Not true. (House of) Representatives and Senators should not be asked to assist in obtaining record information or medals unless their assistance is absolutely necessary in cases of disputes, irregularity, discrimination, or lack of response from the Records Center (which very rarely occurs. Although the Records Center in St. Louis MO is perpetually inundated with an overload of requests for medals or information, the Military Records Center has a long history of excellent responsiveness in fulfilling requests just as quickly as its limited budget and manpower availability [during wartime] permits.) Although some elected officials may offer themselves as advocates for record or medal retrieval during re-election seasons, authorized information or medal applicants can apply themselves using form SF-180. See URL: http:/www.americanwarlibrary.com/htomr.htm. (House of) Representatives and Senators are best utilized for issues that cannot be accomplished after all other efforts have failed.

Not true. Although many Local, State and Federal agencies do provide bonus job application "points" to employment applicants. There is no federal law requiring private employers to give hiring preference to PH recipients.

Not true. The only private employers who can ask to look at your DD-214 or Report of Separation are those whose job applications specifically ask you if you served in the military AND/OR if you have a service connected disability, Private employers that do not perform federal contract work may not legally retain a copy of your DD-214 in your employment file. However, private employers whose job applications do not ask if you served in the military are permitted to examine a copy of your DD-214 if you have responded or stated either orally or in your written resume that you served in the military.

True. However, it is a punishable federal offense to possess any military medal or medal certificate that you fraudulently claim you are the official recipient of. Anyone who falsely misrepresents or claims they are the legal recipient of a United States or foreign military medal or certificate is subject to severe prosecution and penalty. Family members and collectors may legally possess military medals and certificates authorized or awarded to legal recipients. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is authorized by Congress to investigate any case of military medal misrepresentation. The United States Attorneys Office under the United States Justice Department is authorized by Congress to prosecute cases of military medal defalcation to the fullest extent of current law.

Not true. Only in very rare cases are medals officially issued with the engraved name of the recipient. However, recipients and family members are authorized to have medals engraved with the name of the legally authorized recipient. Medals currently issued by the Military Records Center and military units are not engraved except in very rare instances. Medal applicants may not, repeat not, request an engraved medal from the Records Center or any military branch. Engraving, when done, is done only rarely by those military commands that both possess engraving equipment and available personnel to perform the task.

Not true.

Not true. Lost medals (or any other military item) remains the permanent property of the United States government. Found items should be mailed along with a letter identifying the finder and the location where the item was found to the following address:

The Secretary of Defense
Room 3E880
The Pentagon
Washington DC 20301

Not true. Found items should be mailed with a report to the address above.

No. United States military medals hold an exalted place in our society. The military recipient of that medal gave part of him or herself. A good citizen should feel patriotic in restoring a lost item to a recipient. Whenever you see a pre-owned military medal being sold you should ask the seller to please return the medal to the Secretary of Defense at the address listed above.

Not true. War related PTSD is a psychological-rooted condition that may or may not manifest physical symptoms based on a singular or multiple incidents resulting from real, imagined, or combination of real and imagined memories that an individual claims or believes they are unable (or unwilling) to resolve unless perpetual therapeutic and/or financial assistance is provided them. However, regardless of any physical ailments or manifestations associated with war-related PTSD this psychologically based condition is neither a wound nor injury caused by enemy or friendly fire. PTSD is a negative by-product of a human memory phenomenon that occurs normally but can some times be attached by the individual to an unwanted memory or series of conscious or unconscious memories that if obsessed can lead to physical symptoms such as irritability, sleeplessness, bedwetting, aberrant, unsociable or anti-social behavior, etc. PTSD is strictly an individual condition that is not shared by everyone experiencing the same or similar wartime incidents. That is, if all members of a platoon are shot at the same time by an enemy they will all suffer gunshot wounds. But if all members of a platoon experience a psychologically upsetting situation not all will later claim symptoms typically diagnosed as PTSD. Lastly, the physical symptoms claimed by PTSD petitioners were never medically certified at the time the claimant asserts precipitated them. Both the Department of Defense (DOD) and Congress have relied on objective scientific studies to conclude that PTSD is neither an enemy or friendly fire inflicted wound or injury. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides treatment and/or compensation for diagnosed cases of PTSD. No United States military medal has ever been established by DOD or Congress for post-service psychological based symptomatic disorders. Previous petitions by veterans or veterans groups to make this condition eligible for a new or existing medal were not approved.

Not true. AO was a herbicide used to defoliate dense vegetation to deny secluded transportation and refuge to the enemy. AO was never intended to be used, nor used, as an anti-personnel weapon. Advocates seeking to have their AO-related physical ailments judged as "wounds or injuries of war" have irresponsibly and incorrectly subscribed (often deliberately) to the myth that all adverse physical conditions that can be directly attributed to a theater of war are eligible for the PH. Both the Department of Defense and Congress have relied on objective scientific studies to conclude that AO is neither an enemy or friendly fire inflicted wound or injury. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides treatment and/or compensation for diagnosed cases of herbicide-related toxicity. No United States military medal has ever been established by DOD or Congress for physical conditions that may be associated with herbicide contact. Previous petitions by veterans or veterans groups to make this condition eligible for a new or existing medal were not approved.

True if the soldier was firing his weapon at an enemy. Not true if the soldier did not fire his weapon at the enemy.

Not true. When firing his weapon at the enemy it is the projectile (bullet, missile, etc) and not the rifle or gun butt that is the soldier's instrument intended to negate the success of an enemy. Soldiers are trained to prevent avoidable recoil injuries. Soldiers cannot be trained to avoid bullet ricochets. See the above regulation.

Not true in a majority of cases. This type of injury is a generally classified as a 'workplace accident'. However, there are some minor circumstances depending on an enemy-involved incident that may render the injured eligible for the PH.

True in all cases.

True. Example: An enemy or friendly (fire) missile explosion during an egagement with the enemy knocks down a tree that falls on the soldier causing injury.

Not true. The Merchant Marine is a civilian agency. The Mariners Medal is the Merchant Marine's equivalent to the military Purple Heart.

Not true. One million PH's were ordered to be manufactured by Genl Douglas MacArthur who anticipated over a million casualties during the American invasion of Japan. However, the atomic bomb ruled out that invasion. Today the remaining inventory of those million PH's are still being issued to current war casualties.

There is no precise number of PH's issued during WW2, but it is known that only twenty-nine percent of all the physical injuries that occured during WW2 were PH eligible, i.e., combat related. It is also known that of the PH's issued the majority were issued to Army Air Force personnel because they suffered the largest number of combat woundings.