Army to award Purple Hearts to 39 soldiers injured in Iran missile attack following CBS News investigation
CBSN
The Army will award the Purple Heart to dozens of additional soldiers injured when Iran struck their airbase in Iraq with ballistic missiles in January 2020. The shift comes after a CBS News investigation last month found these same soldiers had not been recognized with the award and denied the medical benefits that come with it, despite appearing to qualify.
In a statement to CBS News, a spokesman said the Army's Human Resources command, which oversees awards, approved 39 Purple Heart submissions for soldiers wounded in the attack. The command notified these soldiers on Wednesday.
The attack was the largest ballistic missile strike against American forces in history and came days after the U.S. killed the powerful Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds military force and the man behind deadly attacks on American bases.
