Has anyone been asked to prove their exposure to chemical warfare to get a Purple Heart?

2015-09-08T23:35:07-04:00

Recently was email this information concerning the Purple Heart award, any additional information.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 9 at 2015 12:40 AM

2015-09-09T00:40:32-04:00

I should think the Army would need proof you were exposed for the PH. The way the letter is worded, one may receive a PH for a "perceived" battle wound. WHAT'S NEXT??? I have long been disheartened by the lowered standards for the receiving of certain ribbons and medals. I have read of the presentation of decorations under non-battle conditions and I have not agreed with the DOD decisions in those cases.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 9 at 2015 5:47 AM

2015-09-09T05:47:36-04:00

I was there from 2010 to 2011. If this is real, then they are only looking at certain regions because I have not received a letter like this. And, that is if this letter is even legit.

Response by CW4 Guy Butler made Sep 9 at 2015 6:15 AM

2015-09-09T06:15:18-04:00

Might be legit...

http://m.military.com/daily-news/2015/04/03/army-seeks-to-identify-troops-veterans-exposed-to-chemical.html

Response by CPT Mike Sims made Sep 15 at 2015 1:27 PM

2015-09-15T13:27:03-04:00

This is almost like filing an insurance claim. You have certain entitlements and benefits with your insurance policy when filing a claim - but don't expect your insurance company or insurance agent to call you and tell you all that you qualify for. In this case, the Army - the Department of Defense - and the Pentagon have known for quite some time what kind of exposures many of us encountered in Iraq and Kuwait (both Gulf Wars) - which certain exposures automatically qualify not only for a Purple Heart, but could also qualify many thousands of troops and Veterans for retirement, retro-active retirement, back-payments, lifetime healthcare for Veterans and family members, and other benefits. Care to guess how much this would cost the DoD? As if that weren't bad enough, what kind of embarrassment do you think this would cause the administration and current / former senior officers of the military who have a duty and a responsibility to protect troops - and care for them upon being injured, or in this case exposed to chemical agents! Is this the first time the Army - DoD - the Pentagon have failed to admit to exposures by troops? Absolutely not! WWII - mustard gas and nuclear testing; Vietnam - Agent Orange; Desert Storm - nerve and blister agents; OIF / New Dawn - nerve and blister agents.

As for further embarrassing facts... guess who supplied Saddam Hussein with these chemical weapons? You guess it... the United States did back in the 1980's when the United States supported Iraq and Saddam Hussein's Army against Iran during the eight year conflict between Iraq and Iran. This is the other reason why our senior officials (elected and appointed) know about the exposures most of us have endured in Iraq and Kuwait... the weapons were supplied by us!

I'll close with this - if any of you notice that after your time there that your breathing is different (especially after exercise), you have skin irritations now, you are susceptible to pneumonia or bronchitis now, you have constant headaches, your joints ache a lot, you have consistent sinus issues or eye irritations... then in most cases you have encountered chemical weapons or remnants of chemical weapons exposure (like in the dust particles) while in Iraq and Kuwait. What about old Iraqi equipment from the first Gulf War that some us encountered during OIF... care to know how long the Depleted Uranium lasts that we used to destroy their equipment? Let's just say that stuff will be here long after we are gone. What are the life long and harmful side effects of this exposure? How long does it take before symptoms begin to manifest? It could be quite a while after you leave the military! Is the Army - DoD and the Pentagon still responsible? You better believe it and they definitely owe many of us and our families more than a Purple Heart Medal. Wait until you receive a letter stating that your offspring may be effected by certain exposures you may have encountered! Good luck brothers and sisters... don't let any of your earned benefits slip away - hold the Army - DoD and the Pentagon accountable, because you better believe that if you ever did something wrong or neglectful while on active duty that you would have been held accountable in accordance with the UCMJ!

Response by CAPT Hiram Patterson made Sep 15 at 2015 1:36 PM

2015-09-15T13:36:55-04:00

I believe that most of the chemical agents contacts in Iraq are by EOD or engineering personnel as chemical rounds were frequently found mixed in with conventional munitions such as Iraqi 155mm rounds. If you do a search for New York Times, Iraq and chemical agents you should be able to find an excellent article on chemical agent exposures.. The only chemical attacks in Iraq likely used chlorine as the agent in makeshift munitions. I don't know about how PH's are awarded except as a result of direct enemy attack.

Response by SGT Patrick Lynch made Sep 15 at 2015 2:22 PM

2015-09-15T14:22:06-04:00

Was there is 2003, gas alarm we had were going off. Also heard that there was trace amounts chemicals where are tents had been set up???

Response by SGT Jason Hartnett made Sep 15 at 2015 5:57 PM

2015-09-15T17:57:37-04:00

I got the something on Facebook from a one of my Airborne brothers. I don't know if it is real. That web address is smudged. So I could not verify the info.

