Earl Meyer, a 96-year-old Korean War veteran from St. Peter, Minnesota, will finally receive his Purple Heart medal, 73 years after being wounded in combat. The U.S. Army notified Meyer on Monday that it had reversed its decision and granted him the medal, which honors service members wounded or killed in combat.
Meyer’s daughters and attorney had been campaigning for the medal, with support from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. The Army’s top noncommissioned officer, the sergeant major of the army, took an interest in the case after it had been rejected for years due to a lack of paperwork. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim ordered an Army review board to reconsider the case earlier this year.
The Army sent Meyer’s attorney documents notifying them of the decision, including a certificate stating it was “for wounds received in action on June 1951 in Korea.” Meyer expressed surprise at the decision, saying, “Seventy-three years, yeah. That’s a long time all right. … I didn’t think they would go for it.”
Meyer’s case highlights the challenges wounded veterans face when seeking medals they’ve earned, especially when the passage of time, the absence of records, and the fog of war make it difficult to provide proof. In Meyer’s case, few men in his unit who would have witnessed the mortar attack survived, and the medic who treated him on the battlefield was likely killed before filing the paperwork.
Meyer finished his tour guarding prisoners of war and was honorably discharged in 1952. He had previously received other decorations, including the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Congressional Gold Medal for his service in the Merchant Marine during World War II.
Meyer’s daughters are excited about the long-awaited recognition, and his attorney, Alan Anderson, hopes to arrange a presentation ceremony soon. The Army review board cited records from the Department of Veterans Affairs and a memo from the sergeant major of the army as evidence supporting Meyer’s claim.
Anderson emphasized the importance of remembering veterans’ sacrifices, saying, “It’s not just about saying thank you, it’s about remembering. Remembering all they did and their sacrifices, and the guys that didn’t make it back.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.