WASHINGTON, D.C. (Stars & Stripes) — An Iraq War veteran has petitioned the Army, claiming it failed to award him the Purple Heart for combat-related injuries suffered more than 20 years ago.
The medal, which honors extraordinary service and sacrifice on the battlefield, also unlocks medical and financial benefits for recipients and their survivors. There is no statutory time limit for awarding the Purple Heart.
Stephen J. Froom, of Colorado, a former military police soldier, argues in a petition to the Army Review Boards Agency that the military failed to consider his injuries and act to award him the Purple Heart in multiple instances.
Purple Heart medals recognize service members seriously wounded or killed in enemy action. Froom’s petition was submitted as a request to correct his military records. The award is usually a command responsibility, but the petition process is a path for correcting an omission.
Veterans awarded Purple Hearts also may qualify for special monthly compensation added to their VA disability payments, depending on the severity of injuries. The enhanced payments are to help veterans with serious medical needs.
Froom has a 100% disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, two traumatic brain injuries that caused him to lose consciousness, a shrapnel wound and other injuries, according to a Petition for Correction filed with the Army Review Boards Agency.
But more than 20 years after deployment, Froom is still fighting to receive the recognition he “rightly deserves,” said Allison Weber, his attorney. “This is about his effort to preserve his own legacy and to shed light on the contributions of other members of his unit.”
He also is seeking a Distinguished Service Cross or Silver Star for his service. The medals are the Army’s second- and third-highest decorations for valor, respectively.
“This is about claiming my legacy. Money has never been a motivator for me,” Froom said about his efforts for the formal recognition. “I have these events that shaped my life but no proof of them.’‘
Froom participated in missions to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s government and to restore order to the country, according to the petition. He served with the 204th Military Police Company.
Froom’s injuries were related to an ambush, grenade attack, firefight and car bombing while he was stationed in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, according to the petition.
There is no formal count on the number of petitions retroactively filed seeking Purple Hearts, according to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
