Korean War veteran from Minnesota will finally get his Purple Heart medal, 73 years late

MINNEAPOLIS– A Korean War veteran from Minnesota who still carries shrapnel in his leg from when he was wounded in combat will finally receive his Purple Heart medal, 73 years too late.

The U.S. Army informed 96-year-old Earl Meyer of St. Peter on Monday that it has reversed itself and awarded him a Purple Heart, in honor of service members wounded or killed in combat.

The decision came after a campaign by his daughters and lawyer. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota made his case. The Army’s highest ranking noncommissioned officer – the Army sergeant major – 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 this year ordered an Army review board to take another look.

The Army sent Meyer’s lawyer a stack of documents on Monday informing them of the decision, including a color certificate stating the cases were for “wounds sustained in action in June 1951 in Korea.”

‘Seventy-three years, yes. That’s quite a long time. … I didn’t think they would go for it,” Meyer said in an interview Tuesday.

Meyer’s case highlights how it can be a struggle for wounded veterans to get the medals they have earned, while the fog of war, lack of data and the passage of time make providing evidence challenging.

“Earl Meyer risked his life in defense of our freedoms, and we are forever indebted to him for his service,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “Earl has earned this Purple Heart, and I am so pleased that we were able to work with his family and the Army to get him the recognition he deserves.”

In Meyer’s case, few men in his unit who would have witnessed the mortar attack survived. Only a few members of his platoon escaped unscathed. He didn’t even realize he was hurt at first. He believes the medic who ultimately treated him on the battlefield was killed before he could file the paperwork. And he wasn’t thinking about a medal then anyway; he was just trying to survive.

Meyer ended his tour guarding prisoners of war. He was honorably discharged in 1952. Previous awards include the Combat Infantryman Badge, reserved for those who actively participate in ground combat under enemy fire, and the Congressional Gold Medal for his service in the Merchant Marine in the WWII. He continues to lead an active life, including coffee with fellow veterans at his local American Legion post.

Growing up, Meyers’ three daughters knew he had been injured during the war. But like many veterans, he never talked about it much. Only in the last ten years has he opened up to them. They persuaded him to pursue a Purple Heart.

“We are extremely excited,” said his daughter, Sandy Baker, of New Buffalo, Michigan. “My sisters and I have been working on this for about eight or nine years.”

Lawyer Alan Anderson said they now hope to organize a presentation ceremony “in the near future”.

When the Army denied Meyer’s initial applications for the medal, it said his documentation was insufficient. Klobuchar’s office helped him obtain additional documents, and an Army review board concluded last week that the new evidence “proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the applicant was wounded in action in early June 1951.”

The board cited data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, in which doctors concluded that the shrapnel in his thigh must have been the result of a combat injury and noted that it continued to cause him occasional pain. The board also cited a memo from Sgt. Maj. of the Army’s Michael Weimer, dated Feb. 27, who said he believed Meyer’s account was accurate, and that his medal request merited a new review.

“It’s not just about giving thanks, it’s about remembering,” Anderson said. “I remember everything they did and their sacrifices, and the boys who didn’t survive.”