Wounded in Action

Date of Publication:

1/7/2022

Definition:

A casualty category applicable to a hostile casualty, other than the victim of a terrorist activity, who has incurred an injury due to an external agent or cause. The term encompasses all kinds of wounds and other injuries incurred in action, whether there is a piercing of the body, as in a penetration or perforated wound, or none, as in the contused wound. These include fractures, burns, blast concussions, all effects of biological and chemical warfare agents, and the effects of exposure to ionizing radiation or any other destructive weapon or agent. The hostile casualty’s status may be categorized as seriously ill and injured, very seriously ill or injured, or not seriously ill and injured.