Larimer County veteran receives Purple Heart 54 years after he was injured in Vietnam

More than 50 years after being injured in the Vietnam War, a Larimer County veteran received one of the armed service's most distinguished medals -- the Purple Heart. 

U.S. House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse presented the veteran with the long overdue honor at an emotional ceremony.

For Carl Smith, it is the final leg of a decades-long journey that took him to the jungles of Vietnam, where he was injured twice by explosives, making him eligible for the Purple Heart. It is an honor he should have received 54 years ago but, the military couldn't find his medical records. Congressman Neguse found the medic who treated him instead and set the record straight.

Neguse called Smith a local hero, "Whose courage under fire and willingness to serve our country knew and knows no ends. It's something we can never repay you for, but we'll spend a lifetime trying."

As family, friends, and fellow soldiers rose to their feet in applause for Smith, he fell silent, overcome with emotion.

His wife put into words what he couldn't, "He knows what he sacrificed -- mentally, physically, emotionally. It means the world to him to get the recognition."  

Like other Vietnam veterans, Smith returned from war to a hateful -- not grateful -- nation.  

Iraqi War veteran Lee Cooper says it is a nation that lives with that shame, "It is my personal prayer that you accept this medal for all that it represents in the citations and supporting paperwork, but also as a symbol of penitence from a magnificent and imperfect nation. From one veteran to another, thank you for paving the way for us, and welcome home."

Neguse says the country owes Smith and his family a debt of gratitude for their sacrifice, "When we have the opportunity to recognize our veterans, who are heroes, we should take that opportunity. Without them, we would not have the freedoms that are sacrosanct and fundamental in our country. They put themselves on the line and sacrificed so much -- in many cases making the ultimate sacrifice -- to keep us safe, to keep us free."