Midwest
Army presents Purple Heart to Minnesota veteran 73 years after he was wounded in Korean War
After 73 years and a long fight with the U.S. Army, a Korean War veteran from Minnesota who was wounded in combat finally got his Purple Heart medal on Friday.
The Army notified Earl Meyer, 96, of St. Peter, last month that it had granted him a Purple Heart, which honors service members wounded or killed in combat. Meyer, who still has shrapnel in his thigh that continues to cause him occasional pain, had the medal pinned to his chest at a ceremony at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.
VETERANS DETAIL COMBAT STORIES ON NATIONAL PURPLE HEART DAY, SHARING IMPORTANCE OF RECOGNITION
Afterward, Meyer recalled being at an earlier ceremony for veterans when Purple Heart honorees were asked to rise so they could be honored. Now, said Meyer, “I can stand up with them guys.”
Understated and quick to deflect praise, he added: “It is nice. No doubt about that.”
Earl Meyer wears his freshly awarded Purple Heart medal for combat injuries he received while serving in the Korean War, Friday, May 17, 2024 in St. Peter, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
An Army review board had rejected Meyer’s application several times due to a lack of paperwork, but it reversed course after a campaign by his three daughters and their attorney. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota also intervened on his behalf along with the service’s top noncommissioned officer, the sergeant major of the Army. A federal judge ordered the review board to take another look.
Meyer’s case showcases the challenges for wounded veterans to get medals they’ve earned when the fog of war, the absence of records and the passage of time make it challenging to produce proof.
Klobuchar presented Meyer a certificate after the medal was pinned, while one of her former aides who worked on the case sang the national anthem.
“Our safety is what Earl fought for. Minnesota, our country and our world are better because of you, Earl,” Klobuchar told the crowd. “Thank you. And congratulations. Finally.”
Meyer’s daughter, Sandy Baker, of New Buffalo, Michigan, described combat veterans like her father, who is known to friends as “Sonny,” as “a different breed” and said he was reluctant to push for the recognition. She said he ultimately became convinced his effort would help other soldiers win overdue recognition.
“He’s excited and he’s very honored. Incredibly honored. But he said at coffee this morning, ‘I don’t know why we’re making such a big deal out of this,’” she said.
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer wasn’t able to attend, but he sent a latter of gratitude for Meyer’s “selfless service and dedication.” And in a handwritten addition at the bottom of the letter Weimer said: “Thank you for not giving up on us! Long overdue!”
Weimer sent Command Sgt. Major Jason Ross, from the Army National Guard, in his place. He described the grueling fighting that Meyer endured.
“He saw his close friends wounded, killed in action, and he engaged in continuous, sustained combat with the enemy and in wartime conditions for several days,” Ross said. “He believed and understood he could actually die in combat.”
Few men in Meyer’s unit who witnessed the mortar attack in 1951 survived. Only a few members of his platoon made it out unharmed. He didn’t even realize at first that he had been wounded. He said he thinks the medic who treated him on the battlefield was killed before he could file the paperwork. And he wasn’t thinking then about a medal anyway — he just wanted to survive.
When the Army denied Meyer’s first applications for the medal, it said his documentation was insufficient. It had been burned in a fire, said Baker, who is Meyer’s daughter.
Klobuchar’s office helped the family obtain additional documents and an Army review board finally concluded last month that the new evidence “establishes beyond reasonable doubt that the applicant was wounded in action in early June 1951.”
The board cited records from the Department of Veterans Affairs, where doctors concluded the shrapnel in his thigh had to be from a combat injury. The board also cited a recent memo from Weimer, who said he believed Meyer’s account was accurate, and that his medal request deserved another review.
Meyer’s American Legion coffee buddy, Dave Johnson, who delivered the prayer, described Meyer as “more than humble.” He said Meyer’s tends to downplay it and say, “Oh, this happened. I was part of this, and I guess I still have shrapnel in me.”
But Johnson said it is important for the rest of the community to remember.
“People have to recognize what it takes to have a country like this, and it takes people like Sonny and his efforts, what he’s accomplished and what he did on those particular days. Very few people have that opportunity to say, ‘I did this for our country.’”
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CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Department of Public Health is educating drivers about a law many may not know about: the city’s ban on idling.
