Phantom Blooper
11-01-08, 07:56 AM
Due to the 1973 National Archives Fire (mhtml:{D17178DD-5484-4FB6-9762-59CD35177C7C}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_National_Archives_Fire), a large number of retroactive Purple Heart requests are difficult to verify since all records to substantiate the award may very well have been destroyed. As a solution to this, the National Personnel Records Center maintains a separate office to deal with Purple Heart requests where service records have been destroyed in the 1973 fire. In such cases, NPRC searches through unit records, military pay records, and records of the Department of Veterans Affairs (mhtml:{D17178DD-5484-4FB6-9762-59CD35177C7C}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Veterans_Affairs). If a Purple Heart is warranted, all available alternate records sources are forwarded to the military service department for final determination of issuance.
The loaning of fire related records to the military has declined since 2006, since a large number of such records now fall into the "archival records" category of military service records meaning that the records have been transferred from the military to the National Archives. In such cases, the Purple Heart may be privately purchased by the requestor (see above section of retroactive requests for further details) but is no longer provided by the military service department.
Good luck with your effort. It's important. A final avenue is to contact your Congressman or US Senator and request a review.
Last resort requests
Some veterans who have exhausted all available sources, often still feel that they should be awarded a Purple Heart, even if there are no records of the decoration. In such cases, service members may appeal directly to the military service department by way of a Defense Department Form 149, which requests an official change to military records. Usually, if the 149 is denied by the service department, there is nothing more a veteran can do and will not be awarded the Purple Heart. In some cases, however, veterans have been recommended for the Purple Heart, after the fact, by a United States Senator (mhtml:{D17178DD-5484-4FB6-9762-59CD35177C7C}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate) or Congressman (mhtml:{D17178DD-5484-4FB6-9762-59CD35177C7C}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives). Such cases are treated as brand new award recommendations and the process for presenting the Purple Heart begins again with a review of records and interview of witnesses to the action in which a service member was wounded.
The loaning of fire related records to the military has declined since 2006, since a large number of such records now fall into the "archival records" category of military service records meaning that the records have been transferred from the military to the National Archives. In such cases, the Purple Heart may be privately purchased by the requestor (see above section of retroactive requests for further details) but is no longer provided by the military service department.
Good luck with your effort. It's important. A final avenue is to contact your Congressman or US Senator and request a review.
Last resort requests
Some veterans who have exhausted all available sources, often still feel that they should be awarded a Purple Heart, even if there are no records of the decoration. In such cases, service members may appeal directly to the military service department by way of a Defense Department Form 149, which requests an official change to military records. Usually, if the 149 is denied by the service department, there is nothing more a veteran can do and will not be awarded the Purple Heart. In some cases, however, veterans have been recommended for the Purple Heart, after the fact, by a United States Senator (mhtml:{D17178DD-5484-4FB6-9762-59CD35177C7C}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate) or Congressman (mhtml:{D17178DD-5484-4FB6-9762-59CD35177C7C}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives). Such cases are treated as brand new award recommendations and the process for presenting the Purple Heart begins again with a review of records and interview of witnesses to the action in which a service member was wounded.