{ "id": "R42704", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "R", "number": "R42704", "active": true, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "summary": null, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R42704", "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "type": "CRS Report", "formats": [ { "sha1": "acabf07646ced7a2b499e78162548847a8d3f8d8", "format": "PDF", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42704/23", "filename": "files/2023-02-17_R42704_acabf07646ced7a2b499e78162548847a8d3f8d8.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2023-02-17_R42704_acabf07646ced7a2b499e78162548847a8d3f8d8.html" } ], "title": "The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress", "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "retrieved": "2023-03-22T04:03:27.611543", "date": "2023-02-17", "typeId": "R", "id": "R42704_23_2023-02-17", "active": true }, { "summary": null, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R42704", "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "type": "CRS Report", "formats": [ { "sha1": "6863e5d12f5dbc6e8f5f4ddfe3cb18354d8c6692", "format": "PDF", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42704/20", "filename": "files/2020-06-04_R42704_6863e5d12f5dbc6e8f5f4ddfe3cb18354d8c6692.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2020-06-04_R42704_6863e5d12f5dbc6e8f5f4ddfe3cb18354d8c6692.html" } ], "title": "The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress", "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "retrieved": "2023-03-22T04:03:27.609643", "date": "2020-06-04", "typeId": "R", "id": "R42704_20_2020-06-04", "active": true }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 597778, "date": "2019-05-02", "retrieved": "2019-05-03T22:17:33.770006", "title": "The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Purple Heart is one of the oldest and most recognized American military medals, awarded to servicemembers who were killed or wounded by enemy action. The conflicts 2001 to the present have greatly increased the number of Purple Hearts awarded to servicemembers. \nEvents over the past few years have spurred debate on the eligibility criteria for the Purple Heart. Shootings on U.S. soil and medical conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have prompted changes to the eligibility requirements for the Purple Heart. Some critics believe that these changes may lessen the value of the medal and the sacrifices of past recipients on the battlefield. In the past, efforts to modify the Purple Heart\u2019s eligibility requirements were contentious, and veterans groups were vocal concerning eligibility changes.\nWhile medal requirements are often left to the military and executive branch to decide, Congress is involved in Purple Heart eligibility, utilizing its constitutional power \u201cTo Make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces\u201d (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, clause 14). The Carl Levin and Howard P. \u201cBuck\u201d McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (P.L. 113-291) included language that expands eligibility for the Purple Heart.\nPrevious debates have raised several questions about the Purple Heart. In some respects, how an event is defined can determine eligibility: Is a servicemember the victim of a crime or a terrorist attack? Conversely, arguing that killed or wounded servicemembers \u201cshould\u201d be eligible for the Purple Heart can redefine an event: Is the servicemember an advisor to a foreign military or a combatant? Are PTSD and other mental health conditions adequate injuries to warrant the Purple Heart? 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The conflicts of the last decade have greatly increased the number of Purple Hearts awarded to servicemembers. \nEvents over the past few years have spurred debate on the eligibility criteria for the Purple Heart. Shootings on U.S. soil and medical conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have prompted changes to the eligibility requirements for the Purple Heart. Some critics believe that these changes may lessen the value of the medal and the sacrifices of past recipients on the battlefield. In the past, efforts to modify the Purple Heart\u2019s eligibility requirements were contentious, and veterans groups were very vocal concerning eligibility changes.\nWhile medal requirements are often left to the military and executive branch to decide, Congress is showing increased interest and involvement in Purple Heart eligibility, utilizing its constitutional power \u201cTo Make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces\u201d (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, clause 14). The Carl Levin and Howard P. \u201cBuck\u201d McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (P.L. 113-291) included language that expands eligibility for the Purple Heart.\nPrevious debates have raised several questions about the Purple Heart. In some respects, how an event is defined can determine eligibility: Is a servicemember the victim of a crime or a terrorist attack? Conversely, arguing that killed or wounded servicemembers \u201cshould\u201d be eligible for the Purple Heart can redefine an event: Is the servicemember an advisor to a foreign military or a combatant? Are PTSD and other mental health conditions adequate injuries to warrant the Purple Heart? These are questions that Congress might consider if it chooses to act on this issue.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42704", "sha1": "2f25b2ea0e58296a63d8a9b4ecaa7690b9e6dc6f", "filename": "files/20190108_R42704_2f25b2ea0e58296a63d8a9b4ecaa7690b9e6dc6f.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42704_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190108_R42704_images_b38f4d2c89d2f1eb07e22f23816bdcd785969652.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42704", "sha1": "9bfe1e23de67b382caf1edf73deb34c6cfc882e4", "filename": "files/20190108_R42704_9bfe1e23de67b382caf1edf73deb34c6cfc882e4.