ST. PETER, Minn. (AP) 鈥 After 73 years and a long fight with the U.S. Army, a Korean War veteran from Minnesota who was wounded in combat finally got his Purple Heart medal on Friday.
The Army notified Earl Meyer, 96, of St. Peter, last month that it had granted him a Purple Heart, which honors service members wounded or killed in combat. Meyer, who still has shrapnel in his thigh that continues to cause him occasional pain, had the medal pinned to his chest at a ceremony at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.
Afterward, Meyer recalled being at an earlier ceremony for veterans when Purple Heart honorees were asked to rise so they could be honored. Now, said Meyer, 鈥淚 can stand up with them guys.鈥
Understated and quick to deflect praise, he added: 鈥淚t is nice. No doubt about that.鈥
An Army review board had rejected Meyer鈥檚 application several times due to a lack of paperwork, but it by his three daughters and their attorney. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota also intervened on his behalf along with the service鈥檚 top noncommissioned officer, the sergeant major of the Army. A federal judge ordered the review board to take another look.
Meyer鈥檚 case showcases the challenges for wounded veterans to get medals they鈥檝e earned when the fog of war, the absence of records and the passage of time make it challenging to produce proof.
Klobuchar presented Meyer a certificate after the medal was pinned, while one of her former aides who worked on the case sang the national anthem.
鈥淥ur safety is what Earl fought for. Minnesota, our country and our world are better because of you, Earl,鈥 Klobuchar told the crowd. 鈥淭hank you. And congratulations. Finally.鈥
Meyer's daughter, Sandy Baker, of New Buffalo, Michigan, described combat veterans like her father, who is known to friends as 鈥淪onny,鈥 as 鈥渁 different breed鈥 and said he was reluctant to push for the recognition. She said he ultimately became convinced his effort would help other soldiers win overdue recognition.
鈥淗e鈥檚 excited and he鈥檚 very honored. Incredibly honored. But he said at coffee this morning, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know why we鈥檙e making such a big deal out of this,鈥欌 she said.
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer wasn't able to attend, but he sent a latter of gratitude for Meyer's 鈥渟elfless service and dedication.鈥 And in a handwritten addition at the bottom of the letter Weimer said: 鈥淭hank you for not giving up on us! Long overdue!鈥
Weimer sent Command Sgt. Major Jason Ross, from the Army 春色直播 Guard, in his place. He described the grueling fighting that Meyer endured.
鈥淗e saw his close friends wounded, killed in action, and he engaged in continuous, sustained combat with the enemy and in wartime conditions for several days,鈥 Ross said. 鈥淗e believed and understood he could actually die in combat.鈥
Few men in Meyer's unit who witnessed the mortar attack in 1951 survived. Only a few members of his platoon made it out unharmed. He didn鈥檛 even realize at first that he had been wounded. He said he thinks the medic who treated him on the battlefield was killed before he could file the paperwork. And he wasn鈥檛 thinking then about a medal anyway 鈥 he just wanted to survive.
When the Army denied Meyer鈥檚 first applications for the medal, it said his documentation was insufficient. It had been burned in a fire, said Baker, who is Meyer鈥檚 daughter.
Klobuchar鈥檚 office helped the family obtain additional documents and an Army review board finally concluded last month that the new evidence 鈥渆stablishes beyond reasonable doubt that the applicant was wounded in action in early June 1951.鈥
The board cited records from the Department of Veterans Affairs, where doctors concluded the shrapnel in his thigh had to be from a combat injury. The board also cited a recent memo from Weimer, who said he believed Meyer鈥檚 account was accurate, and that his medal request deserved another review.
Meyer's American Legion coffee buddy, Dave Johnson, who delivered the prayer, described Meyer as "more than humble.鈥 He said Meyer's tends to downplay it and say, 鈥淥h, this happened. I was part of this, and I guess I still have shrapnel in me.鈥
But Johnson said it is important for the rest of the community to remember.
鈥淧eople have to recognize what it takes to have a country like this, and it takes people like Sonny and his efforts, what he鈥檚 accomplished and what he did on those particular days. Very few people have that opportunity to say, 鈥業 did this for our country.鈥欌
___
Karnowski reported from St. Paul, Minnesota.