Under city law, idling is any time a driver sits in their car without a destination or purpose. The law prohibits idling for more than five minutes, or else drivers could be fined. There are limited exemptions to the law, including weather conditions and some vehicle types.
The health department said idling is illegal because of the effects our cars’ emissions have on the environment and our health. The health department said one minute of idling produces more carbon monoxide emissions than smoking three packs of cigarettes.
When we run our cars, tiny particles are emitted from the exhaust, and, according to the health department, they can enter our lungs and contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
Christina Yoka, chief of air pollution outreach with the Cleveland Department of Public Health, said the solution starts with thinking about your daily routine.
“From the time you leave your home for work in the morning, think about the time you get in the car,” she said. “Do you stop and get coffee, and you’re in the drive-thru? Do you look at your phone while you’re waiting to put something in your GPS and checking text messages?”
Yoka said a new anti-idling campaign is underway to remind Cleveland drivers and employees about the law. Signs will be placed in city parking lots and garages.
“There are all these moments throughout the day that we’re in our cars and we think, ‘Oh! It’s just two to three minutes, but then add that up over the course of the day,” she said.
Yoka said idling is never a good idea, but warmer temperatures like we’re seeing this week make pollution even worse. She recommends windshield covers, cracking your car windows and parking in the shade to keep cool.
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A Springfield Township man who was on parole for engaging in a sex act during a Facetime call with two children is now facing public indecency charges, police said.
Police said Leon D. Sims, 44, was seen masturbating June 25 at the Barnes and Noble at the Bridgewater Falls Shopping Center in Fairfield Township.
Sims has a history of similar offenses and is listed on the National Sex Offender registry.
He was charged with public indecency in 2011 after being accused of exposing his genitals to a library employee in Cincinnati.
In 2016, Sims was arrested for masturbating in a public place in Cincinnati. Three years later, he was accused of similar conduct in front of children near a Franklin County high school.
His most recent parole violation is related to a 2021 offense, in which he masturbated in front of two young girls, 9 and 15, over a Facetime call. One of the victims realized what was happening and recorded the call, which was later used as evidence.
Sims also recently spent time in federal prison for coercing a woman into prostitution and transporting her to Ohio, Kentucky and California, according to court documents. Prosecutors said that Sims forced the woman into prostitution “countless times” over a period of months between 2020 and 2021.
In a sentencing memorandum from the 2021 case involving the Facetime call, prosecutors said it was “well within the realm of possibility” that Sims had committed the crime to groom the 9-year-old girl into prostitution. They added that he was operating his sex trafficking business two weeks before he exposed himself on Facetime in front of the two girls.
According to prison records, Sims was no longer in federal prison custody as of September 2024.
Sims was convicted in Hamilton County in February 2025 of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles in the Facetime case. He was paroled from state prison in November 2025.
Sims had no attorney listed in court documents at the time this story was published.
This story may be updated.
Indiana ranks among the most dangerous states for backyard fireworks use heading into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, according to a new national analysis.
The study, conducted by the Action Network, places Indiana at No. 2 for the highest risk of at-home fireworks accidents, according to a community announcement. Researchers combined trade shipment data, online search trends and state regulations to estimate where incidents are most likely to occur.
Indiana participants face a 2.93% chance of a mishap, injury or property damage during the holiday period — roughly 1 in 34 odds — based on the study’s findings.
Ohio tops the list with a 3.54% risk rate, or about 1 in 28 odds, making it the most hazardous state for backyard fireworks use.
Heavy use and cross-border access drive risk
The announcement highlights Indiana’s strong demand for fireworks, with imports reaching $3.89 per person. That level of consumption contributes to the state’s elevated risk profile.
Indiana also serves as a regional destination for fireworks purchases because of differing laws across state lines. Neighboring Illinois prohibits certain aerial fireworks, and the study indicates that residents often travel to Indiana to buy those items.
That combination of high usage and out-of-state demand contributes to what the announcement describes as a “pyrotechnic juggernaut” within Indiana.
Study blends multiple data sources
The Action Network said it developed its rankings by analyzing three primary factors: shipment volumes, consumer behavior and legal restrictions.
By combining those inputs, researchers estimated the probability of accidents tied to backyard celebrations during the holiday period.
The findings rank all 50 states based on implied risk levels, offering a snapshot of where fireworks-related incidents may be more likely to occur.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
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