Chief Todd Bruce, who is serving overseas. Photos by Shana Siler. Bottom: San Diego Padres' military logo for 2010, based on the U.S. military aircraft roundel. All photos courtesy of the San Diego Padres.)

Rutgers Student-Vets Honor Fallen Classmate

Over the weekend, the student-veterans from Rutgers University in New Jersey hosted a benefit run to honor their fallen comrade, Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane. More than 150 people--including veterans, civilians, campus leaders and local civic leaders--braved the rainy weather to honor the fallen Marine.

Kane, a student at Rutgers Camden who was enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve, was killed while serving in Afghanistan when his team was hit by a suicide bomber in the Helmand Province last January.

Kane was an active member of the student-veterans' group at Rutgers, Veterans For Education, which was featured in the fall 2008 issue of American Veteran magazine discussing veterans' transition issues on college campuses.

Veterans For Education organized Sunday's 2-mile, in-cadence, military-style run raising more than $8,500 for a memorial at Rutgers honoring the school's fallen heroes.

“It was nice to be out there running in the rain again calling cadence,” said Bryan Adams, president of Veterans For Education. “We brought together several communities in a positive display of respect.”

The run started at Kane's high school, Cherry Hill High School East, and wound through his home town, ending at Congregation M'kor Shalom, where Kane and his family worshiped. Rep. John Adler (D-N.J.), who serves on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, joined his local student-veterans to pay his respects to Kane.

Last night, Veterans For Education and the Chancellor's office at Rutgers honored Kane and his family by presenting a posthumous degree and a memorial plaque dedicated to Kane, which will be on display at Rutgers Camden.

Since Kane made the ultimate sacrifice, Veterans For Education has also renamed its annual veterans' scholarship in their fallen classmate's honor.

To read more about the Jeremy Kane Benefit Run from the South Jersey Courier-Post, Click Here.

(Photos: Top: Veterans For Education pose for a photo at Cherry Hill High School East prior to the Jeremy Kane Benefit Run. Middle: Marine Corps veterans participating in Sunday's run gather in formation prior to the start. Bottom: Hundreds of supporters gather at Cherry Hill High School East to honor Jeremy Kane on Sunday. Photos courtesy of Bryan Adams and Veterans For Education.)

Women in Service: Marine Corps Lioness Program

Once Iraq transformed from kinetic combat operations into a stabilization effort in 2005, Iraqis quickly noticed an easy way to subvert checkpoints by using Iraqi females as suicide bombers and smugglers, exploiting American compassion to Iraqi cultural norms.

In an effort to counteract this exploitation of Iraqi women, while preserving cultural ideals that prohibit men from touching Iraqi women, American military leaders took a bold step, attaching female volunteer troops to combat units.

The U.S. Marine Corps was one of the first to formally implement its "Lioness Program," where female Marines could join combat troops at checkpoints and conduct outreach operations with Iraqi women. Initially, the primary mission of Lioness Marines was to search females looking to cross these checkpoints, but the mission has evolved over the years to include Civil Affairs-type operations and cultural outreach efforts.

From the program's inception, female volunteers quickly emerged from all different military occupational specialties looking to participate in the program.

In order to prepare volunteers for their cursory combat role, each female Marine was put through a week of special training in different weapons systems, language and cultural norms, Marine Corps Martial Arts Program tactics, and combat lifesaving techniques.

The Lioness Program--though not officially considered a "combat" role, considering it is constituted as a brigade-sized elementl--was the first time that female American troops served in the same capacity as their infantry and combat arms MOS counterparts.

The program has been credited with improving cultural relations in Iraq and was just expanded to Afghanistan this month.

Led by Marine 2nd Lt. Johanna Shaffer, the Afghan version of the Marine Lioness Program conducted its first mission as part of a cordon-and-search in support the recent Operation Pathfinder alongside 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment.

In a recent interview with CENTCOM Public Affairs, Shaffer acknowledged that the Afghan version of the program varied greatly from its Iraqi counterpart, given the cultural differences, but that it remained a necessary conduit to reaching out to Afghan women and children.

“We also do not know much about the daily life of Afghan women,” Shaffer said. “This provides us not only the opportunity to learn about the women, but also to build and maintain faith and trust of the Afghan women.”

Military leaders have acknowledged how critical programs like the Marine Corps Lioness program have become to U.S. combat operations, with similar programs online in both the Army and Marine Corps, and expansion into both major theaters of operation.

Now in its fifth year, Lioness continues to raise the bar for females who wish to serve on the front lines.

(Photos: Top: Marine Cpl. Jacqueline Parker, a supply warehouse NCO, conducts AK-47 shooting drills during Lioness Program training in Iraq. Photo by Lance Cpl. Jessica Aranda, released. Bottom: Marine Cpl. Jennifer San Martin searches a women crossing a checkpoint in Haditha City, Iraq in March 2008. Photo by Cpl. Shawn Coolman, released.)

Spring Preview: American Veteran on Capitol Hill

Recently, Jay and I had the opportunity to sit down with freshman California Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, a Marine Corps veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. In the spring issue of American Veteran, we speak with some of our nation's newest veteran leadership as they seek to address issues ranging from the surge of forces in Afghanistan, to veterans' transition issues and the economic crisis. Be on the lookout for the latest issue of American Veteran magazine later this month.

-Ryan

(Photo by Jay Agg)