23 Years Later, Maj. Gregg Stone Gets His Purple Heart
More than 23 years after Air Force Major Gregg Stone was killed in a grenade attack by a fellow American soldier at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait, his family finally received the recognition they'd been fighting for. On Wednesday, Stone was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in a ceremony led by Marine Corps General Christopher J. Mahoney, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Stone's son Joshua accepted the medal on his father's behalf.
KIRO Newsradio News Director Frank Lenzi — Gregg's brother — joins Seattle's Morning News along with his sister Tammy Geske to share the story behind the honor: the 2003 insider attack that took Gregg's life just as the invasion of Iraq was beginning, the military's initial refusal to award Purple Hearts because the incident wasn't classified as occurring in a combat zone, and the decades-long campaign the family waged to make sure Gregg's sacrifice was properly recognized.
Listen to Seattle's Morning News w/ Charlie Harger and Manda Factor every weekday at 5am on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM or go to MyNorthwest.com to learn more!
