Though it has been decided that Purple Hearts will not be awarded to men and women with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, maybe we could have a Blue Heart, a new designation for non-physical wounds.
Since these non-physical wounds result in divorce, sometimes violence and the inability to hold a job, at least a Blue Heart designation would give these men and women the respect they need to survive. Even if they are homeless and begging with a sign for food they could say on their cardboard signs "Veteran, Order of the Blue Heart". This could give them enough respect to choose to stay alive for everyone they served. In this way they could not only honor themselves but honor us by showing us the reason they are homeless with a cardboard sign.
A friend of my family's was a psychiatrist that worked for the veteran's administration. She worked with Viet Nam Veterans for over 20 years in San Francisco. She said that even the ones who had regular war flashbacks and lived on the streets would have given their lives for her if they sensed she was in danger. All these men and women with Post traumatic stress disorder need respect in order to stay alive. Though they did not die for us it could be said they lost their lives for us as they wander the streets and highways and byways mostly alone. They deserve our gratitude and respect. It may be All they really have left. A Blue Heart if they can't get a Purple Heart might give them what they most need to live on:respect.
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