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Army to award 39 Purple Hearts for soldiers injured in 2020 Iran missile attack
Fox News ^ | December 8, 2021 | Michael Lee

Posted on 12/08/2021 6:46:13 PM PST by Coronal

The U.S. Army has approved Purple Hearts for 39 soldiers who were injured in an Iranian attack that saw 16 ballistic missiles target Al Asad Airbase in Iraq.

"The Army’s Human Resources command approved 39 Purple Heart submissions it recently received for Soldiers wounded in the January missile attack on Al Assad airbase," said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Gabriel J. Ramirez in a statement to the Army Times. "They continue to review an additional 11 nominations, which will be decided on the individual merits."

The awards come a month after a CBS News report detailed Jan. 2020 attack, noting that the soldiers injured had so far been denied the Purple Heart and the medical benefits given as a result of it.

The attack, which occurred as tensions with Iran escalated following the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, resulted in traumatic brain injuries for most of the 39 soldiers set to receive the award.

Colonel Gregory Fix, who was in command of the soldiers injured that day, sent a letter to the Army command that handles awards urging it to "review and/or reconsider the Purple Heart award packages for all Soldiers injured at Al-Asad airbase on January 8, 2020 who have not received the Purple Heart as a result of this attack."

Sgt. 1st Class Daine Kvasager will be one of the soldiers to receive the award, according to an email that was obtained by the Army Times. Kvasager detailed to CBS News how the injuries he suffered during the attack have changed his life.

"The person I was prior to a traumatic brain injury, he’s gone," Kvasager said. "There’s parts that remain. The pieces are all still there, just — yeah, he’s not coming back."

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
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1 posted on 12/08/2021 6:46:13 PM PST by Coronal
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To: Coronal

That is usually automatic isn’t it, why so long a wait?


2 posted on 12/08/2021 6:50:13 PM PST by Captain Peter Blood (https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3804407/posts?q=1&;pag, and that)
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To: Captain Peter Blood

Bidenn needs to look presidential


3 posted on 12/08/2021 6:51:23 PM PST by al baby (Hi Mom Hi Dad)
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To: Captain Peter Blood

Several of the people who were there have said that they felt pressure to downplay the severity of their injuries to avoid further escalation of the situation with Iran and to avoid undercutting the President’s initial comments on the incident.


4 posted on 12/08/2021 6:57:41 PM PST by Coronal
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To: Coronal

So now when a soldier is wounded he doesnt automatically receive the Purple Heart ???

he has to prove something ???

What kind of nonsense is this ???


5 posted on 12/08/2021 7:09:51 PM PST by Tennessee Nana
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To: Tennessee Nana

Paperwork for application for a decoration has to be submitted to the Pentagon. It appears that members of the unit stationed there were under pressure not to.


6 posted on 12/08/2021 7:18:29 PM PST by Coronal
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To: Coronal

Now they give them automatically for being a certain distance from an explosion. In WWII, half of the military and everybody in certain battles would have got them.

Cheapens it.


7 posted on 12/08/2021 7:36:10 PM PST by DesertRhino (Dogs are called man's best friend. Moslems hate dogs. Add it up....)
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To: Tennessee Nana

It’s because in the old days they had to draw blood. There wasn’t too much arguing that.


8 posted on 12/08/2021 7:37:24 PM PST by DesertRhino (Dogs are called man's best friend. Moslems hate dogs. Add it up....)
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To: Coronal

It’s about time Jill made up her mind that there was no way out of doing it...


9 posted on 12/08/2021 8:48:28 PM PST by SuperLuminal (Where is another Sam Adams now that we desperately need him?)
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To: Captain Peter Blood

Was Gen. Silly Minilley in charge back then?


10 posted on 12/08/2021 9:06:47 PM PST by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper (Figures )
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To: Tennessee Nana
So now when a soldier is wounded he doesnt automatically receive the Purple Heart ???

he has to prove something ???

What kind of nonsense is this ???


Eligibility for the Purple Heart requires wounds sustained while engaged with an opposing force in hostilities with these US, or during action vs an enemy of these US. Considering we are not actively at war with Iran, and they are not technically a hostile force with which we are engaged, a Purple Heart from wounds suffered because of Iran is a gray area. Awarding this is actually acknowledging that Iran is a hostile opposing force, which is not something we claim in the political arena.
11 posted on 12/10/2021 10:02:39 PM PST by Svartalfiar
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