Iowa vets receive long-delayed Purple Hearts

The Des Moines Register
Jason Noble
August 2, 2016

Don Coderre waited 10 years and Frank Hawk waited almost 50, but both were honored Tuesday with Purple Heart medals commemorating their military service and injuries sustained on the battlefields of Iraq and Vietnam.

The two Central Iowa men were presented their medals by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in a ceremony at his office here, closing the circle on military careers that saw intense war zone combat. .

“These gentlemen and the gentlemen in uniform have been and still are involved in the constant vigilance of the No. 1 responsibility of the federal government,” Grassley said as he presented the medal – awarded for combat injuries – to Hawk. “That is, to protect Americans. These folks have done it.”

Hawk, of rural Norwalk, served as an Army specialist in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969. He was shot while serving in the Airmobile Division – a unit that shuttled into remote areas by helicopter to assist soldiers and engage the enemy.

“I wasted a lot of ammunition, but it was for a good cause,” he said. “You see things and do things that you’re not always proud of, but that’s part of war.”

Hawk said for many years he had trouble talking about his combat experiences, and became interested in receiving his Purple Heart only recently as he has met and shared his experiences with fellow veterans through the VA Hospital in Des Moines.

Coderre, of West Des Moines, was an Army specialist in Iraq from 2004 to 2007 whose responsibilities included clearing roadside bombs. He was injured by a mortar in 2006. He said he had applied repeatedly for Purple Heart recognition in the years after leaving the service, but was stymied by misplaced paperwork.

Read the full article here.