Contact: Antonia Ferrier (202) 224-5344
Wednesday, January 25, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today received official confirmation from the U.S. Army that Sergeant Derik Cormier has received a Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge for his bravery while serving in Iraq. Sergeant Cormier was shot in the leg during an insurgent attack in November of 2005 and he has since returned to Iraq to finish his tour of duty. Previously, although three different levels of commanders in the U.S. Army accepted the recommendation for Sergeant Cormier to receive his Purple Heart, it was rejected at the final level. Senator Snowe sent a letter to Major General Galen Jackman, Chief of Army Legislative Liaison, requesting that he look into the matter.

“I would like to congratulate Derik on this tremendous honor and thank him for serving out country so courageously,” said Snowe. “He joins the ranks of other brave men and women who have received this military distinction for their outstanding valor. To earn the Combat Infantryman Badge, a soldier must exhibit both skill and professionalism in the face of extreme danger. I am thrilled that the bravery and heroism Derik has exhibited while serving his country has been rightly acknowledged. Derik is indeed a true son of Maine and one that all of us can be proud of.”

The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of an Armed Force or any civilian national of the United States who, while serving in the U.S. Armed Services after 5 April 1917, has been wounded or killed, or who has died or could die after being wounded. While it is an individual decoration, the Purple Heart differs from all other decorations in that an individual is not "recommended" for the decoration; rather he or she is entitled to it upon meeting specific criteria. The original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was established by General George Washington by order from his headquarters at Newburgh, New York, August 7, 1782.

The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is awarded based on three requirements, all of which must be met. The soldier must be an infantryman satisfactorily performing infantry duties, must be assigned to an infantry unit during such time as the unit is engaged in active ground combat, and must actively participate in such ground combat. Campaign or battle credit alone is not sufficient for award of the CIB. The CIB was established by the War Department on October 27, 1943.

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