Dalton soldier awarded Purple Heart

By Jamie Jones
Dalton Daily Citizen

October 25, 2008 11:11 pm

— Brenda Byers and her family never gave up.
For two years, family members made numerous phone calls and sent a barrage of e-mails to government officials — from state representatives all the way up to the Pentagon — to find out why Army veteran Brandon Byers, Brenda’s nephew, had not received a Purple Heart for injuries from a roadside bomb in Iraq on July 29, 2006.
The long wait is over.
On Wednesday, the family received an e-mail from the chief of the Military Awards Branch that Byers, a 1994 graduate of Northwest Whitfield High School who is currently serving in Afghanistan, had finally been awarded the Purple Heart.
“When they called, I was so excited that I could scream,” said Brenda Byers. “I had spent two years trying for this. I hope it shows other people they shouldn’t give up no matter what.”
Brenda Byers, who lives in Dalton, has been on a mission for the past two years because the Purple Heart was denied twice. She sought the help of U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., and his staff.
The Army’s Human Resources Command turned down Brandon Byers’ request for the Purple Heart in 2007 because of “insufficient paperwork,” so he resubmitted the paperwork. The second submission was denied “based on the nature of Staff Sgt. Byers’ injuries.” Following advice from his superiors, Byers reconfigured his award packet to include a memorandum detailing the steps he had taken that justified the Purple Heart, pictures of his injuries and sworn statements from some of the others involved.
That was in March 2008. In June, the Army sent another letter. The Military Awards Branch determined there was not enough documentation to change the original decision to deny the Purple Heart. After more letters and more phone calls, the Army decided Byers merited the award.
First Lt. Mya L. Parker wrote an e-mail to the Byers family letting them know the Purple Heart had been approved. She had spoken to Brandon Byers, writing, “He is ecstatic and relieved to get such positive resolution.”
“As you all know, Staff Sgt. Byers is one of the finest NCOs (non-commissioner officers) in the battalion and has done great things for the Army throughout his career,” Parker wrote. “He should be proud of his accomplishments and proud to wear the Purple Heart for the rest of his life.”
After enlisting in May 1996, Byers spent two tours in Korea and one in Iraq before serving in Afghanistan. There, he oversees refueling stations for heavy equipment and helicopters as a platoon sergeant in the 101st Airborne.
Byers recounted the explosion to The Daily Citizen for a September 2006 article. He was on regular patrol as part of a convoy when his Humvee was hit by a land mine. The explosion lodged shrapnel in his forearm and left knee. Group members thought they were under attack, but it turned out to be a land mine.
“Ever seen the movie ‘Saving Private Ryan’ at the end where he can see everybody talking but he couldn’t hear them?” Byers asked in the 2006 article. “It was like that. I guess I was in shock.”
Byers hopes to return home by the end of the year. He and his wife, Heather Lynn, have two daughters, Michaela and Jocey.

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