KFOR:
The Purple Heart is an honor soldiers receive for injuries they sustain or die from on the battlefield.
On Monday, a war veteran who now calls Oklahoma home waited a decade for his purple heart.
“It’s surreal right now. I gave up at one point to try to search for it, to try to get it and to have it actually come, it means a lot,” said SGT Carl Fastiggi.
In 2011, then-Specialist Fastiggi was fighting with the California Army National Guard in Iraq. He was a member of the 640th Aviation Support Battalion, Company B at Camp Taji, Iraq.
The incident happened around 1:55 p.m. when Camp Taji came under rocket fire.
SPC Fastiggi ran for cover in a nearby hanger and was hit in the head by debris. Shortly after, he reported to the medical center with a severe headache; he was evaluated and determined fit for duty.
“At the time, he did get medical care and such, but all the records weren’t done and weren’t made complete on it,” said Senator James Lankford.
Fastiggi was diagnosed with a delayed concussion and still suffers from severe headaches and pain.
His lost paperwork caused a more than 10-year delay. It was Senator James Lankford and his office’s behind-the-scenes work that made this moment come true.