Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-102
§1131 Purple Heart: Limitation to Members of the Armed Forces
Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 57 — DECORATIONS AND AWARDS › § 1131
Summary
Only people serving in the armed forces when they are killed or wounded can receive the Purple Heart, as allowed under Executive Order 11016. The death or injury must happen in ways that meet the medal’s rules.
Full Legal Text
Title 10, §1131
Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The decoration known as the Purple Heart (authorized to be awarded pursuant to Executive Order 11016) may only be awarded to a person who is a member of the armed forces at the time the person is killed or wounded under circumstances otherwise qualifying that person for award of the Purple Heart.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Executive Order 11016, referred to in text, is Ex. Ord. No. 11016, Apr. 25, 1962, 27 F.R. 4139, which is set out as a note under section 1129 of this title.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title V, § 571(b), Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1756, provided that: “Section 1131 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall apply with respect to persons who are killed or wounded after the end of the 180-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 18, 1997].”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 1131
Title 10, Armed Forces
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102