No Purple Heart for victim of Islamic radical
By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 16, 2011 15:36:03 EST
An Army private who was shot and killed by a self-described al-Qaida foot soldier outside a military recruiting station in Arkansas did not receive a Purple Heart because lawyers decided the incident was not an act of international terrorism or act of war.
Pvt. William Long’s death in June 2009 does not qualify for the medal because the Justice Department opted not to prosecute the killing as an attack on the military by an enemy combatant, according to a spokeswoman for Army Secretary John McHugh.
“In this case, civilian law enforcement authorities, which have exclusive jurisdiction over the prosecution of this senseless act, determined that it should be treated as a crime and prosecuted by the State of Arkansas,” said Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb, a spokeswoman for McHugh.
“This determination precluded the award of the Purple Heart to these great soldiers under the current award criteria. If this changes, the Army will be pleased to conduct an appropriate review at that time,” Edgecomb said.
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I am sick over this! They should make an exception considering they called this a "global war" on terror and that should include our own soil. Did the wounded get Purple Hearts after Pearl Harbor?
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