{"id":75796,"date":"2023-11-12T16:49:23","date_gmt":"2023-11-12T16:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/11\/12\/korean-war-veteran-still-attempting-to-get-purple-heart\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:34:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:34:58","slug":"korean-war-veteran-still-attempting-to-get-purple-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2023\/11\/12\/korean-war-veteran-still-attempting-to-get-purple-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Korean War veteran still attempting to get Purple Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ST. PETER, Minn. \u2014 Earl Meyer remembers in vivid detail when his platoon came under heavy fire during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2023\/09\/15\/north-koreas-silence-stalls-recovery-of-americas-war-dead\/\" target=\"_blank\">Korean War<\/a> \u2014 he still has shrapnel embedded in his thigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But over 70 years later, the 96-year-old is still waiting for the U.S. Army to recognize his injury and to award him a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2022\/08\/08\/recipients-look-back-at-their-service-on-national-purple-heart-day\/\" target=\"_blank\">Purple Heart<\/a> medal, which honors service members wounded or killed in combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meyer has provided the Army with documents to back up his assertion that he was wounded in combat in June 1951. Doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs agreed that his account of the shrapnel coming from a mortar attack was probably true. But few men in his unit who would have witnessed the battle have survived, and he thinks the medic who treated him on the battlefield was killed before he could file the paperwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An Army review board in April issued what it called a final rejection of Meyer\u2019s request for a Purple Heart, citing insufficient documentation. His case highlights how it can be a struggle for wounded veterans to get medals they\u2019ve earned when the fog of war, the absence of records and the passage of time make it challenging to produce proof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt first I didn\u2019t know that I had been wounded,\u201d Meyer wrote in a sworn statement that was part of his rejected appeal. \u201cBut as my unit advanced from where the mortar rounds were hitting, I noticed that my pants were sticking to my leg. I reached down to correct this and discovered that my hand was covered in blood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2023\/06\/25\/100-year-old-veteran-getting-help-seeking-purple-heart-for-wwii-injury\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1177733.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">100-year-old veteran getting help seeking Purple Heart for WWII injury<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Army veteran Raymond Chambers never received a Purple Heart despite being wounded while serving during World War II.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meyer took the rare step of suing the Department of Defense and the Army in September. The Army\u2019s Office of Public Affairs said it doesn\u2019t comment on ongoing litigation. But after The Associated Press made requests for comment on Meyer\u2019s case, the office of the Army\u2019s top noncommissioned officer, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer, said that it\u2019s going to take another look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Sergeant Major of the Army\u2019s Office is engaging with Mr. Meyer\u2019s family and looking into the situation,\u201d spokesperson Master Sgt. Daniel Wallace said. \u201cEither way, we\u2019re proud of Mr. Meyer\u2019s service to our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meyer said in an interview that he wouldn\u2019t have pursued the Purple Heart because his injuries were relatively minor compared to those of many men he served with, but his three daughters persuaded him. Growing up, they knew that he had been injured in the war, but like many veterans, he never talked much about it. It\u2019s only been in the past decade or so that he\u2019s opened up to them, which led them to urge his pursuit of a Purple Heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think it will provide closure for him. I really do,\u201d said his daughter, Sandy Baker, of New Buffalo, Michigan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tony Cross, a disability claims and appeals specialist with the American Legion, the country\u2019s largest veterans\u2019 service organization, said the Legion doesn\u2019t commonly see cases like Meyer\u2019s of medals denied, though it did see one earlier this year. The process is challenging because each military branch has its own approval process and it gets more challenging after a veteran leaves the military, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meyer\u2019s main obstacle has been the lack of paperwork. He told the AP the medic who bandaged his leg told him he would file the forms to show he was wounded in combat. But he never did. Meyer thinks the medic may have been killed in action. Only a few members of his platoon made it out unharmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, Meyer wasn\u2019t hurt badly enough to leave the battlefield. But Army medical records show he injured his back a few days later when he fell down a hill while carrying a machine gun, and then aggravated it again days later while lifting ammunition. He was evacuated to a MASH unit, then a hospital ship. The records show his treatment included a tetanus shot, apparently for the shrapnel injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI still had the hole in my pants and the blood on it,\u201d he said about the time he was hospitalized for his back. He said he still had the patch on his leg. \u201cI should have told them at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But he wasn\u2019t thinking then about gathering paperwork for a future medal. His mind was on survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was just glad to get out of there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accidental back injuries generally don\u2019t qualify a service member for a Purple Heart, but wounds from enemy shrapnel can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meyer finished out his tour guarding prisoners of war. He was honorably discharged in 1952. His decorations included the Combat Infantryman Badge, which is reserved for those who actively participate in ground combat under enemy fire. He also received the Congressional Gold Medal for his service in the Merchant Marine in World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5917\" height=\"3944\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23311645988689.