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4872, "name": "Military Personnel, Compensation, & Health Care" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 582227, "date": "2018-06-21", "retrieved": "2018-06-25T13:10:12.517304", "title": "The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Purple Heart is one of the oldest and most recognized American military medals, awarded to servicemembers who were killed or wounded by enemy action. The conflicts of the last decade have greatly increased the number of Purple Hearts awarded to servicemembers. \nEvents over the past few years have spurred debate on the eligibility criteria for the Purple Heart. Shootings on U.S. soil and medical conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have prompted changes to the eligibility requirements for the Purple Heart. Some critics believe that these changes may lessen the value of the medal and the sacrifices of past recipients on the battlefield. In the past, efforts to modify the Purple Heart\u2019s eligibility requirements were contentious, and veterans groups were very vocal concerning eligibility changes.\nWhile medal requirements are often left to the military and executive branch to decide, Congress is showing increased interest and involvement in Purple Heart eligibility, utilizing its constitutional power \u201cTo Make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces\u201d (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, clause 14). The Carl Levin and Howard P. \u201cBuck\u201d McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (P.L. 113-291) included language that expands eligibility for the Purple Heart.\nPrevious debates have raised several questions about the Purple Heart. In some respects, how an event is defined can determine eligibility: Is a servicemember the victim of a crime or a terrorist attack? Conversely, arguing that killed or wounded servicemembers \u201cshould\u201d be eligible for the Purple Heart can redefine an event: Is the servicemember an advisor to a foreign military or a combatant? Are PTSD and other mental health conditions adequate injuries to warrant the Purple Heart? These are questions that Congress might consider if it chooses to act on this issue.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42704", "sha1": "4dc3a18022c57633d1912ac90f00925ffb17d24f", "filename": "files/20180621_R42704_4dc3a18022c57633d1912ac90f00925ffb17d24f.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42704_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180621_R42704_images_b38f4d2c89d2f1eb07e22f23816bdcd785969652.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42704", "sha1": "aa4585c0589fb8e76d8cc0990fff266f26173042", "filename": "files/20180621_R42704_aa4585c0589fb8e76d8cc0990fff266f26173042.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4872, "name": "Military Personnel, Compensation, & Health Care" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 576796, "date": "2017-12-15", "retrieved": "2017-12-19T13:49:12.187312", "title": "The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Purple Heart is one of the oldest and most recognized American military medals, awarded to servicemembers who were killed or wounded by enemy action. The conflicts of the last decade have greatly increased the number of Purple Hearts awarded to servicemembers. \nEvents over the past few years have spurred debate on the eligibility criteria for the Purple Heart. Shootings on U.S. soil and medical conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have prompted changes to the eligibility requirements for the Purple Heart. Some critics believe that these changes may lessen the value of the medal and the sacrifices of past recipients on the battlefield. In the past, efforts to modify the Purple Heart\u2019s eligibility requirements were contentious, and veterans groups were very vocal concerning eligibility changes.\nWhile medal requirements are often left to the military and executive branch to decide, Congress is showing increased interest and involvement in Purple Heart eligibility, utilizing its constitutional power \u201cTo Make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces\u201d (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, clause 14). The Carl Levin and Howard P. \u201cBuck\u201d McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (P.L. 113-291) included language that expands eligibility for the Purple Heart.\nPrevious debates have raised several questions about the Purple Heart. In some respects, how an event is defined can determine eligibility: Is a servicemember the victim of a crime or a terrorist attack? Conversely, arguing that killed or wounded servicemembers \u201cshould\u201d be eligible for the Purple Heart can redefine an event: Is the servicemember an advisor to a foreign military or a combatant? Are PTSD and other mental health conditions adequate injuries to warrant the Purple Heart? These are questions that Congress might consider if it chooses to act on this issue.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42704", "sha1": "69c8ecb6f8c16429751ce76dcd0fed01a9cad573", "filename": "files/20171215_R42704_69c8ecb6f8c16429751ce76dcd0fed01a9cad573.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42704_files&id=/0.png": "files/20171215_R42704_images_b38f4d2c89d2f1eb07e22f23816bdcd785969652.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42704", "sha1": "c4f4f86b104c19cdf1a16676070700d322ab3465", "filename": "files/20171215_R42704_c4f4f86b104c19cdf1a16676070700d322ab3465.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4872, "name": "Military Personnel, Compensation, & Health Care" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 456530, "date": "2016-10-14", "retrieved": "2016-10-24T14:50:59.054399", "title": "The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Purple Heart is one of the oldest and most recognized American military medals, awarded to servicemembers who were killed or wounded by enemy action. The conflicts of the last decade have greatly increased the number of Purple Hearts awarded to servicemembers. \nEvents over the past few years have spurred debate on the eligibility criteria for the Purple Heart. Shootings on U.S. soil and medical conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have prompted changes to the eligibility requirements for the Purple Heart. Some critics believe that these changes may lessen the value of the medal and the sacrifices of past recipients on the battlefield. In the past, efforts to modify the Purple Heart\u2019s eligibility requirements were contentious, and veterans groups were very vocal concerning eligibility changes.