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Vietnam veteran receives Purple Heart 56 years after being wounded

Washington, November 10, 2023
Tags: Veterans
  • purple heart

Originally Published in the Pottstown Mercury

SOUTH COVENTRY — More than 50 years ago, Robert Fields was shot in the head, twice in the same month.

Fields, then serving in Vietnam with the U.S. Army, was wounded badly enough the second time he had to spend six weeks recovering in a hospital in Japan.

But despite his injuries, he never sought the Purple Heart he had earned. Like many veterans who have seen war, Fields, a resident of Reading, did not talk much about the experience.

“But you should never underestimate the determination of a military wife,” observed U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan. The child of a 30-year Navy veteran and herself a retired captain in the U.S. Air Force, she knows a thing or two about military spouses.

Elizabeth Fields started with the Veterans Administration when she began her secret effort to get her husband’s Purple Heart awarded.

She didn’t have much luck there, so she turned to Houlahan’s office, and her quest was put in the hands of aide Andrew Lippert, himself a U.S. Air Force Veteran.

A few months later, “my office was able to surprise (Fields) with the news,” that his Purple Heart had been secured, Houlahan said during a veterans ceremony Friday at Owen J. Roberts High School, where she pinned the medal on Fields in front of a crowd of fellow veterans, students and staff from the school.

“This is my first time doing this, I hope I don’t mess it up,” she joked.

The first time he was hit, Fields, a sergeant, received a concussion and was put on “light duty” for several days. After returning to combat, he was struck again, again in the head, and this time the bullet pierced his helmet and “carved a furrow along his skull,” Houlahan said.

In addition to Fields, six other area veterans who have received Purple Hearts were presented by Houlahan with “challenge coins.”

The Purple Heart is the nation’s oldest medal, created by George Washington in 1782 and originally called the “Badge of Merit.” It is now assigned to those who have been wounded in battle. Since it was created, it has been awarded to 1.8 million military personnel.

After receiving his Friday, Fields spoke briefly about patriotism.

“The men who stormed the beaches at Normandy and Guadalcanal, they were patriots. They put their country above their own well-being. It’s not the same thing as cheering for the Eagles,” Fields said. “Putting yourself in danger to make your nation better, that’s patriotism.”

Also on hand were the Navy Jr. ROTC color guard team, who presented the colors, and other members of the group who served as ushers and honor guards.

Cadet Lt. Rebeka Sheehan, the school ROTC’s senior officer, said hearing veterans stories “inspires us to achieve great things.”

“I have full faith putting our future in the hands of the next generation. They are coming ready to move forward,” said Steven Kollar, high school principal. “They are motivated to step back and consider service to their country.”

“You are the living embodiment of the textbooks we have studied,” Alexander Traino, president of the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, told the veterans assembled in the high school auditorium.

“Your sacrifices have not gone unnoticed,” he said, adding that he intends to pursue a career in the military after graduation.

Houlahan, who is also a former teacher and also served in the ROTC in high school, told the students, “We need the best and the brightest of our nation and we need you right now.”