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Earl Meyer, middle left, who fought for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, talks with fellow veterans at the American Legion, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in St. Peter, Minn.\" class=\"wp-image-108621\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23311645988689.jpg.jpg 5917w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23311645988689.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23311645988689.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23311645988689.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23311645988689.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23311645988689.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5917px) 100vw, 5917px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Earl Meyer, middle left, who fought for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, talks with fellow veterans at the American Legion, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in St. Peter, Minn. (Abbie Parr\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He still has coffee with fellow veterans a couple mornings a week at the St. Peter American Legion post. He said his leg isn\u2019t acutely sore, but it still aches. VA doctors told him they didn\u2019t want to risk surgery to remove the shrapnel because it was too close to his sciatic nerve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2005, doctors at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis agreed that his leg injury probably happened in combat. \u201cThe scar in the left thigh is at least as likely as not (50\/50 probability) caused by or a result of a combat fragment wound,\u201d they wrote in one report. \u201cReasonable doubt has been resolved in your favor,\u201d they wrote in another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meyer first applied for a Purple Heart in 2020. The Army denied him, saying he needed more documentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So U.S. Sen.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/amy-klobuchar\" target=\"_blank\">Amy Klobuchar<\/a>\u2018s staff then helped him get documents from the National Archives and made numerous follow-up inquiries. But even with the additional evidence, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records turned him down. Klobuchar said this week that she\u2019s not giving up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEarl Meyer put his life on the line in defense of our freedoms, and we will continue to do all we can to further the work to rightfully honor his service,\u201d the Minnesota Democrat said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its most recent rejection letter, the board said he must have \u201csubstantiating evidence to verify that he was injured, the wound was the result of hostile action, the wound must have required treatment by medical personnel and the medical treatment must have been made a matter of official record.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The board conceded that \u201csome evidence available for review indicates a possible injury,\u201d but that \u201cbased on the preponderance of the evidence available for review, the Board determined the evidence presented insufficient to warrant a recommendation for relief.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meyer\u2019s attorney, Alan Anderson, wrote in the lawsuit that review boards have awarded Purple Hearts under similar circumstances \u2014 sometimes under court order. He said the board noted the problems of relying solely on medical records when it approved a Purple Heart in a separate 2015 case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnder wartime conditions, wounds requiring medical treatment by a medical officer will not always receive such treatment, and, even if a Soldier requiring such treatment receives it, there will be cases where the treatment is not made a matter of official record,\u201d the board said in that case. \u201cIn such cases, other sources, including credible statements from colleagues, may be useful in establishing the circumstances in which a Soldier was wounded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Karnowski reported from Minneapolis; Perez Winder reported from New Buffalo, Michigan.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Earl Meyer, a 96-year-old Korean War veteran, has been waiting for 70 years for a Purple Heart. The Army keeps turning him down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":108618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,16,26,21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[581,6994,6995],"class_list":["post-75796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"WGBLPVCSSRCF5ETHDKZQRYE6LE","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2023\/11\/12\/korean-war-veteran-still-attempting-to-get-purple-heart\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Korean War veteran still attempting to get Purple Heart - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Earl Meyer, a 96-year-old Korean War veteran, has been waiting for 70 years for a Purple Heart. 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