5 Purple Hearts Awarded to Injured Troops After Spike in Attacks on Bases in Iraq, Syria – By Steve Beynon (Military.com) / Dec 14, 2023
At least 66 American service members in Iraq and Syria have been injured in a barrage of recent attacks by Iran-backed militants, though only a handful of troops have so far received Purple Hearts, according to the services.
Five Purple Hearts have been awarded, three for the Army and two for the Marine Corps, while the other services have not doled out any, spokespersons for each branch said. No details on the specific injuries were released, though many of the wounds recently inflicted on troops are believed to be traumatic brain injuries.
As of Oct. 26, at least 19 service members had suffered TBIs as militants have ratcheted up pressure on bases, the Pentagon announced and that count has likely risen as the spike in attacks continues in the region amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
