Army Chief Rodney Harp was helping Afghanis learn how to take care of their livestock as a part of the army’s animal husbandry team when he was caught in a mortar attack on April 2010.
Harp, of Evansville, retired because of his injuries in January 2012.In a ceremony at the Indiana War Memorial in Indianapolis, Harp was presented the Purple Heart.
He said the support he has received since returning from overseas has been a tremendous help in his recovery, and the Purple Heart only adds to that.
“This signifies that your country appreciates what you did and that means everything—that somebody cares,” Harp said.
The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the military who are wounded in battle. It is the oldest military honor in the world.