Results for: Delayed Recognition

Earl Meyer, a 96-year-old Korean War veteran from southern Minnesota, has finally been awarded the Purple Heart medal, 73 years after he was wounded in combat. The U.S. Army initially denied Meyer’s applications for the medal due to insufficient documentation, but after a campaign by his daughters and attorney, an Army review board concluded that new evidence established beyond reasonable doubt that he was wounded in action. The Army’s top noncommissioned officer took an interest in the case, and U.S. District Judge John Tunheim ordered an Army review board to take another look. Meyer’s case highlights the challenges that wounded veterans face when trying to obtain medals they have earned due to the fog of war, the absence of records, and the passage of time.

Earl Meyer, a 96-year-old Korean War veteran from Minnesota, will finally receive his Purple Heart medal, 73 years after he was wounded in combat. The decision came after a campaign by his daughters and attorney, with support from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. The Army had initially denied Meyer’s applications due to insufficient documentation, but a review board recently concluded that new evidence establishes beyond reasonable doubt that he was wounded in action. Meyer’s case highlights the challenges wounded veterans face in obtaining medals they have earned, especially when time and the absence of records make it difficult to produce proof.