TYLER, Texas — Aug. 7 is National Purple Heart Day, a time to honor veterans who were wounded or killed while serving in the military.
"June 1, 2012 a suicide bomber hit our base perimeter with over a ton of explosives. I was in a mess hall, and that's kind of where they aimed, and they hit our perimeter wall," U.S. Army flight medic Sgt. Patrick Dale Rogers Jr. said.
A collapsed dining facility left Rogers, who lives in Tyler, with tears in his shoulders and knee, and also popped discs in his lower spine that realigned his back from the impact.
In the moment, there was one thing on his mind: "I'm going to miss lunch, that is exactly what went through my head," Rogers said.
He sustained injuries during the attack, but it will forever be a memory leaving not only external scars, but internal scars as well.
"You remember your PTSD, you live with it, and you deal with it," Rogers said.
His wounds ended his service in the military, but his sacrifice and work didn’t go unnoticed. On Nov. 1, 2012, he was presented with the Purple Heart for his actions in the War in Afghanistan.
"It's very respected and I knew what it could do for the kids, and the state of Texas," Rogers said.
From 1967 to 1969, Michael Eubank, of Kilgore, served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He's a three-time Purple Heart recipient and member of the Purple Hearts Riders motorcycle organization.
His injuries during his service included shrapnel, pieces of metal in his legs, chest, arms and neck, Eubank said.
Eubank was awarded the Purple Heart Badge in March of 1967 and 1968 and October 1968. He was 17 years old when he received these awards. At the time, he said he didn't realize what an honor a Purple Heart is.
"No other greater feeling to be able to serve our country, the United States of America. That's what we're here for, and that's what we joined the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, whatever. The guys joined to do our service for this country and for the people in this country, not for ourselves personally," Eubank said.