Yes, one receives a Purple Heart for wounds received from enemy fire.
Automatically? Well, the soldier has to report to an aide station. Knowing government and military regulations, I'm sure a form is filled out and this notifies his unit HQ that he was wounded and they issue a citation for a Purple Heart. Here is a personal example.
During enemy shelling in WW2, my father and his Colonel were both nicked by small shell fragments. The Colonel said "Let's go to the aid station and pick up our Purple Heart." My father told the Colonel that he would not set foot in there with a small scratch. He didn't want to dishonor those who really deserved the Purple Heart. Sure enough, I found a GO that showed the Colonel receiving the PH.
This answer only relates to World War 2: The basic unit can award a Purple Heart. The unit would issue a General Order(GO) that stated the date and location that the soldier was cited for the award. Whereas, other medals for bravery would have to be sent up to higher headquarters for approval. The higher the award, the higher the approval is required.
You have to be recommended for a Purple Heart. Being wounded in Iraq does not automatically qualify you to receive a Purple Heart.
A SOLDIER MUST BE WOUNDED OR KILLED PERFORMING HIS OR HER DUTY. A SOLDIER MUST BE WOUNDED OR KILLED PERFORMING HIS OR HER DUTY.
A member of the United States Armed Forces that was Wounded in Action, or was Wounded in Action then died of their wound.
The purple heart is an award for soldiers who have been killed or wounded while in service. If a soldier is wounded more than once, the soldier receives an oak leaf cluster for each successive injury.
The Purple Heart is given to any Soldier, Airman, Sailor and Marine who is wounded in combat. It is also the only medal that is not earned, but entitled.
Yes. Of course, if the injury was minor he may not have gone to a Medical hospital. Sometimes a soldier mortally wounded in combat would receive a Purple Heart Medal. However, many who were killed were not. I never understood how they determined if a deceased soldier was awarded the PHM.
There is no technical limit. There is currently a soldier serving in Iraq that has been awarded three and has a fourth pending. Each time you are wounded in a separate engagement, you are eligible. In past wars, though, there was an unofficial limit in that you would be removed from the theater if you received a set number of Purple Hearts. For both Korea and Vietnam this limit was three. A United States Army soldier currently holds the distinction of receiving nine Purple Hearts. Six U.S. Army soldiers and one U.S. Marine share the distinction of holding 8 Purple Hearts.
The only medal available at that time (1898) was the Medal of Honor. The Purple Heart Medal was not available until 1932.
wounded in action
Any soldier who is wounded, either in combat or by terrorist action, may receive the Purple Heart. There are no limits as to the number you may receive--if you go out on 300 patrols, and get shot on every one of them, you can receive 300 Purple Hearts.
He was wounded in combat with the Japanese in the Solomons in 1943. The purple heart is awarded to those who are wounded in combat.
you get injured in battleThe purple heart is awarded to military personnel who were wounded during service -- particularly if they were wounded during a war.