Editing Wounded in action (section)

{{Short description|Military term used for persons wounded by enemy action}}
{{About|combatant's state|other uses|WIA (disambiguation){{!}}WIA}}
[[File:Omaha Beach wounded soldiers, 1944-06-06 P012901.jpg|thumb|Wounded [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry]] soldiers on [[Omaha Beach]], 1944]]
'''Wounded in action''' ('''WIA''') describes [[combatants]] who have been [[wound]]ed while fighting in a [[combat]] zone during [[war]]time, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight.<ref>[http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx iCasualties: Iraq Coalition Casualty Count] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110321080348/http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx |date=2011-03-21 }}. See the middle of the page to see info on the types of wounded.</ref> Generally, the Wounded in Action are far more numerous than those killed. Common combat injuries include second and third-degree burns, broken bones, [[Fragmentation (weaponry)|shrapnel wounds]], brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, nerve damage, paralysis, loss of sight and hearing, [[Posttraumatic stress disorder|post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)]], and limb loss.<ref>{{Cite web|title=US & Allied Wounded {{!}} Costs of War|url=https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/human/military/wounded|website=watson.brown.edu|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref>

For the [[U.S. military]], becoming WIA in combat generally results in subsequent conferral of the [[Purple Heart]], because the purpose of the medal itself (one of the highest awards, [[military]] or [[civilian]], officially given by the American government) is to recognize those killed, incapacitated, or wounded in battle.