Public Media from Michigan State University

Mid-Michigan Purple Heart recipient opens his heart to Afghan comrades

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WKAR/Kevin Lavery

 
   The Purple Heart is the oldest military award the United States of America gives to its service members.  It’s sometimes called “the medal nobody wants,” because it’s given to those killed or wounded in combat.  Now, a mid-Michigan man has joined those ranks. 
 
First Lieutenant William Milzarski is  retired from the U-S Army.  He first enlisted back on August 1, 1990 -- the day before Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.  He spent just a few years in as a heavy construction operator.  He was injured, got out and eventually went to Cooley Law School.  He became a civil rights attorney.
 
Things were going along pretty well for him...and then came September 11, 2001.  That’s when William Milzarski made a difficult and surprising decision to put on his country’s uniform for the second time.
 
 Current State’s Kevin Lavery has his remarkable story. 
 

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Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.