(Helena, Mont.) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester today presented U.S. Army veteran Staff Sergeant Douglas Miller with the Purple Heart medal. Mr. Miller is an Iraq War veteran who received the Purple Heart medal in recognition of a combat injury he received while serving in Iraq in 2004.

Tester fought to cut bureaucratic red tape standing in the way of Miller receiving his Purple Heart medal.

“The Purple Heart medal helps our nation honor the enduring service and sacrifices of our fighting men and women who put their lives on the line fighting for our freedoms,” said Tester. “Douglas Miller represents the very best of Montana and America, and I’m honored to play a small part in helping him rightfully secure this medal he earned two decades ago in Iraq. I’ll never stop fighting to make sure him and all of our veterans receive the respect they deserve and earned through service.”

The Purple Heart medal is awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces who were killed or wounded in action. A fierce advocate for servicemembers and veterans and the Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Tester has helped Montana veterans and their families secure more than 1,000 military honors and awards for their military service.

Mr. Miller is an Iraq War veteran who was called to active duty while serving in the National Guard for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He was deployed to Balad, Iraq where he worked on the flight line maintaining CH-47 helicopters. During a mortar attack in 2004, Miller was caught out in the open away from the bunkers when a mortar round hit and detonated between the containers he was near. As a result of the detonation, Miller sustained a combat injury.

In 2023, following bureaucratic issues Miller was facing in being approved for a Purple Heart medal, Tester put in a congressional inquiry with the Department of the Army. Following Tester’s push, the Army approved Miller’s Purple Heart medal in September 2024.