Marine who survived 2015 shooting has ‘mixed feelings’ about his Purple Heart | Fox News

Given that this was a terrorist attack, this might still be a difficult award to accept. Can the PH be declined?

REPORT: The five troops were killed at the nearby training center. Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan; Staff Sgt. David Wyatt; Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist; Lance Cpl. Squire D. “Skip” Wells and Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith all died that day. They are in line to receive a Purple Heart at a later date, a Marine official told Military.com.

The Purple Heart is one of the most respected awards in the U.S. military and it is awarded, according to WRCBTV.com, to those injured or killed while serving. In a majority of cases, the award is earned fighting in a combat zone. The FBI and the Navy Criminal Investigative Service, however, determined that the Chattanooga attack was inspired by a foreign terror group.

“What I’ve always been taught is the Purple Heart is a combat award, being deployed overseas and for me to receive it in Chattanooga, Tennessee… I kind of have mixed feelings about it,” Cheeley, who served in Afghanistan in 2011, told the station. He said he is honored to receive the award, but he does not “want to take away from the fallen five.”

Though rare, the military has in the past given out Purple Hearts for attacks on U.S. soil. In Feb. 6, 2015, the Army approved awarding the Purple Heart to soldiers wounded in the 2009 attack on Fort Hood in Texas after pressure from Congress and victims’ families.