CULLMAN, Ala. — After 25 years of trying, Richard “Rick” L. Leigeber finally received formal recognition of the Purple Heart he earned in Vietnam. Congressman Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, presented the medal to Leigeber at a special ceremony May 4 at Cullman VFW Post 2214.
“It’s been a long time coming. I never thought I would be able to get it,” Leigeber said after the presentation. He said he first applied for the Purple Heart about 25 years ago, but was unable to secure it on his own and later went through Aderholt’s office.
“I applied to try to get it 25 years ago and was unable to on my own, so I did go through Congressman Aderholt,” Leigeber said. “He came through for me and got the Purple Heart presented on honor from the United States.”
Aderholt said it was his honor to present the medal and that he was glad to finally right a wrong for a veteran who had never before received the nation’s formal recognition for being wounded in combat. Leigeber said, “I was grateful,” and added that he was glad to have the award while he was still alive and on his record.
Leigeber served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969 with Company A, 4th Battalion, 23rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade in the 25th Infantry Division. He served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 in the Cu Chi Valley during the Tet Offensive. The Purple Heart is awarded to service members wounded or killed in action against an enemy of the United States or as a result of an act by an enemy or opposing armed force, according to the U.S. Army.
The recognition comes after years of public service in Cullman. Leigeber was inducted into the Cullman Veterans Hall of Fame in 2024, and the Hall of Fame account listed honors including the Combat Infantryman Badge, National Defense Service Medal and Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960 Device, along with his work with the White Crosses Memorial, the Veteran Memorial Burial Team’s “Slow Salute” and local veterans groups. He was also among the veterans recognized at VFW Post 2214’s fourth annual Heroes Dinner in 2017, when more than 40 area veterans were honored.
For Leigeber, the delayed medal closed a long gap between the war and the record. For the people gathered in Cullman on May 4, it was a chance to see a Vietnam veteran get the Purple Heart he said he had spent decades trying to claim.
