Purple Heart

Matt who is suffering from traumatic brain injury, is having trouble remembering specific events from the past, but is able to remember certain details. Typically when someone has traumatic brain injury, they have trouble remembering specific events, have trouble remembering certain words, have trouble understanding certain gestures, and facial expressions, so the nurse is not allowing Matt to join his troops in combat until she has decided that he is well. In war there are many different types of injuries besides the physical wounds, which may also be permanent depending on how bad the case may be. Matt has experienced sharp pains running to his skull, which causes him to cry out in agony, and yet he does not know what he has, which is driving him insane. New tactics are being developed in the Iraqi war, because searches are being performed allowing, “Their squad to conduct searches of females after the army found out that some of the enemy soldiers were dressing as women to avoid being searched” (Purple Heart 30). In war people will do anything to survive and make it back home to their loved ones. Each individual soldiers’ has their own life, that may not appear on the battle field but shows in their facial expressions and in their heart. These soldiers are fighting for their country so that their family can be safe, and so that their children do not have to face the tragic event in which they have faced. Every soldier out there has different cooping mechanisms to deal with the emotional and physical aspects of war. Some soldiers take pills such as oxy cotton in order to block out the pain. There is a pain that every soldiers has in common which is the longing for their loved ones, which in some cases is the worst pain. When Matt began thinking about how he got to Iraq, and why he was there in the first place, he began thinking about why counties go to war. “It wasn’t about fighting the enemy. It wasn’t about politics or oil or even about terrorists. It was about your buddies; it was about fighting for the guy next to you. And knowing he was fighting for you” (Purple Heart). The soldiers didn’t know why or what they were fighting for, all they knew was that the members in my troop are protecting me so I have to protect them. War is about protecting ones countries interests, and making sure that good is safe. It didn’t matter who the enemy was, or what the enemy was doing, if he or she was threatening American troops he or she would be under fire and wounded or killed for no reason. Innocent people are dying for their country, and yet what do they get in return a badge that reminds one of all the horrible event and actions he or she once experienced.