NPR-ProPublica Investigation: Purple Hearts Elusive For Traumatic Brain Injuries : NPR

The U.S. Army honors soldiers wounded or killed in combat with the Purple Heart, a powerful symbol designed to recognize their sacrifice and service.

Yet Army commanders have routinely denied Purple Hearts to soldiers who have sustained concussions in Iraq, despite regulations that make such wounds eligible for the medal, an investigation by NPR and ProPublica has found.

via www.npr.org

Someone on Facebook asked, "Why do people keep joining the military?"

Aside from needing a job and education, they join because they believe the idealistic bullsh*t that they're fighting for freedom and democracy. What they're really fighting for are capitalism and securing scarce resources. We're a capitalist nation. That's just the way it is.

But people won't lay their lives down for that. They WILL, however, die for lofty ideals like freedom and democracy.

As for the soldiers who suffer neglect and a lack of medical care when they return, maybe if people would quit buying flag stickers and "Support Our Troops" magnets for their cars and donate that money to organizations that help soldiers...

Oh, wait. I'm also talking about the people who don't want to see body counts and coffin-draped flags. Never mind.