PTSD USA.ORG

.Partners

The reality of war is that everyone gets wounded. Some wounds heal rapidly, but some last for a lifetime. Some wounds can be seen. Some wounds are invisible inside the heart, soul, and spirit of the warrior. These unseen wounds are often the most difficult to heal - they must heal from the inside out.

Military Ministry.org

Strategic Alliances

The Need is Urgent...
The Iraq War began in March 2003 and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan started October 2001, with over 2,000,000 troop deployments to date. These deployments have averaged approximately 10 months at a time, with sometimes short returns home. On the national level, U.S. force have sustained over 25,000 casualties, with 3,000+ deaths and another 22,000+ wounded. With plans for bolstering deployments in 2007, many families will be facing their second, third, and even fourth deployment. Additionally, the Veterans Affairs reports over 400,000 untreated cases of PTSD, beginning from Vietnam forward.

From a Texas and Houston perspective, there are thousands of active, guard, and reserve troops and families in our local communities who are silently hurting - bruised and bleeding on our behalf. Men and women returning from service who face difficulty with the transition back to "normal" life, experiencing relationship or financial struggles and even post traumatic stress syndrome, "a ticking time bomb in this generation of returning warriors". The personal and societal effect of these burdens is dramatic, as seen in the rising military divorce rates and in the increased potential for substance abuse, domestic abuse, criminality and suicide.

Hence, there exists a moral mandate, and very practical societal rationale, for the leadership of Houston, Texas, to reach out to these military men, women, and children amongst us who so urgently need our support.

If you are interested in partnering with PTSD FOA let us know. For information on how to reach us visit out contact us page.

Purple Heart Medal

The original Purple Heart award was instituted by George Washington in 1782 to reward troops for "unusual gallantry" and "extraordinary fidelity and essential service." The award was a purple cloth heart edged in silver braid, and was to be worn over the left breast of the uniform. Only three awards are known to have been issued, of which two are known to exist today.

Pre-WW2 Awards: The Purple Heart as we know it today was reestablished in 1932 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington. The original criteria for award of the Purple Heart as published in the War Department Circular No. 6 of February 22, 1932 states that the medal be awarded to anyone serving in the Army who had received combat-related injuries or had received the AEF's Meritorious Service Citation Certificate during WWI, the latter criteria harkening back to the intent of George Washington's "Badge of Military Merit".

Although this awards was retroactive to any soldier wounded from the Civil War on, eligible recipients were required to submit a formal application to the War Department for approval before the issuance of the medal. In 1942 the Army estimated that approximately 186,000 living veterans were eligible to receive a retroactive Purple Heart. Approximately 78,000 retroactive Purple Hearts were awarded between 1932 and 1942.