Can Someone Wounded in Action Still be Active Military?

Nuwanda

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I have a character that's in the Royal Irish Regiment (so maybe the rules are different than US military) I have him get into an IED related car wreck early in his career. The major injuries would be a punctured lung and a small amount of shrapnel permanently in his hip.

So after a fair amount of recovery, would he be able to return overseas or would he have to be assigned a desk job?

Thank you!
 
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cmhbob

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Happens all the time. Lots of soldiers and Marines were hurt much worse than that in Iraq and Afghanistan, and continued to serve. The US Marines let a blind Marine re-enlist. Obviously he didn't stay in a combat arms field, but it happened.

He'll be judged on how quickly he recovers, and (probably) whether he can pass a PT test. The military will want to make sure he can still do his job as an infantryman, and that he won't endanger the other members of his unit. Even if he can't do the job of an infantryman, they may well reclassify him rather than discharge him. That just means they give him (and train him for) a different job.
 

cmhbob

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No, that's not what I said, or at least not what I meant. I meant that wounded troops return to active duty and combat all the time.

He'd have to heal, and be cleared by the docs. Then he'd have to show that he can still do his military job. If he can't do his original job, they'll try and find something he can do. Discharge is a last resort.
 

Nuwanda

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Oops! Sorry that last of mine was for Cyia. I'm not sure why I didn't see yours when I hit send! Thank you very much for the information. That's what I was thinking but I wanted to be sure before writing blindly!
 

WeaselFire

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Have a friend who was a Navy Seal in the post-Vietnam era. He has four purple hearts and five pretty good sized surgery scars from various injuries and retired after 26 years in the Navy. Of course, he can't tell me where or how he got injured... :)

Jeff
 

blacbird

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I served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, and when I returned, had a year left, stateside. At that time, for various reasons, a lot of soldiers worked in dress uniforms, in office jobs, etc. I saw plenty who sported that little purple stripe above their left breast pocket, along with the two Vietnam medals. That is a purple heart, awarded for being wounded in hostile action. I, fortunately, never got one of those, but a lot of people did, and continued to serve.

caw