Response by SGT Mike Schredl made Sep 15 at 2015 6:13 PM

2015-09-15T18:13:53-04:00

Our unit was hit twice by chlorine gas in Iraq in 2007; luckily the insurgents miscalculated the wind drift. All we got were runny noses, sore throats, swollen eyes, and a chewing out by our BN XO for not masking. (It was so slow-acting and gradual, no one reacted.) CS training at Benning was worse. It's a cool story to tell, but I can't really see a Purple Heart being authorized, even if it was direct enemy action. Did they award PHs (or wound stripes) in World War I for gas casualties? Because I imagine coughing up your lungs from mustard gas is much more worthy of a Purple Heart than what happened to us.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2015 6:36 PM

2015-09-15T18:36:50-04:00

Letter is legit. She does work in M&RA. Question is who they sent it to and who they deemed eligible. Was there in 03 and we had alarms going off all the time as well, but haven't received any letter. Again, not sure how they determined who would recieve the letter.

Response by PO1 Aaron Baltosser made Sep 15 at 2015 7:26 PM

2015-09-15T19:26:30-04:00

That would be a very high burden to the award to prove. Some of the 600 plus EOD personnel weren't treated correctly from the word go by my fellow Corpsmen and Medical Officers. It was just so shocking that was the primary cause of the injury we were completely caught off guard. The shells during the operations to blow them in place had the markings removed, or altered to hide what they were so even pictures there wouldn't help. Positive test from a certified laboratory might help, but where would you get the material to test? Any clothing worn was most likely never have survived the first treatment site because it had to be removed during decontamination.

Response by Sgt David G Duchesneau made Sep 15 at 2015 8:20 PM

2015-09-15T20:20:02-04:00

If that be the case, what about all of us who were exposed to that freaking Agent Orange while we served in Vietnam? I mean, WTF-Over!

Response by GySgt William Hardy made Sep 16 at 2015 8:20 AM

2015-09-16T08:20:38-04:00

On the FB page Camp Taji Society, it was said that it applied to everyone who was at Camp Taji. Seems KBR was disposing of waste products there including Iraqi chemical weapons. I am going to pursue this with my VA doctor. I have been treated for skin conditions ever since I returned from Taji in 2007. It started with my ear canals. Now I have a Rosacea type condition across my forehead and on my forearms. I recently developed some psoriasis type sores about 6 inches above my ankles. This letter might explain why I have those skin problems and the proper treatment. Check out the FB page and see what they have to say.

Response by SPC Keelan Southerland made Sep 16 at 2015 10:37 AM

2015-09-16T10:37:53-04:00

I called the number listed above when I saw the letter and there is a process to verify your unit and locations. Once that is done you may be called to go to DC for evaluation. That is what the man in charge told me.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 16 at 2015 12:18 PM

2015-09-16T12:18:21-04:00

I will say this in support of the VA (hard to imagine I know). The real issue is the Congress and dollars budgeted. The VA has an operating budget they have to live with, when the well goes dry, that's it. Rest assured they are pressured to not award claims if they can avoid it. The reason.........money, of course. Ever hear of Bartonella? It is related to Lyme Disease and was carried by the sand fleas (flys) in Iraq. Rest assured that will be ignored for as long as possible given the fiscal liabilities involved.

Response by CPL Jay Freeman made Sep 22 at 2015 11:10 AM

2015-09-22T11:10:52-04:00

I was unaware you could get one for this

Response by SSG Ralph Watkins made Feb 2 at 2017 12:58 PM

2017-02-02T12:58:39-05:00

Being that the Purple Heart is issued for injuries or death due to an enemy attack, this is hogwash. We don't get a PH for accidents, illness, or exposures unless the enemy caused them. The bombing of a chemical munitions plant or storage area with our troops downwind of the chemical release is more like friendly fire than injuries incurred due to enemy action.

Response by CPL Sarah Stilwell made Jul 16 at 2020 5:25 PM

2020-07-16T17:25:33-04:00

I dont know if this helps, but i was in taji in 2005-2006 and was tasked with running info from one area of the camp to another area about 1/2 mile away. At some point i knew i had walked into "something" because i started to feel my chest get tight and my eyes started to tear mildly. I knew right away something wasnt right cause i was only a year out of basic and we were taught about those thigs during gas chamber week. I started backtracking (double time) and my chest got tighter and tearing got worse. It got harder to breathe and i got to a road where i flagged down a civi contracter passing by in a truck and and i literally hit the ground at that point. I woke up in a tmc with an oxygen mask and ekg on me. I was flown to kuwait and all they said was it wasnt cardiac. I told them "something was out there". I was given return to duty orders and sent back to my unit at taji. They dug them up a few months later. This was one of the reasons i got ptsd benefits cause i had a really bad nightmare/flashback a few months later about not being able to breathe and waking up freaked out and gasping for air. So i got got ptsd benefits