Purvis Native Receives Purple Heart

Story by: Daniel Szarek, MSNG Deputy Director of Public Affairs

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. – The Mississippi National Guard hosted a Purple Heart presentation ceremony at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.

U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Maj. Gen. Janson D. Boyles, the adjutant general of Mississippi, presented the Purple Heart Medal to retired Army Maj. Victor F. Hogan for wounds he received Sept. 11, 2006, in Iraq. Hogan, a native of Purvis, Mississippi, and an Army captain at the time, was riding in a Stryker fighting vehicle near the end of his 15-month combat deployment to the Middle East. The up-armored vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED), launching the more than 40,000-pound machine a few feet into the air and tossing it to the opposite side of the road. Hogan was struck by fragments from the blast and was flipped 180 degrees inside the vehicle, striking his head and losing consciousness for several minutes, resulting in a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

At the time of his injuries, the Purple Heart medal was not authorized for TBIs as the military had little understanding of the effects IED blasts had on the brain and nervous system. Upon further research and medical records reviews of TBI victims, the DoD authorized the award in 2011 for TBIs incurred during combat operations. However, it wasn’t until 2016, when Hogan was being treated at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he ran into his former battalion commander who informed him of the policy change and was adamant when telling him that he, Hogan, was authorized the medal.

Hogan’s first submission to the Army Human Resources Command (AHRC) for his authorized Purple Heart in August 2017 was rejected as it did not contain some required documentation. In 2018, Hogan’s second submission was also rejected. Finally, after years of bureaucratic demands and rejections, Hogan’s packet was referred to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in September 2022. His application was eventually approved in April 2023, and on May 12, 2023, with his records corrected, Hogan was officially awarded the Purple Heart.

Hyde-Smith, along with Boyles, affixed the Purple Heart medal to Hogan’s lapel and presented him with the award certificate during the August 2023 ceremony. She went on to say how much of an honor it was to be a part of the ceremony and what it means to her as a member of the U.S. Senate.

“We do a lot of important things,” she said. “But when you put a Purple Heart on a deserving Soldier, that’s pretty incredible. That is really significant.”

Although Hogan was active-duty for the majority of his career, he found it important that leadership from his home state be included in the ceremony and present him with the award. Boyles, the adjutant general of Mississippi, was also honored and grateful for the opportunity to recognize a fellow Soldier.

“Sometimes it takes a long time to recognize folks for what they’ve done,” said Boyles. “We’re just so proud of him and what he’s accomplished. It’s an honor to recognize him in front of fellow service members who he deployed with.”

Following the presentation ceremony, Hogan stated his medal wasn’t possible without the help of many friends, family members and professional acquaintances, and therefore doesn’t belong entirely to him.

“It’s an honor to serve your country and really, that’s the essence of today’s ceremony,” he said. “Even though my name is on the Purple Heart, it’s really for my whole community and state. I’m proud to be an American. I’m proud to be a Mississippian. I am proud to be from Lamar County and I’m proud to be from my beloved Purvis, Mississippi.”

Thank you for your continued support of the Mississippi National Guard, the United States Air Force, and the Department of Defense. We are Always Ready, Always There.

Photos and cutlines from the Purple Heart ceremony can be found on the Mississippi National Guard page of the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) at the following links:

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7988640/retired-army-maj-victor-f-hogan-receives-purple-heart

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7988636/retired-army-maj-victor-f-hogan-receives-purple-heart

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7988638/retired-army-maj-victor-f-hogan-receives-purple-heart