Sun Thisweek: Purple Heart recipient chosen to represent Minnesota
Shannon Matthews knows his Purple Heart isn’t his calling card. He earned it in a strange encounter with the enemy during an easily forgotten U.S. military action in 1994.
“I’m old and outdated,” joked the 50-year-old Burnsville resident. “Even when I tell people how I got it, they’re like, ‘Really?’ ”
But the National Purple Heart Honor Mission hasn’t forgotten people like Matthews. The nonprofit was founded in 1997 to educate the public about combat-wounded veterans and pay continuing tribute to them.