# Wound Stripes? (From: Two Canadian soldiers injured in Afghan 12 Jun 06)



## Spencer100 (13 Jun 2006)

Sorry to hear about the two. My prayers for them.

One Question.

Is there an "award" or some type of special recognition for being wounded in combat?  IE the US purple heart?  I hope this question is not too dumb.


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## George Wallace (13 Jun 2006)

They will be awarded "Wound Stripes" for their DEUs.


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## zipperhead_cop (13 Jun 2006)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> They will be awarded "Wound Stripes" for their DEUs.



Equally dumb, what do "wound stripes" look like, and how are they worn?


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## Teddy Ruxpin (13 Jun 2006)

They're a gold stripe about an inch long, worn on the bottom of the left (IIRC - no dress regs at home) sleeve of the dress uniform.  Also, IIRC, the stripes are red for those (honoraries and the like) wounded in WW II.

Here's a FAQ on the subject:

http://www.forces.gc.ca/hr/cfpn/engraph/11_03/11_03_wound_e.asp

Edited to add:  I cannot find reference to "red" stripes... the idea may have been dropped.  The rest is correct.


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## zipperhead_cop (13 Jun 2006)

Thanks, TR


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## GAP (13 Jun 2006)

Thanks from me too!! I did not know that


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## Michael Dorosh (13 Jun 2006)

Here is the whole history - 
http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/mediawiki-1.5.5/index.php?title=Wound_Stripes


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## Journeyman (13 Jun 2006)

Interesting concept, again illustrating that the military is at war, but Canada and our government is not. (See "*CAN DefMin Doesn't Consider Us At War?*"   http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/44601/post-388100.html#msg388100)

Although, for the various spin doctors, the criteria doesn't actually say "war": 





> *A wound stripe recognizes an injury directly attributable to hostile action, received in honourable circumstances in an operational area, and requiring medical treatment beyond local first aid*.


http://www.forces.gc.ca/hr/cfpn/engraph/11_03/11_03_wound_e.asp

Either way, I'd just as soon not earn one, thanks.


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## HItorMiss (13 Jun 2006)

The last thing I read about wound stripes was that they are voluntary to wear, meaning they are the one award/decoration to which the person can put on his CF's or not. Meaning that if you don't want the recognition of having "earned" one then you needent have it on and could keep it at home, keeping your pain a semi private affair.


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## Michael Dorosh (13 Jun 2006)

They're also not an "award or decoration" IIRC. Those are done to congratulate people on having achieved something. A wound stripe on the other hand identifies something bad that has been done to you against your will. It's therefore not recognizing an achievement.


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## medicineman (13 Jun 2006)

I wouldn't really want to consider a wound stipe something that I "won".  I can't recall who said it, but an American soldier/general once said that "Purple Hearts are nothing but enemy marksmanship prizes".  They aren't exactly something someone would want to dream of getting as it were - for those that want to go out and earn them, you're the guys/gals that give me a job.

MM


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## the 48th regulator (13 Jun 2006)

Dunno,

I am proud on how I acheived mine.  My training, and that of the guy who saved me, helped for proper reaction during the incident.

Reminds me that I am still alive. I can see if I can find it and scan a picture.

dileas

tess


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## 3rd Horseman (14 Jun 2006)

I second 48ths view, I am also proud to wear my wound stripes. I think that the WW1 wore red(edit wrong ead Mikes post below), They even had a club called the red "chevron club" last one I saw was in Saint John but it is sadly a strip club last time I looked. You could just make out the old paint on the door that said "Red Chevron Club" 

  I think I was most proud due to the little news that was out on them and it showed that we were at a shooting war even if the public and many soldiers did not know we were. 

 A little controversy has developed over the strip as some have been awarded to non En action and posthumously. Don't know the exact details but it has been circulating amongst the strip wearing crew.....that gives me an idea....maybe a gold chevron club?.....48th could bartend....I could hold up the far end of the bar! ;D

Edit error and typo


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## Michael Dorosh (14 Jun 2006)

3rd Horseman said:
			
		

> I second 48ths view, I am also proud to wear my wound stripes. I think that the WW1 wore red, They even had a club called the red "chevron club" last one I saw was in Saint John but it is sadly a strip club last time I looked. You could just make out the old paint on the door that said "Red Chevron Club"
> 
> I think I was most proud due to the little news that was out on them and it showed that we were at a shooting war even if the public and many soldiers did not know we were.
> 
> A little controversy has developed over the strip as some have been awarded to non En action and posthumously. Don't know the exact details but it has been circulating amongst the strip wearing crew.....that gives me an idea....maybe a gold chevron club?.....48th could bartend....I culd hold up the far end of the bar! ;D




The Red Chevron club was about service chevrons, not wound stripes.

