After 73 years of fighting with the U.S. military, a combat-wounded Korean War veteran from Minnesota was finally awarded the Purple Heart on Friday.
Last month, the Army notified St. Peter resident Earl Meyer, 96, of the Purple Heart, which honors military personnel wounded or killed in combat. Meyer, who still has a splinter in his thigh that causes occasional pain, had the medal pinned to his chest during a ceremony at Gustav Adolphus College in St. Peter.
Veterans recount their battle stories and share the importance of recognition on National Purple Heart Day
Meyer then recalled a previous ceremony for veterans when Purple Heart recipients were asked to stand to receive the honor. Now, Meyer said, “I can stand with them.”
Modest and quick to deflect praise, he added: “That’s great, that’s for sure.”
Earl Meyer wears the Purple Heart he just received for a combat injury he received while serving in the Korean War on Friday, May 17, 2024 in St. Peter, Minnesota. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
The Army Review Board had repeatedly rejected Meyer’s application due to incomplete documentation, but changed its mind after a campaign by his three daughters and their lawyer. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota also intervened on his behalf, along with the military’s top noncommissioned officer, Master Sergeant. A federal judge ordered a review board to re-investigate.
Mr. Meyer’s case illustrates the difficulty wounded veterans have in receiving the medals they have earned when the fog of war, lack of records, and the passage of time make it difficult to provide evidence.
After the medal was secured, Ms. Klobuchar handed Ms. Meyer her award, and one of her former aides involved in the case sang the national anthem.
“Our safety is what Earl fought for. Minnesota, our country, and our world are better because of you, Earl,” Klobuchar told the crowd. “Thank you. And congratulations. Finally.”
Meyer’s daughter Sandy Baker, who lives in New Buffalo, Michigan, described veterans like her father, known to friends as “Sonny,” as “different” and reluctant to seek recognition. Stated. Ultimately, she said, she believed her efforts would help her fellow Soldiers win overdue recognition.
“He’s excited and he’s very honored. He’s incredibly honored. But this morning, over coffee, he said, ‘I don’t understand why we’re making such a fuss.’ ” she said.
Army Chief Master Sergeant Michael Weimer was unable to attend, but sent a letter thanking Meyer for his “selfless service and dedication.” At the end of the letter, he wrote in his handwriting, “Thank you for not giving up on us! I knew that for a long time!”
Weimer sent Sgt. He was replaced by Maj. Jason Ross of the Army National Guard. He described the grueling combat Meyer endured.
“He saw his closest friends wounded and killed in action, and engaged in continuous and sustained combat with the enemy for several days in wartime conditions,” Ross said. “He believed and understood that he could actually die in combat.”
Few members of Meyer’s unit survived the 1951 mortar attack. Only a few members of his platoon made it out unscathed. At first he didn’t even realize he was injured. He said he believed the medic who treated him on the battlefield was killed before he could provide documentation. And he wasn’t thinking about medals anyway – he just wanted to survive.
When the Army rejected Meyer’s first application for the medal, it claimed his documentation was insufficient. Meyer’s daughter, Baker, said she was burned in the fire.
Klobuchar’s office helped the family obtain additional documentation, and an Army review board finally concluded last month that the new evidence “reasonably shows that the applicant was wounded in combat in early June 1951.” “It has been established beyond any doubt.”
The committee cited Department of Veterans Affairs records, and doctors concluded that the shrapnel in the thigh must have been the result of a combat injury. The board also cited a recent memo from Weimer in which he said he believed Meyer’s account was accurate and that his medal request merited reconsideration.
Meyer’s coffee buddy from the American Legion, Dave Johnson, who delivered the prayers, described Meyer as “more than humble.” Meyer tends to downplay it and say, “Oh, this happened, I was a part of it, and I guess there’s still pieces of it inside me,” he said.
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But Johnson said it’s important for others in the community to remember.
“People need to realize what it takes to make a country like this happen, and that includes people like Sonny and his efforts and what he accomplished and on that particular day. We need to recognize what we did for our country. Very few people have the opportunity to say, ‘I did this.’ ”