\nWhile medal requirements are often left to the military and executive branch to decide, Congress is showing increased interest and involvement in Purple Heart eligibility, utilizing its constitutional power \u201cto make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces\u201d (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, clause 14). The Carl Levin and Howard P. \u201cBuck\u201d McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (P.L. 113-291) included language that expands eligibility of the Purple Heart.\nPrevious debates have raised several questions about the Purple Heart. In some respects, how an event is defined can determine eligibility: Is a servicemember the victim of a crime or a terrorist attack? Conversely, arguing that killed or wounded servicemembers \u201cshould\u201d be eligible for the Purple Heart can redefine an event: Is the servicemember an advisor to a foreign military or a combatant? Are PTSD and other mental health conditions adequate injuries to warrant the Purple Heart? These are questions that Congress might consider if it chooses to act on this issue.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42704", "sha1": "c39ae01cc54ce71884dedc14fb951ef7a5c7aad9", "filename": "files/20161014_R42704_c39ae01cc54ce71884dedc14fb951ef7a5c7aad9.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42704", "sha1": "f25b592b7d8709ec768ff4669fde636cb5c1779d", "filename": "files/20161014_R42704_f25b592b7d8709ec768ff4669fde636cb5c1779d.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4872, "name": "Military Personnel, Compensation, & Health Care" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc795773/", "id": "R42704_2012Dec31", "date": "2015-12-31", "retrieved": "2016-01-13T14:26:20", "title": "The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report explores the history of the Purple Heart and changes in eligibility over time as well as several current issues facing Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20151231_R42704_b39b264fcf4f3f8650cc829c9b467918739cc8f6.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20151231_R42704_b39b264fcf4f3f8650cc829c9b467918739cc8f6.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Commemorations", "name": "Commemorations" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Military medals, decorations, etc.", "name": "Military medals, decorations, etc." } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 445256, "date": "2015-08-31", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:28:56.508459", "title": "The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Purple Heart is one of the oldest and most recognized American military medals, awarded to servicemembers who were killed or wounded by enemy action. The conflicts of the last decade have greatly increased the number of Purple Hearts awarded to servicemembers. \nEvents over the past few years have spurred debate on the eligibility criteria for the Purple Heart. Shootings on U.S. soil and medical conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have prompted changes to the eligibility requirements for the Purple Heart. Some critics believe that these changes may lessen the value of the medal and the sacrifices of past recipients on the battlefield. In the past, efforts to modify the Purple Heart\u2019s eligibility requirements were contentious, and veterans groups were very vocal concerning eligibility changes.\nWhile medal requirements are often left to the military and executive branch to decide, Congress is showing increased interest and involvement in Purple Heart eligibility, utilizing its constitutional power \u201cto make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces\u201d (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, clause 14). The Carl Levin and Howard P. \u201cBuck\u201d McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (P.L. 113-291) included language that expands eligibility of the Purple Heart.\nRecent debates have raised several questions about the Purple Heart. In some respects, how an event is defined can determine eligibility: Is a servicemember the victim of a crime or a terrorist attack? Conversely, arguing that killed or wounded servicemembers \u201cshould\u201d be eligible for the Purple Heart can redefine an event: Is the servicemember an advisor to a foreign military or a combatant? Are PTSD and other mental health conditions adequate injuries to warrant the Purple Heart? These are questions that Congress might consider if it chooses to act on this issue.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42704", "sha1": "3035a54633038faa7aa8557bcd69b01718822ac9", "filename": "files/20150831_R42704_3035a54633038faa7aa8557bcd69b01718822ac9.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42704", "sha1": "56982161dacb3b4ba815539b42c621c98802f7d2", "filename": "files/20150831_R42704_56982161dacb3b4ba815539b42c621c98802f7d2.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 229, "name": "Military Personnel and Compensation" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc227802/", "id": "R42704_2012Sep07", "date": "2012-09-07", "retrieved": "2013-11-05T18:07:05", "title": "The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "Report that explores the history of the Purple Heart and changes in eligibility over time as well as several current issues facing Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20120907_R42704_1c65b66c2c65a481ac6228d02cc47c5fafcaef7a.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20120907_R42704_1c65b66c2c65a481ac6228d02cc47c5fafcaef7a.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Military medals, decorations, etc.", "name": "Military medals, decorations, etc." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Commemorations", "name": "Commemorations" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Intelligence and National Security", "National Defense" ] }