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/mediawiki-1.5.5/index.php?title=Service_Chevrons

It denoted a guy who joined in the first year of the First World War.

Red wound stripes were issued in the Second World War, not the First; it denoted a soldier wounded in the First World War, but as my link says, the red stripe was not issued until 1944.

As an aside, the silver chevrons worn by the Militia from the late 1950s to Unification were also "permissive rather than mandatory" in the same manner as the wound stripe is.


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## 3rd Horseman (14 Jun 2006)

Thanks Michael,

   Had I been a little smarter and not on slow dial up I could have read that in your posted link.....dooh!


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## Michael Dorosh (14 Jun 2006)

3rd Horseman said:
			
		

> Thanks Michael,



And people say the DEU looks like a "boy scout uniform" with all the badges....I think a Canadian soldier circa 1945 or so, in full badges, must have been a colourful sight indeed....if he had been anywhere and done anything, that is.


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## ExSarge (14 Jun 2006)

Michael Dorosh said:
			
		

> And people say the DEU looks like a "boy scout uniform" with all the badges....I think a Canadian soldier circa 1945 or so, in full badges, must have been a colourful sight indeed....if he had been anywhere and done anything, that is.



Nothing beats the U.S. Army class A uniform for over the top colour. As a joke we once used our 1st Sgt Jacket as a Christmas tree in the barracks dayroom. Green jacket festooned with gold rank stripes, service stripes, overseas stripes, unit patches, crests, leadership tabs, ranger and airborne tabs, marksmanship badges, service ribbon. It was a thing to behold!


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## GK .Dundas (14 Jun 2006)

medicineman said:
			
		

> I wouldn't really want to consider a wound stipe something that I "won".  I can't recall who said it, but an American soldier/general once said that "Purple Hearts are nothing but enemy marksmanship prizes".  They aren't exactly something someone would want to dream of getting as it were - for those that want to go out and earn them, you're the guys/gals that give me a job.
> 
> MM


 An American friend of mine once described the Purple heart as "The not only wuz I there but I forgot to duck medal!"


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## medicineman (14 Jun 2006)

For anyone I may have inadvertantly offended vis a vis "winning" of wound stripes, I'm in no way slagging you down.  Those are something that was given to you as a token of sacrificing bits and pieces of your body for Canada and wherever you were at the time.  What I was saying was that a wound stripe isn't something that is won like a prize - it is something that is awarded as a result of direct physical harm coming to yourself from a bad guy or something of theirs.   Humblest apologies to any who took offence to my less than clear statement.

MM


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## ExSarge (14 Jun 2006)

For my part, as someone who is a Purple Heart recipient, I'm not offended if someone jokes that it's an enemy marksmanship medal or calls it the He forgot to duck medal. Provided they did their time on the line. it does offend me when "wannabees" start mouthing off. The other thing that I find offensive is people wearing the medal who do not deserve it. I new a Major who received it for sitting on a c-ration can opener on his one and only trip to the field! I'm not proud of the fact I was wounded, but I'm not ashamed of it! Weather its a wound stripe or a purple heart or any other type of device it's a way for the profession of arms to acknowledge those who served at the sharp end, were hit and survived.


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## GAP (14 Jun 2006)

ExSarge said:
			
		

> For my part, as someone who is a Purple Heart recipient, I'm not offended if someone jokes that it's an enemy marksmanship medal or calls it the He forgot to duck medal. Provided they did their time on the line. it does offend me when "wannabees" start mouthing off. The other thing that I find offensive is people wearing the medal who do not deserve it. I new a Major who received it for sitting on a c-ration can opener on his one and only trip to the field! I'm not proud of the fact I was wounded, but I'm not ashamed of it! Weather its a wound stripe or a purple heart or any other type of device it's a way for the profession of arms to acknowledge those who served at the sharp end, were hit and survived.



+1


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